Chinese PhD girl dismisses stereotypes

In her late 20s, the girl from Leeds University might be better known by her nickname Caterpillar Claire. A personal ad with her photos circulated on social media last week lifted her to immediate fame.

"I hope the discussion on the Internet could help people understand the group of 'female doctors'. We are not the 'third group' and please don't put social labels on us," said Claire, who was dubbed the "prettiest female doctor" by Chinese netizens but didn't want to reveal her real name.

In her late 20s, the girl from Leeds University might be better known by her nickname Caterpillar Claire. A personal ad with her photos circulated on social media last week lifted her to immediate fame.

In the ad the girl with a doctorate in chemistry was said to be "looking for a boyfriend to take home before Spring Festival."

Claire accepted interview with Xinhua during the weekend, after late night work the day before. The girl in a fashionable Topshop skirt and Reiss navy coat was quite amicable and easy-going.

"The marriage-seeking post was quite a surprise for me," she recalled. "On Jan. 3, a friend told me that my photos were posted on Chinese social media but I didn't care much. After a night's sleep, I found the photos were everywhere online."

At first, she was a little bit annoyed. "But my life was simple here from my lab to home, which wasn't affected much by the incident."

Claire's parents were both teachers doing research. "When choosing what to learn, I thought of chemistry simply because I loved it."

She came to Britain in 2008 and is now a research fellow in Leeds. They make experiments in the lab in the daytime, and watch movies or read books in the evening. At the weekends, they went shopping with friends or hiking if the weather is good. During holidays, they make a trip to other countries in Europe.