Ling
Ling is a computer-generated Peking Opera-inspired virtual influencer shown as a 25-year-old Beijing woman, unveiled in May 2020 by Shanghai Xmov Information Technology with Beijing Cishi Culture Media. Her name comes from the feathered headdress worn in Peking Opera. Content mixes guofeng/traditional costume and classic-meets-modern fashion; she has appeared on a VogueMe cover and endorsed Tesla, Nayuki and a shampoo brand, and joined CCTV's talent show Bravo Youngsters (华彩少年) singing Beijing opera.
- Since
- 2020
- Last updated
- 13 October 2026
- Nature
- AI persona
- Niche
- Fashion
- Style
- Photorealistic
- Debut
- 2020
- Origin
- Beijing (as presented)
Summary
Ling is a computer-generated Peking Opera-inspired virtual influencer shown as a 25-year-old Beijing woman, unveiled in May 2020 by Shanghai Xmov Information Technology with Beijing Cishi Culture Media. Her name comes from the feathered headdress worn in Peking Opera. Content mixes guofeng/traditional costume and classic-meets-modern fashion; she has appeared on a VogueMe cover and endorsed Tesla, Nayuki and a shampoo brand, and joined CCTV's talent show Bravo Youngsters (华彩少年) singing Beijing opera.
Is Ling AI?
Yes. Ling is a computer-generated virtual influencer, styled as a 25-year-old Beijing woman, made by the Shanghai AI start-up Xmov with the Beijing agency Next Generation (Cishi) Culture Media and launched in 2020.
The people who make Ling say plainly that she is not a real person. Xmov's May 2020 launch statement, reported by AiThority, calls her a virtual KOL co-created by Xmov and Beijing Cishi Culture Media. It says Xmov's AI performance-animation technology drives her face, eyes, body and fingers, and that "Ling's team" produces her posts. China Daily describes her as a social media star "whose realistic appearance is computer generated". It quotes Chen Yan, founder of Next Generation, the company behind her, and cites Xmov founder Chai Jinxiang telling 36Kr that Xmov's AI technology generates her expressions and gestures. VirtualHumans.org lists her as a full-time virtual model. The sources agree with each other, and two of them carry the operators' own words.
No page names a human who models, puppets or voices her. That is why the verdict is ai and not hybrid. Ling is a 3D animated character driven by Xmov's animation system, not a still-image generator persona, but every source calls her virtual.
One gap remains. China Daily says her singing on CCTV's Bravo Youngsters follows the school of Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang, but it does not say whether a human sings for her or who that would be. Nobody says who writes her Weibo posts beyond "Ling's team". No platform AI label was recorded.
Evidence
Xmov's launch statement calls Ling a virtual KOL co-created by Xmov and Beijing Cishi Culture Media, animated by Xmov's AI performance technology that drives her expressions, eyes, body and fingers.
aithority.comChina Daily says Ling's realistic appearance is computer generated and quotes Chen Yan, founder of Next Generation, the company behind her; it adds that Xmov's AI animation generates her expressions and gestures.
chinadailyhk.comVirtualHumans.org lists Ling among China's top virtual influencers and calls her a full-time virtual model who poses only for the brands that endorse her.
virtualhumans.org
Assessed 13 October 2026