Beijing Pops: Beloved Singer-Songwriter Passes Away

Original Yiran Huang theBeijinger

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#Beijing Pops 10

#Obituary 1

#Celebrities 4

#Gossips 6

#Spring Festival 22

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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? Beijing Pops will help you get through it all with the latest pop culture and celebrity news.

Singer-songwriter Zhao Yingjun passes away in Beijing

You may recall that weeks ago, we introduced a film called A Little Red Flower, starring TFBoys member Yiyang Qianxi, which follows the story of two families as they struggle with cancer. On Feb 3, the composer for the theme song of that film, Zhao Yingjun, passed away in Beijing at the age of 43 due to liver cancer.

Overnight, Chinese social media became awash with cries of sorrow, admiration, and gratitude as the country mourned his passing. Many expressed a feeling of shock that the musician never mentioned his illness in public.

Zhao Yingjun wearing his signature afro hairstyle

The low profile of his personal life stands in stark contrast to the widespread popularity of his songs. In 2004, at the age of 27, Zhao made his debut as a singer-songwriter during a talent show. Later in his career, he wrote theme songs for the big screen, including for the blockbuster series Detective Chinatown and Lost in Hong Kong.

The last post on Zhao's social media is a letter in which he expressed his love towards the world and his reluctance to say goodbye to his loved ones. "I loved rainy days when I was little. If someday there is heavy rain and strong wind, that's me coming to meet you, my love," the letter reads.

Actors recognized by fans in escape room

If you love escape rooms, you're not alone. It turns out, even celebrities enjoy this Immersive passtime. Around midnight last Wednesday, Feb 3, Actors Zhu Yilong, Chen Weiting, and Li Yifeng were spotted by fans at the Beijing escape room, Mitong. Reportedly, the trio was unwinding after having just finished rehearsals for CCTV's Spring Festival Gala.

Chen Weiting's new film will hit the big screen during Chinese New Year

Regular readers of this column may be familiar with Zhu, the well-known actor we have profiled in previous blogs who recently appeared in the coronavirus memorial film, Days and Nights in Wuhan. As for Chen Weiting – aka William Chan – he is a Hong Kong-born singer and actor with more than 35 movies and TV dramas as well as eight albums under his belt. In 2006, 10,000 tickets for his Beijing concert sold out within 30 seconds. Last year, he was recognized as the most popular Chinese actor at the Vancouver Chinese Film Festival for his performance in the pet-themed film Adoring (宠爱 chǒng ài). His new film, The Yinyang Master (侍神令 shì shén lìng) will also hit cinemas this Chinese New Year.

Li Yifeng in Boss's commercial

Meanwhile, Li Yifeng gained popularity in 2007 when he competed in a talent show and furthered his reputation by playing the role of Baili Tusu in the popular costume drama The Legends Of Swords (古剑奇谭 gǔ jiàn qí tán). Last year, his performance as a straight-talking policeman in the TV series Fearless Whispers (隐秘而伟大 yǐn mì ér wěi dà) was widely praised by critics. Moreover, he took up the role of global ambassador for luxury clothing brand BOSS in 2020.

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"National daughter" Guan Xiaotong refuses to disclose working schedule

Citing her privacy, Beijing actress Guan Xiaotong rejected fans' request to disclose her monthly working schedule on social media. In her response, Guan wrote, "I don't like people knowing what I'm doing every day… I have my own tempo that won't be disturbed or altered by any voice."

It's quite common among Chinese celebrities and their studios to share an idol's working schedule on social media at the beginning of each month, which usually contains dates, a brief synopsis of their work, and sometimes even locations. Predictably, however, this practice can bring a lot of trouble for celebrities. For instance, some have been tracked by radical fans all the way to their hotels or have been harassed on planes.

Guan Xiaotong is famous for playing the daughter in many TV dramas.

Guan's choice was supported by many observers, even while it angered many devoted (if not entirely creepy) fans. Some even unfollowed her and accused her of despising the love of her own fans.

Born in 1997 in Beijing, Guan started acting at a very young age. She is well-known for playing the daughter in many TV dramas and movies and has been dubbed 国民闺女 guómín guīnü national daughter by audiences. She graduated from Beijing Film Academy last year and has been dating the actor Lu Han for three years. When Lu suddently announced he and Guan were dating three years ago on Weibo, so many fans flooded the app that its servers temporarily crashed.

Beijing actress Yang Zi stars in Douyin's CNY promotion

Short video platform Douyin announced that it would became the exclusive virtual hongbao partner of CCTV for this year's Spring Festival gala. It will pour RMB 1.2 billion into red packets, a record high, during the New Year's Eve (Feb 11) broadcast.

Yang Zi is one of Douyin's picks to promote its CNY red pocket campaign

Hoping to attract more users, Douyin invited popular stars to shoot promotional commercials for the gala. Notable among the picks is Yang Zi, a Beijing-born actress who played the leading role – a teenage girl living with her stepfamily – in the hit sitcom Home With Kids (家有儿女 jiā yǒu ér nǚ) at the age of 12.

After graduating from Beijing Film Academy, her popularity only grew as she landed a role in the 2016 drama Ode to Joy (欢乐颂 huānlè sòng). In 2018, she obtained greater fame by performing in the successful romance drama Ashes of Love (香蜜沉沉烬如霜 xiāngmì chénchén jìn rú shuāng). It seemed that every show she touched turned to gold, earning her the nickname 锦鲤 jǐnlǐ koi fish, a name given to those who are so lucky that they can also bring luck to the people around them. Possibly, Douyin has selected her in order to borrow some of that luck.