Bonnie Chen: More than a model

I heard you took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test recently; what's your type?

The first time I did it was a long time ago and the recent result is still the same – INFP, the mediator, or idealist or healer. Everything for me starts from the heart.

You've said you want a soulmate for your life partner. What does it mean to be soulmates? 

To grow in the same direction, at the same pace. When my circumstances change in life, my soul changes too, and that would make me lose the connection with others around me – we can't follow each other's soul any more. It's difficult to maintain connections with people and it's very sad. I don't think compromise is a meaningful solution to this, either. Oh, good looks are important, too.

Tell us about your charity Star, Bunny, Love. What inspired you to take action? 

The idea began when I was still studying in university, when the infamous Virginia Tech shooting happened [in 2007]. The murderer, who killed more than 30 people, suffered from severe depression. Through that incident, I realised that young adults can have serious psychological issues and catastrophic consequences can result. The plan was on hold until I began modelling, when the job granted me a lot of spare clothes.

We've done our charity bazaar in Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing, in places from cafes to shopping malls, about two to three times a year. I want to help children with psychological disorders such as depression and autism. The money we raise covers the cost for the children to do art exhibitions and art therapy. At first, the fundraising was about RMB 10,000 [per event], now we can bring in more than RMB 100,000. This year, I've been planning a new bazaar, either in Beijing or Shanghai; I want to make it an exhibition of autistic children's art, so it'll take me more time.

Which famous friends of yours have shown their support? 

Ethan Juan donated his clothes; Sean Zhang delivered his clothes to us; Hu Ge donated his shoes. Oh Jessey Meng… she donated a lot of clothes.

What would you do if you were not a model? 

I enjoy the process of coming up with new ideas for my charity. For example, I did a bazaar with a campus theme in Nanjing. In Beijing's Sanlitun, I did one with the theme "Another Me". I think creating is the biggest impetus in my life; I always have new ideas emerging. So… I think I'd be a great creative director. Many people think models have the privilege to be fashion designers, but honestly I don't think I understand trends that much – so that's not the case for me.