A woman pilot, Xu Fengcan (left), with China’s People’s Liberation Army has grabbed public attention during her appearance at the Zhuhai air show because of her resemblance to South Korean actress, Song Hye-kyo (right). - Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/IG@kyo1122
BEIJING: A rising-star female military pilot in China has captured attention at the Zhuhai air show due to her striking resemblance to South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo.
Xu Fengcan, a second lieutenant pilot in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), served as a commentator at the air show, the country’s biggest, which is also known as the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition.
She received a lot of visitors, including foreign pilots, who queued for photo opportunities with her, Zhejiang TV reported.
Xu, 25, is favoured by the mainland public largely due to her likeness to the South Korean star, earning her a nickname, Song Hye-kyo 2.0.
Actress Song, 42, has enjoyed popularity in China for two decades as audiences are attracted by her pure, natural and easy-going temperament.
Xu, and her resemblance to Song, first came under the spotlight in November 2022 when she was introducing a new helicopter model at that year’s Zhuhai Airshow in an interview with the state broadcaster CCTV.
Besides looking good, Xu is celebrated for her extraordinary performance in the military.
A native of Zhejiang province in eastern China, Xu was picked to be one of the first batch of female pilots in 2017 to be trained by the PLA’s land force alone upon her graduation from secondary school.
Female Chinese military pilot Xu Fengcan wows air show fans
In 2020, Xu became the land force’s first female pilot to successfully complete the flying tasks independently after training.
She graduated from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Aviation School in 2021 and began to fly a battle helicopter.
She is one of the first pilots for Harbin Z-20, a Chinese medium-lift utility helicopter produced by the Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG).
Last year, Xu was elected to be a deputy of the National People’s Congress, a position of political prestige in China.
She was nominated as one of three ambassadors for China’s military schools in June.
“What has been motivating me to pursue my blue sky dream? I think it is the passion for the flying cause and the love for this military uniform,” Xu said in a promotion video.
She described herself as a person ready to meet challenges.
“I once told myself, ‘If you can overcome the difficulties in flying the rather complicated planes, like Harbin Z-20, it would improve your flying ability tremendously’,” Xu was quoted as saying by the state broadcaster CCTV.
Xu’s story has sparked an online discussion in China.
“She is both beautiful and valiant! Thumbs up for her,” said one online observer.
Another person said: “This is the real star we should admire.” - South China Morning Post
