![[Captured from South China Morning Post]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/10/news-p.v1.20260610.b33f8852f1594e4a98c2b46a0d0fecc2_P1.png)
A 74-year-old Chinese woman is drawing wide attention online for her youthful energy and confident style, earning the nickname "grandma who looks like a girl." The social media influencer has amassed more than 2 million followers, with videos of her dancing in high heels on city streets accumulating more than 100 million views.
The woman at the center of the buzz is Ying Zi, 74, a Shanghai native, according to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post on June 7.
Her videos — including clips of her dancing in high heels on the street — have accumulated more than 100 million views in total.
Ying Zi said the key to her youthful, healthy lifestyle is maintaining her own personal style.
She practices yoga for an hour every morning and follows a strict rule of eating nothing after 5 p.m. She also stops eating when she feels about 70 percent full and follows a set order at meals — vegetables first, then protein, then carbohydrates.
She also draws confidence from experimenting with a wide range of looks, from styles popular with younger generations to punk-inspired outfits.
Ying Zi has a 45-year-old son and says she had not visited a hospital since giving birth — until recently.
She suffered a fracture in 2024 and was treated at a hospital, but refused to use a walking aid and rehabilitated herself by walking for an hour every night.
![[Captured from South China Morning Post]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/10/news-p.v1.20260610.514e852274ab422bb18b4863c605dc69_P1.png)
Ying Zi has been passionate about beauty and fashion since childhood, though she never worked as a professional model or actor.
She spent her early career as a kindergarten principal before relocating to Japan in the 1980s with her husband and son, where she worked in the restaurant industry. She went on to hone her culinary skills and eventually opened her own Chinese restaurant. Her striking appearance also earned her features in well-known Japanese magazines.
"Age is not an obstacle — it's an asset," she told Chinese media. "I want to live beautifully until I'm 120."
Her story has gone viral on social media. Users have responded with comments such as "What matters more than age is the energy you bring to life," "She's China's answer to Lee Gil-ya," and "It's wonderful to see someone living so young at heart."
yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com
