Chinese Recycling Worker Leng Minghui Reaches Milan Fashion Week but Keeps Her Regular Job
At 20, Leng Minghui has walked at Milan Fashion Week, worked with major brands and received offers from modelling agencies. Yet the young Chinese model still sorts recyclable waste at a collection station. Her reason is deeply personal: she does not want to leave behind the people who helped her through some of the hardest years of her life.
Leng, who works at a recycling station in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, never planned to become a fashion model. Her unexpected journey began in July 2025, when videos of her working in dusty clothes caught attention on Chinese social media.
Within months, she was walking professional runways, collaborating with brands and building a growing following online. In September 2026, she reached another milestone with an appearance at Milan Fashion Week.
But despite her rising profile, Leng has chosen to balance modelling with the regular job that provides her with financial security and a sense of belonging.
How a Recycling Worker Became a Viral Sensation
Leng’s journey into fashion began far from the glamorous world of designer clothes and runway shows.
In July 2025, videos showing her sorting recyclable materials at a collection station started gaining attention online. Dressed in stained work clothes and surrounded by discarded items, she stood out to viewers because of her striking appearance.
Standing 1.81 metres tall, Leng had the height and features that many associated with professional runway models.
Some social media users encouraged her to try modelling, while others compared her with Lu Xianren, a Chinese model who had also risen to fame from humble beginnings.
Lu became known for creating his own fashion looks and filming runway walks along rural roads. His unusual videos eventually helped him enter the professional fashion industry, including appearances at major international fashion events.
When Lu discovered Leng’s videos, he recognised her potential.
He encouraged her to pursue modelling, offered guidance on runway walking and helped introduce her to professional opportunities.
For Leng, who had spent years working to support herself, the attention opened a door she had never expected.
From Shenzhen to Milan Fashion Week
Leng made her runway debut in November 2025 at the SS26 Fashion Source event in Shenzhen, China.
She appeared in an orange outfit inspired by latiao, a popular Chinese spicy snack. The moment marked her first major step into professional modelling.
Soon, more opportunities followed.
She began collaborating with brands, including Chinese automobile manufacturer CHERY and luxury art brand Zhu Bingren Copper.
Under the social media name Chaoren Leng, also translated as Superman Leng, she developed a growing online following. Her videos offered glimpses of both her modelling experiences and her everyday work at the recycling station.
Her fashion journey reached an international stage on September 25, 2026, when she appeared in a runway presentation during Milan Fashion Week.
Leng participated in the QIFEI Spring/Summer 2027 collection, Worldly Hearth, designed by Yilin Na.
The collection featured 44 looks, including six outfits inspired by latiao. The designs turned a familiar Chinese street snack into an unusual source of high-fashion inspiration.
Leng was among the models presenting the collection in Milan.
For someone whose career began with a viral recycling-station video, walking at an international fashion event was a major achievement.
And interestingly, the designer’s use of an everyday food item reflected something familiar in Leng’s own story: finding unexpected value in ordinary life.
The Difficult Childhood Behind Her Success
Behind Leng’s growing recognition is a childhood marked by family separation and financial hardship.
Born in a rural village in Fuyang, Anhui Province, she was raised by her grandparents after her parents divorced when she was very young.
When her grandfather died, Leng was just 15. Facing financial difficulties, she left school and started working to support herself.
She took various jobs, including factory work and cashier duties.
Her circumstances gradually improved after she met her boyfriend, whose family welcomed her and supported her education.
They helped her return to school and complete her secondary education.
In 2025, Leng graduated and took China’s national college entrance examination. Although she qualified for junior college, she chose to continue working with her boyfriend’s family at their recycling business in Taizhou.
The family had provided something she had lacked for years: stability, encouragement and a place where she felt supported.
She became particularly close to her boyfriend’s father, whom she affectionately calls Dad in her social media videos.
That relationship later played an important role in her decision about her modelling career.
Why She Refused Full-Time Modelling Offers
As Leng’s popularity grew, several modelling agencies approached her with offers.
For a young woman who had experienced years of financial hardship, a full-time modelling career might have appeared to be an opportunity to completely change her life.
But Leng did not want to abandon the people who had supported her.
Instead of accepting an exclusive modelling arrangement, she decided to continue helping with the family’s recycling business while taking modelling assignments whenever possible.
Her decision was not about giving up her ambitions. She simply wanted to pursue them without losing the stability she had found.
She also understood that success in fashion was not guaranteed. Modelling opportunities could come and go, while her regular work continued to provide a dependable income.
As she explained in social media videos reported by the South China Morning Post, recycling helps her earn a living, while modelling represents her dream. She believes the two can exist together.
Rather than leaving everything behind, Leng has chosen to work in both worlds.
She continues practising her runway walk, poses and other modelling skills while remaining involved in the recycling business.
Two Different Worlds, One Remarkable Journey
Leng Minghui’s story has attracted international attention because of the contrast between her everyday work and her appearances on fashion runways.
In one setting, she sorts recyclable materials in practical work clothes. In another, she wears designer outfits before fashion audiences and cameras.
But she does not see one life as more meaningful than the other.
Her journey also challenges the idea that achieving success means leaving a modest background behind.
The recycling station gave her financial security when she needed it. The family behind the business helped her continue her education and encouraged her to build a better future.
Modelling has now given her new opportunities, public recognition and the experience of appearing on an international runway.
For Leng, both parts of her life matter.
Her story is not simply about a recycling worker who became a model. It is about a young woman pursuing her dreams while remembering the people who helped her reach them.
And that may be the most inspiring part of her journey: even after reaching Milan Fashion Week, she has not forgotten where she started.
