A former model has risen to stardom in China after strutting her stuff from the runway to the People's Liberation Army.
Men Jiahui, 27, was an award-winning lingerie model before she joined the world's largest military force five years ago, serving as a guard of honour.
She was first propelled to fame in 2015 after marching with other female soldiers at China's Victory Day parade in Tiananmen Square.
The 5'10' beauty stood out from thousands of soldiers at the ceremony, which marked the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender at World War II, and has since been billed as 'the most beautiful soldier in China'.
Ms Men became a trending topic on the country's social media this week after Beijing announced it would hold a largest military parade on October 1 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the nation.
The news drew attention to the guards of honour in the People's Liberation Army who are tasked to march in China's political heart.
A 12-second clip of Ms Men performing in front of other PLA soldiers received more than 3.5 million views and 66,000 comments on short-video platform Douyin.
The video, shared by state newspaper People's Daily, shows one female soldier introducing Ms Men to the troop before the former fashion model showcasing her catwalk to her comrades.
Some of the male soldiers couldn't contain their excitement, applauding her performance with gusto.
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Web users were impressed by Ms Men. One typical comment said 'the best-looking people in the country all go to the army' while another user wrote 'female soldiers in China are all so beautiful'.
Born in Dalian in north-eastern China's Lianing Province, Ms Men studied at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology majoring in modelling before making her career switch in 2014.
Before that, she won the third place in Dalian at the China Lingerie Model Competition in 2008.
'I dreamt about being a soldier when I was a child, then I went to study arts and put [the dream] on hold,' Ms Men said in a previous interview with QQ.com.
She said she decided to join the army five years ago after knowing that the PLA had started to accept female applicants through local branches.
'After I joined the army, I found the life here a bit tough, but the challenges were nothing compared to the tasks I was told to complete,' she added.
Speaking to China Central Television Station, Ms Men said being a guard of honour and a model had something in common.
'Both jobs are to present yourself in front of other people and be seen.'
She said being a soldier had taught her the power of collectivism.
'My life has changed a lot since, but I do not regret.'
This article has been adapted from its original source.
