Beijing Pops: Chloé Zhao Poised for Oscar, Lin Signs With G-Team

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Feeling left out when your Chinese colleagues are gossiping about a trending star? Puzzled by those glamorous Chinese faces in subway ads, but can't even tell who they are? Our new column Beijing Pops will help you get through it all with the latest pop culture and celebrity news.

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Basketball player Jeremy Lin signs with G-league team

Despite the disappointment, Beijingers are wishing Lin the best of luck with his new team

It looks like former NBA baller Jeremy Lin, who played for the Beijing Ducks last year, is not returning to the quackers as the capital's team had hoped. Lin had left the team to attempt a return to the NBA, but last week rumors were afloat that he failed to get a contract with an NBA team and might be returning to the Ducks. However, Lin himself clarified his situation in a recent social media post, telling his fans he’s decided to play for the Santa Cruz Warriors, a Golden State Warriors affiliated G-league team, in the hopes he’ll get a call up for a return to the big leagues.

Billionaire’s son Wang Sicong celebrates his 33rd birthday on yacht

If anything's more eye-catching than a yacht party, it might be Wang’s pink T-shirt with cute cat pics

Wang Sicong – the only son of Wang Jianlin, founder and chairman of Dalian Wanda Group – is well-known for antics that often seem right out of Crazy Rich Asians, like buying multiple iPhones and Apple watches for his dog and spending over USD 400,000 on high-end champagne. This time, to celebrate his 33rd birthday, the fu’erdai invited 40 female influencers – including his ex-girlfriend – to a luxurious yacht party in Sanya, the famous coastal city in Hainan Province. The yacht reportedly cost RMB 200,000 for three hours, meaning the whole shebang might have set Sicong back a seven-figure sum.

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Chinese director Chloé Zhao sweeps the awards circuit in the States

Could Zhao make history as the first Chinese female director take home a golden statues?

The latest film by US-China director Zhao Ting – aka Chloé Zhao– may be getting some serious love at the Oscars this year. Her film Nomadland starring Frances McDormand is racking up accolades in the various and sundry awards that serve as the run-up to the Academy Awards. The 38-year-old filmmaker was born and raised in Beijing by her father and stepmother, Chinese actress Song DanDan, who is well known as the godmother of Chinese sitcoms. Having lived abroad since age 15, Zhao is uniquely capable of crossing Western and Asian styles. In an interview with Deadline, she expressed her desire to make a film relating to China which “brings the two worlds together.” Nomadland earned a score of 8.4 out of 10 on China’s movie rating website Douban.

Beijing born pop singer Lu Han cancels his first concert of 2021

KFC has never neglected to put a single hot star in its commercials

Beijing born singer Lu Han’s first concert of 2021, set to take place in Chongqing, was canceled just a day before the scheduled show time due to the local policy on epidemic prevention and control. Lu Han’s studio posted the announcement on Weibo on Jan 8, saying the concert will be canceled considering the national pressure of COVID-19 prevention and control. Lu Han attempted to console his disappointed fans on social media, writing “I believe it won’t be long when we meet again.” Born in 1990 in Haidian, Lu Han used to be a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy group EXO and its sub-group EXO-M, before leaving the group in October 2014. That year, he was ranked the sixth most popular entertainment star in China by China National Radio. In 2017, Lu Han was listed as the second highest-paid celebrity in the Forbes China Celebrity 100, behind only Fan Bingbing.

Images: Weibo, Douban, KFC

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