Jin Yinji Hopes To Win The All-Time Favourite Artiste Award When She Is 80

Veteran actress Jin Yinji’s Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste Award win on Sunday was probably the most heartwarming moment during the three hour-long ceremony.

And buoyed by her first Star Awards win after more than three decades in showbiz, a thankful Yinji, who is 71, tells us: “I hope to win the popularity award every year from now on. In that way, when I hit 80, I can receive the All-Time Favourite Artiste Award (laughs).”

She adds: “I’m happy that at 70, I’m still experiencing things for the first time. I recently led a tour group to Korea for the first time, and tonight, I received my first Star Awards trophy. Life truly only begins at 70.”

8 DAYS: Congrats Jin-jie! Your win was really one of the highlights of the night. Everyone was in tears!
JIN YINJI: I was very touched and emotional. When they announced my name, I saw all the actors and actresses tearing up as they were congratulating me. When I went on stage, Mark Lee presented the award to me, and I saw that he was crying too. I was so overwhelmed and was in a state of shock. I couldn’t control my emotions so I cried too. I didn’t waste my time doting on these onscreen sons and daughters. I could feel that they were very happy for me, and I felt very happy too.

What was going through your mind?
To be honest, my mind was a complete blank. I was shaking quite badly when walking onto the stage, ‘cos I never ever thought that I’d get this award. To me, the popularity award is something only the youngsters can win. I’m not someone people would expect to see in the top 10.

What are you going to do with the trophy?
I’m going to put it in my room and stare at it for a very long time. I want to have some time to calm down and tell myself that this trophy really belongs to me. I guess I will take many photos with it. I won’t display it in the living room, ‘cos I don’t want anyone to break it accidentally.

How are you planning to celebrate your win?
I don’t think I will do anything for the next few days. I won’t even go out ‘cos I think people would come and congratulate me on the streets and I’d feel quite embarrassed. I’ll probably just rest at home. Oh! I’d cook myself some rice or porridge to eat because I haven’t eaten rice in 10 days so as to fit into my dress! (Guffaws)

What’s next for you?
I actually don’t have any upcoming acting projects and I was worried, thinking about what I’d do after Star Awards. However, receiving this trophy has helped boost my confidence by a lot. I hope that I can get more acting gigs after this! (Smiles)