David Bowie’s ‘China Girl’ says music video changed her life
In this Nov. 26, 2014, photo, Geeling Ching poses for a photo in Auckland, New Zealand. In 1983, New Zealander Ching was 23 years old and waiting tables at a Sydney cafe when she was chosen to play the lead role in David Bowie’s “China Girl” music video. AP
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — In 1983, New Zealander Geeling Ching was 23 years old and waiting tables at a Sydney cafe when she was chosen to play the lead role in David Bowie’s “China Girl.”
She says the music video and the brief romance with Bowie that followed in the 1980s were like a surreal dream and a life changer.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Ching says she was watching a tennis tournament in Auckland when her phone started buzzing. She was stunned to learn of Bowie’s death.
She says: “There was something quite other-worldly about him. He was beautiful. Just beautiful.”
The video parodies Asian stereotypes and went on to win an MTV award. At the time, the unedited version was banned from New Zealand for a raunchy beach scene.
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