More recently, she's cultivated yet another creative outlet, which although modest in style, has become massive in scope.  Xu Jinglei is one of two thousand five hundred celebrities whose blogs were recently hosted on sina.com, one of China's most influential web portals.  Notably, during the few months in which these blogs appeared,  Xu's page has enjoyed by far the greatest number of hits, a fact which goes far beyond her initial expectations:

"This is really surprising.  I haven't done any TV series for nearly six years, and I regard myself as low-key kind of person, who is not very good at arousing attention.  I have no idea why so many people would be interested in my blog."
 
So what exactly does Xu Jinglei write about in her journal online?  Well, sometimes she writes about her daily life, sometimes about her work and her new film, and sometimes about showbiz news, for example, the recent dispute between director Chen Kaige and digital video maker Hu Ge.  Still, there's no potential for consistent sensation - Xu updates her online diary everyday, alongside occasional photos of herself, yet these are usually taken from everyday life, rather than glamorous fashion shoots. No wonder therefore that Xu Jinglei says she doesn't want any distinction between the blogs of celebrities and those of the general public. 　　

"I don't make the distinction between photos from my celebrity life or my very ordinary personal life.  I don't think I'm really different to anyone else. Sometimes I like to take a picture of myself with my mobile phone.  Sometimes I'll capture my friends around me.  I later upload some of them on to the internet. So you see, my blog is just about me, the very ordinary Xu Jinglei,  just like the girl next door." 　

Perhaps lured by the celebrity's personal world, or maybe touched by her candid way of writing, web surfers are flocking to read Xu Jinglei's blog, with each diary entry receiving thousands of comments.  Dong Lu(董路) is a Beijing-based journalist, who writes a regular column on blogging.  He describes how many fans of Xu Jinglei stay up late waiting for her new post, as they know that she often goes on-line around late evening: