In this presentation, Johanna Hood (CIW post-doctoral fellow) focuses on the meanings and significance of celebrity public health advocacy using two Chinese HIV/AIDS celebrities as a case study – actor Pu Cunxin and folk singer and military general Peng Liyuan. Both have been awarded titles as heroes, publicists and ambassadors. I explore the relationship between their engagement with HIV in China and China’s political recognition and involvement with domestic and international HIV-based research, public health programs, and media coverage.