On the latest Wǒ Men Podcast, we’re joined by feminist activist Zhang Leilei, who has played an important role in numerous feminist campaigns in China, including raising awareness around sexual harassment and gender equality.
Zhang’s journey as an activist began when she was in university. Now aged 26, she has been a prominent figure in China’s rising feminist movement. One of the most influential campaigns she led was using her body as a moving advertisement on metro trains in Guangzhou, a city in southern China, after her requests for public educational posters on public transport were repeatedly rejected by the authorities.
In response to Richard Liu’s alleged sexual assault against a Chinese student in Minnesota, today, Chinese feminist activist Zhang Leilei sent out petition letters to China’s top 500 companies, demanding an anti sexual harassment mechanism in the workplace. pic.twitter.com/wC17SkPVJT
The home crowd had plenty to cheer about at UFC Shenzhen tonight, as Zhang Weili took just 42 seconds to become China’s first ever UFC champion. Zhang took the strawweight title from Brazilian Jessica Andrade in what was only the third UFC event to take place in mainland China.
“Thank you, everyone. My name is Zhang Weili, I’m from China! Remember me!” the fighter declared after her win. And it seems unlikely that MMA fans will forget her lightning-quick victory.
The co-main event featuring Li Jingliang also saw celebrations from the Chinese crowd as the fighter notched up a major win over Elizeu Zaleski. That bout lasted just under 5 minutes and saw Li pick up a “performance of the night” bonus along with Zhang.
Kris Wu broke many things on today’s muggy summer morning, and this time none of them were the scale. Rather, our favorite freestyle-smashing, noodle-loving, Chinese hip-hop mogul is crushing the hearts of his millions of raving fangirls in a new relationship with Luyi Luna.
That’s right — in today’s Kris Wu-related news, the fat jokes end there. The guy has a new girlfriend.
KRIS WU /YIFAN/ HAS A GIRLFRIEND FCKING FINALLY. CONGRATS 🎉🎉
Spotted, as of last night in a dingy parking lot: Kris Wu with a fresh-faced mystery woman, fingers intertwined with the unmistakable seal of young love.
Before you burn all your floor-to-ceiling posters of Kris’ dashing countenance or shatter any bowls of noodles in the name of freestyle rap, here’s the low-down on Kris Wu’s latest love affair. (Scroll to the bottom for an update from Luyi Luna herself.)
Early this morning, Chinese reporters captured footage of Kris and this woman first getting into a vehicle together, and later emerging from a parking garage underneath Kris’ residence, with palms clasped.
The woman was later identified by netizen sleuths as Qin Niu Zhengwei from Nanyang, Henan province. A popular Weibo wanghong influencer with about 900k followers, she goes by the name Luyi Luna on social media platforms. Furthermore, Luna is an aspiring actress and second-year student at Beijing Film Academy.
You heard that right — she’s still in college! And with Wu’s 29th birthday looming in the imminent future, there is nearly a decade of age difference between the two of them.
Finally, a beacon of hope for broke college students still daydreaming of our shot at celebrity romance.
I just realized Kris’s girlfriend is the same age as me. When she’s 21 she has Lord Kris Wu as her boyfriend. Here’s 21 years old me collecting memes and fangirling over EXO 24/7. pic.twitter.com/z9vNY1ExMB
Needless to say, the internet is awash with speculation over the new couple and the shrouded origins of their apparent romance. Some conspiracists even picked up on the shared surname between Luna and Chinese mega-celebrity Luhan, and ran with it.
Ok Kris Wu’s girlfriend, will u be my girlfriend??? Duhhh she’s so cute ??? her sure name is 鹿？ Is she Luhan’s relative or not? https://t.co/HFXIQddQ9k
— Hi~ I’m Huwi and HUNHAN IS (@not_a_dead_ship) August 30, 2019
Well, is she Luhan’s relative or not? Wu’s representatives were unavailable to comment.
Many on Weibo expressed shock and surprise over the photographs of the new lovers, but online conversations surrounding the drama have actually been quite tame in nature.
One netizen, in response to a media outlet posting the news on Weibo, commented, “Shit, the boss [Kris Wu] isn’t small anymore, it’s time to talk about real love. I once used to desperately chase idols.”
How’s that for self aware? Wu’s normally rabid fandom seemed to recognize that although Kris was once the object of their most indulgent carnal fantasies, he is also a real human with an actual life, and deserves to be treated as such.
Cfans react to Luna, the alleged girlfriend of Kris Wu.
Top comment: “The fans’ hearts are not fluctuating in the least. We are even looking forward to the official announcement.” [+12740]
Many netizens are busy sending the couple blessings and good fortune. One user wrote, “He is almost 30, it’s normal to find a girlfriend. If it’s true, fans send blessings.”
It’s nice to see the internet finally being happy for Kris Wu.
Is Kris Wu in a relationship?
Plot twist — Luna took to Weibo on August 31, 2019 to deny that she and Kris were an item: “I’ve always had the greatest respect for Teacher Wu, no relationship, no video, no story.”
Conclusive? The internet seem to think not. Expect this story to run for a while….
Yin (音, “music”) is a weekly RADII column that looks at Chinese songs spanning hip hop to folk to modern experimental, and everything in between. Drop us a line if you have a suggestion.
“Endless” is the first single off a EP due out later in 2019 from Sara Liu, aka Liu Xijun, a pop singer who got big on reality show Super Girl and has been in the public eye with a string of five albums and numerous singles over the last decade. For her forthcoming EP, The Beauty of Indie, Liu tapped the reservoir of Yang Haisong’s songwriting acumen to mark a stylistic departure.
“Endless” — released this week on Apple Music — will appeal to fans of Yang’s other bands, as well as the Maybe Mars catalog in general, which is roundly represented here: The Beauty of Indie features Li Zichao (ex-Chui Wan, The Molds) on drums, Wen Yuzhen (who plays in pretty much every Maybe Mars band these days) on guitar, P.K.14’s Shi Xudong on bass, and LA duo Alpine Decline on various keys and synths.
I’m not too familiar with Liu’s previous work, but the combo of her stadium-sized low register with this dream team of moody Beijing art rock works surprisingly well. Looking forward to hearing the rest of this EP, which was recorded in LA in May and will premiere on Apple Music on September 6, hitting other platforms four days later.
From the presser:
At first glance, a singer from the brightly lit world of reality television and a songwriter from the murky landscape of smoky, underground rock venues may seem an odd pairing. But throughout the history of Western popular music, Indie and Pop have never been distinct, black-and-white enemies, but rather twin traditions sharing the same roots, character, tones and moods. These two traditions pair beautifully on “Endless,” The Beauty of Indie’s debut single. Liu’s fans will enjoy the singer’s smooth, sultry voice in an unfamiliar light. Fans of Yang’s past bands will recognize the moody, melodramatic songwriting chops that have characterized his previous projects, including P.K.14 and his husband-wife duo Dear Eloise.
These two distinctive artists blend organically and naturally, the uplifting yin of a rich, harmonious vocal delivery paired elegantly with the yang of Chinese art rock at its finest and most complex.
Digitally China is a bi-weekly podcast from RADII hosted by Tom Xiong and Eva Xiao, and produced by Jacob Loven. On each episode, the team will tackle a different timely tech-related topic, providing key insights on all you need to know about the fast-changing nature of innovation in China. Find previous episodes of Digitally China here and subscribe on iTunes here. Scroll down to listen to the latest episode on Spotify.
The business of selling clicks and fake accounts is the scourge of social media today, where anyone from wannabe influencers to political saboteurs can purchase likes, followers, and even comments.
In China, the issue is so severe that nearly a third of the country’s internet traffic last year was rated “abnormal”, according to third-party advertising data monitor Miaozhen Systems.
And though Chinese social media platforms from WeChat to Weibo to RED (Xiaohongshu) have repeatedly cracked down on fake and bot accounts, the shady business behind the “like” economy is alive and well.
In this episode of Digitally China, we’ll explore the factors that drive the creation and selling of fake engagement metrics in China, the impact, and the process and cost of actually buying them.
Topics covered in this episode
The reasons motivating people to purchase fake engagement
How to buy followers and price comparison between platforms
Why platforms can’t get rid of the fake engagement business
The impact of fake metrics on brands and the saturation of Chinese social media platforms
Listen to the latest Digitally China episode below or find it (and previous episodes) on iTunes here.
Cover photo: Celebrity Cai Xukun, who has been accused of having “fake” followers
Beloved bulk-buy emporium Costco held the much-hyped opening of its first China location today — and promptly closed due to the flood of interest.
After holding a private ceremony on Monday, Costco Shanghai opened its doors to the masses on Tuesday, causing traffic jams within a one-kilometer radius of the store’s remote suburban location according to Financial Times reporter Tom Hancock:
sea of people as first ever Costco opens in Shanghai…traffic jams for >1km around store 人山人海 pic.twitter.com/o0g3ZRBOpR
Costco members received a text message at 11:29 AM local time, advising would-be shoppers to avoid peak traffic hours in the afternoon. By 2:13 PM they were shutting it down with a followup text message telling customers not to come.
Dear Member, hello! Due to the crowded in-store traffic, in order to provide you with a better shopping experience, the store opening has been closed as of the afternoon of August 27. Please avoid going.
We here at RADII are already proud card-carrying members of Costco Shanghai, and will make it over there for a slice and a year’s supply of wasabi peas… just as soon as the crowds die down. Stay tuned for our on-the-ground report!
Conclusive? The internet seem to think not. Expect this story to run for a while….
