Cherry freedom & toxic chicken soup: Viral phrases this spring
Photograph: Rodion Kutsaev via Unsplash
Cherry freedom, toxic chicken soup and behind bars kind of love affairs. They've all crossed the lips and keyboards of China's netizens this spring, but what do these viral phrases even mean and where did they come from? Here we break down five internet phrases that have been buzzing this season.
via GIPHY
Imported cherries, which sell for around 130RMB per kilo, have become a new indicator of financial success for young professionals. The term ‘cherry freedom’ was first seen in a short video called ‘15 stages of a woman’s financial independence’, which ranked different levels of financial freedom, from being comfortable buying a milk tea to be able to afford an apartment.
The term was then popularised by a WeChat post titled ‘Aged 26, salary 10,000, still can’t afford cherries’. Both inspired a public discussion among netizens, debating whether cherry freedom was an indicator of rising living costs or a celebration of increasing living standards.
Photograph: Eiliv-Sonas Aceron via Unsplash
Contrary to jitang (chicken soup, or comforting words of wisdom written to cheer you up), dujitang are messages conveying old-fashioned ideology, giving outdated advice or spreading negative feelings. The suspension (and ultimately, shut down) of hugely successful WeChat account Mimeng brought out fierce discussion on what constitutes toxic chicken soup.
The controversy all started when a piece about a corrupt and materialistic protagonist coming to terms with the death of a more principled classmate was published by an associated account and then was discovered to be fictional. The piece, despite being beautifully written and thought-provoking, was soon called out as shallow clickbait.
Turns out that the newest way to fall off the throne of stardom is academic fraudulence. And no one’s been unluckier than Zhai Tianlin, a popular actor with a PhD from Beijing Film Academy. Recently, Zhai posted his appointment letter as a post-doctoral researcher at Peking University on Weibo. His academic persona didn’t last long, however, when he let it slip that he had no clue what popular academic database Zhiwang was. Zhai’s career in academia might be over for now, and ‘What the heck is Zhiwang?’ has come out of the whole mess as a cautionary word of advice along the lines of ‘don’t be a phoney, the net will catch you’.
Image: @鱼的摄影生活 via Weibo
Over the years, actor Wu Xiubo has generated a huge fan base for his portrayal of sweet, caring boyfriends in many of his roles. There have been rumours regarding Wu’s promiscuous private life for a while, but nothing with enough power to endanger the actor’s career. That is, until this January, when singer-actress Chen Yulin made her love affair with Wu public over WeChat. Ultimately, Chen was arrested and charged with slander and blackmail, her upset parents posting letters and chat histories between their daughter and Wu via her account. Unsympathetic to Wu and Chen’s situation (because it’s the internet after all), a meme began circling, making jokes about Wu’s decision to get his mistress arrested.
Image: @微V笑娟 via Weibo, courtesy Hunan TV
TV is not reality, but that doesn’t mean it can’t stir up some very real emotions. Recently, on hit reality show My Little One, television host Wu Xin gave a heartfelt confession about career, health and lost love that resonated with viewers. Although the show’s been slammed for reinforcing outdated gender roles, Wu’s story struck a nerve, with people joking online that they were stabbed by Wu’s anxiety like a sword piercing their single, millennial hearts.
For great things to do this spring in Beijing, hit 'Read more' below.
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