Beijing Pops: Chinese Billionaire's Son Embroiled in New Scandal
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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.
Wang Sicong, the only son of Wang Jianlin – a real estate tycoon, founder of Dalian Wanda Group, and previous owner of movie theater chain AMC – is quite possibly the only fuerdai who dares to share the details of his sordid love life online. The swanky playboy shared several WeChat screenshots between him and his "ex-girlfirend" Sun Yining on Jun 15, shortly after Sun posted to Weibo explaining that Wang relentlessly pursued her, despite being told repeatedly that she is a lesbian. (She denies that they ever dated). Speaking to a celebrity gossip outlet on Weibo, Wang denied the allegations, however, the outlet still demanded “evidence” to suggest that Sun is the lying cheater he claims her to be.
Liu is a livestreaming celebrity with a devout following on Douyin
However, when the screengrabs of the texts went out, netizens were appalled by the way Wang spoke to Sun and even accused him of sexual assault. What’s more, he refused to acknowledge Sun's rejection and continuously harassed her with god-awful pick-up lines. As a result, by Thursday evening the hashtag “Wang Sicong is a horrible pursuer" had been viewed more than 10 million times on Weibo. Many netizens think the situation goes well beyond your average romantic kerfuffle or misunderstanding and has ultimately become an act of violence. Nevertheless, as they are wont to do, netizens were quick to turn Wang's words into memes.
Netizens created memes out of Wang's pick up lines, which quickly spread all over Chinese social media
To make matters more salacious, Wang used to be affectionately known as China's “National Husband,” largely because his immense fortune made him an ideal marriage candidate. Despite the controversy, three days after the scandal broke, Wang was seen hanging out with another girl at a luxury KTV.
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On the steamy reality show, The Detective's Adventures, 54-year-old singer Na Ying and the young Beijing-born actress Yang Zi found themselves in the spotlight after a little conflict.
The show sees seven celebrities playing classic roles from famous Chinese TV and films and basically functions like a big murder mystery game, in which folks have to accomplish specific tasks such as hiding clues, distorting events, or pretending to be another person, all in an effort to survive the game."I just can't trust you!" Na Ying (R) said to Yang Zi during the show
After Yang Zi won the first episode, Na Ying – who was on the opposing team – was a bit dejected and started taking it out on the younger actress. Then, during the second episode, Na kicked Yang, refused to be on her team, and even prevented another actress from doing so. To add insult to injury, when Na discovered that Yang had painted an important prop black to camouflage it, Na exclaimed “That scares me! She’s so scheming!” However, when another actor did the same, the ploy wasn't scheming so much as “clever.”
On the day the show was released, hundreds of thousands of comments targeting Na appeared on social media, claiming that Na –as the senior performer here – didn’t respect the younger actress and maliciously picked on her. The situation was seemingly quick to resolve itself though when Yang posted on Weibo, inviting "Sister Na" to "team up next time!" Na soon replied with, “Great! I want to team up with you too! Teach me how to play it better.” The back-and-forth seems like a sign of reconciliation, and that the conflict has been put to rest. As might be expected, the drama led to a surge in viewership.You might not know who the TFBOYS are, but there's a good chance you've heard their music in just about every supermarket, shop, mall, or even seeping out of the headphones of the person sitting next to you on the subway (who's also likely singing “左手右手一个慢动作 zuǒ shǒu yòu shǒu yī gè màn dòng zuò” [Make a slow motion with your left hand and right hand]). As China's most successful boy band to date, TFBOYS are nothing short of pop industry icons. Simply put, they were the first teen boy band in China, paving the way for the current climate of idols and super fans.
Well, earlier this month, rumors about a TFBOYS break up started spreading online. Though it’s not the first time such rumors have made their way around the blogosphere, some fans worried it might be true, since the three young idols are, at this point, deeply involved in their own careers. Much to the delight of fans, though, it turned out to be nothing more than fake news, like always.Wang Yuan (L), Wang Junkai (M) and Yi Yangqianxi perform during CCTV's Spring Festival Gala
In 2012, inspired by Japanese entertainment juggernaut Johnny & Associates, the Beijing-based Times Fengjun Entertainment recruited Wang Junkai and Wang Yuan, later adding Yi Yangqianxi to their ranks after seeing the young street dancer in a viral video. Then, on Aug 6, 2013, the three teenagers made history when they debuted as TFBOYS with the promotional video Ten Years. It wasn't long before they became internet sensations, dominating social media platforms like Sina Weibo and the user-centered music community Yinyuetai. In 2014, they released their breakout single, “Manual of Youth,” which sat at No.1 on Chinese Billboard's Yinyue Vcharts for five consecutive weeks. Thanks to their sunny disposition and near-constant presence on TV shows and music awards, they gradually acquired a devoted fan base that transcended age and gender. Every year, their concerts were the trending topic of the month, and ticket prices regularly doubled or tripled on second-hand markets. Even during last year's pandemic, TFBOY's online concert sold more than a million digital tickets.
However, in 2016, the three members established their own production studios and began cooperating less and less. What’s more, the competition among fans was also heating up. For instance, they would compete to prove which member had the most popular solo career by buying up ridiculous amounts of albums, posting and commenting on as many Weibo posts as possible to keep the discussion alive, and viewing their favorite member's music videos and TV appearances over and over again just to increase the statistics. All of which suggests, if and when the TFBOYs officially call it quits, their devoted fans probably won't.READ: Beijing Pops: Kris Wu Sues, Dilraba's Birthday Fan Vid Draws Views
Images: Weibo, Aqiyi, Douban
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