Ai Jing (Chinese: 艾敬; pinyin: Ài Jìng; born 10 September 1969) is a mainland Chinese singer and painter. China's Northeast News called her "China's most talented female folk rock singer." Ai was born into a musical family in Shenyang, Liaoning: her father played several instruments, and her mother was a Pingju singer. She attended the Shenyang Special School of Art, joined the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe (Chinese: 东方歌舞团; pinyin: dōngfāng gēwǔ tuán) in Beijing at age 18, and first gained widespread attention with her 1992 song "" (Chinese: 我的1997; pinyin: wǒde yījiǔjiǔqī). A semi-autobiographical ballad that has been compared to Cui Jian's "Nothing to My Name" in terms of its social impact, the song tells about her love for a man living in Hong Kong, and how she eagerly awaits the 1997 h