Fame of shepherd with winning smile brings tourism boom to his hometown; keeps feet on ground, aims for wider success
2-MIN READ2-MINFran Luin BeijingPublished: 2:00pm, 30 Apr 2026Five years after Tibetan herder Tenzing Tsondu was hailed as “China’s most handsome man” for a seven-second video clip, he is now a romance film actor who dreams about more experiences in the wider world.
Known by his Mandarin name Ding Zhen, he gained overnight fame across the nation, after a travel photographer’s seven-second clip showing his pure smile went viral in November 2020.
The account he newly registered on a social media platform garnered two million followers in one day.
Many people marvelled at his “innocent smile and unsophisticated eyes”, and wished for him to “stay pure and not become an influencer”.
The 19-year-old was soon hired as a tourism ambassador by his hometown, Litang county in Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture, southwestern China’s Sichuan province.
