With a career that has spanned graphic designer to events manager to advertising company owner, along the way Jayjay Jiang has beaten lymphoma cancer and opponents in the boxing ring.
A single mom with a single-minded determination to succeed, yet a big heart to help and inspire others, we sat down with her to find out why she always comes out fighting.
When did you receive your cancer diagnosis?
I was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer in September of 2012, just as I had been promoted to National Event & Design Manager of Summergate – the leading wine and spirit importer – after having worked hard there for six years.
I'd always liked to challenge myself, and keep things going, but when I found out I had cancer, it took me a while to accept it.
Luckily, I have a loving family and, in Summergate, I had a supportive company, and managed to cover the expensive treatment.
Summergate also allowed me to do some work during my treatment; they understood that if I was only in the hospital and at home – not knowing if I would ever have a chance to return to normal life – that would kill me before the cancer.
You seem to have turned the negative experience into a big positive in your life – how did you manage it?
I had a kind of revelation at that time – a realization of all the things I was yet to achieve in my life.
I realized that I have a lot of things I still want to do. Plus I needed to live for my daughter and for my family.
I'm a Catholic; I did pray during my treatment. I only pray and beg for mercy when I face things beyond my control.
The first time was when my parents were getting divorced – I prayed for it not to happen.
It didn’t work.
The second time was, "Please heal me; I have so much I want to do in this world."
This time, it worked!
Luckily, I fully recovered after six months of chemo, then rested for a month, then got back to work... and then started being more active than ever.
I was a naughty kid in school, never good at sports. But, after surviving cancer, I started going to the gym, spinning, weight training, boxing and doing Muay Thai.
I fell in love with combat sports, maybe because I have a competitive mind and like to win. I took part in an amateur boxing match twice, and went to Thailand to train regularly.
I started working as the GM of a boxing gym and transformed from Party Queen to Boxing Girl.
I also did two big fashion shows for one of the top agencies in Asia and met a very good friend who trusted me so much he asked me to manage his two businesses: gre3n Coconut and Tiger Muay Thai China.
I learned how to run a business from that, how to make noise for a company.
What have you done with that experience?
Before the pandemic, I was preparing for a bikini competition; I always liked muscle shaping and admired bodybuilders and how much hard work they put in.
Then, after Chinese New Year of 2022, things went awry in Shanghai, and I couldn’t get the chicken breasts and broccoli I needed over lockdown. A bit of depression kicked in, and I dropped it.
I started to focus on social content development. In the summer of 2022, right after we got released from lockdown, and with my life partner Stan's support, we opened JS Advert – a video content company.
Yes, it was a tough period, with most offline businesses struggling and an economy in the doldrums. But there was one thing of which I was very certain – the video content business was rising!
Luckily, my partner is exceptionally talented in video shooting and editing. Video content through his eyes always has a special tone; together with my planning and operation skills, we can always dig out the soul of a story, presenting it as a whole.
How do you go about inspiring others?
When I see people complain on the internet about the economy, about jobs, about how it is so difficult to find a good job here in China when you are over 40 – I'll always leave a positive message, hoping to encourage them and offer a little bit of mental support.
The same goes for my cancer pals – I believe a miracle happened to me; God want me to do more in the world, to help more people who are suffering from illness or depression.
Through doing so, I participated in Nike's The Most Inspirational Story 2023, as well as winning a Superstar Award at the 3rd China Lymphoma Patients Conference.
My company also joined the Shanghai 48 Hour Film Project contest; with a limited budget and hands, we won two awards and earned two additional nominations.
It is a tough time for many people, yet I want to use the line from Stallone:
"It ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"
Any final message?
I loved drawing, so I became a graphic designer when I was 24; I liked to party, so I became an events manager when I was 30; I got into combat sports and became GM of a boxing business when I turned 35; and I realized my dream of shooting videos, and creating content and short films by opening an advertising company when I turned 40.
I hope my story can give people positive energy – always follow your heart, and all your dreams can come true.
Interested to know more about Jayjay, JS Advert, and the marketing services they offer? Contact her on 185 0166 7090 or jayjay@jsadvert.cn or simply add her on WeChat:
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