American toy company Mattel revealed all the inspiring women featured in its Barbie “Global Role Models” lineup, including Chinese actress and philanthropist Guan Xiaotong and prima ballerina Yuanyuan Tan.
Born in September 1997, Guan, who is currently dating former EXO member Luhan, began her acting career as a child star in the 2003 movie “Nuan”. The 20-year-old actress also appeared in the Chinese epic fantasy film “The Promise” by Chen Kaige, Shanghaiist reported.
Last year, Guan was named an ambassador for “World Life Day,” a joint campaign led by the U.N. Environment Program, International Fund for Animal Welfare and The Nature Conservancy.
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Yuanyuan, a 41-year-old prima ballerina of the San Francisco Ballet, is widely regarded as the “greatest Chinese ballerina of all time” and was called a “national treasure” by China Daily. She was also featured on the cover of TIME magazine in 2004 as a “Hero of Asia,” according to her bio on the Mattel website.
Yuanyuan began her ballet career at age 10 when she was scouted by the Shanghai Ballet School and invited to join the institution’s training program. She competed against thousands of other candidates in her age group to secure a spot in one of the 24 available slots for the program.
Other famous Asian and Asian American women featured on the list includes volleyball champion Hui Ruoqi and snowboarding superstar Chloe Kim, who became a massive hit at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The new set of Barbie “Global Role Models” lineup is part of the brand’s “Shero” program, which was initiated in 2015.
Featured Image via Twitter / Barbie
