By Rachel Deason
For
many in the West, 2016 will be remembered for Trump, Brexit, terrorism
in Europe and an absurd number of pop culture deaths, from Bowie to
Muhammad Ali. By comparison, China had an unusually quiet year.
Nonetheless, there were still a few goings-on in the world's most
populous country.
In our 2016 Year in Review series, we recap
the best (and worst) of China's year in the worlds of technology, social
media, sport, fashion, food, arts and more.
Many
people have described 2016 as a garbage fire, but not everything was
bad. These 10 heroes were bright spots in an otherwise grim year.
10. Fashion Icon Granny
An
80-year-old grandma made waves on social media this year for her
impeccable fashion sense and top-notch modeling skills. Photos of Liang
Xide, a fashion shop owner in Shenyang, went viral after her grandniece
Lin Dan posted them on social media.
9. Starbucks Uncle
2016
brought some serious typhoons to China, but one Hong Kong man was
unfazed by the bad weather. In a photo capturing what may be the most
IDGAF moment of 2016, the man was pictured reclining with his feet up
while enjoying a coffee and his paper, not in the least bit concerned
that he was surrounded by a growing lake where the floor used to be.
Understandably, the image went viral on Chinese social media, where the
man was dubbed ‘Starbucks Uncle.’
A Wuhan university student also went viral for pulling off a similar feat in July:
8. Pole Dancing Team
China's
national pole dancing team boycotted an international championship this
December after organizers failed to display the Chinese flag at the
event. To protest, the group put up their own flag. This isn't the first
flag fiasco for China this year: netizens grew outraged at the
misconfiguration of the stars on China's flag hanging during the Rio
Olympics medal ceremony.
7. Orlando Bloom
While in Shanghai filming his upcoming movie Smart Chase: Fire and Earth,
English actor Orlando Bloom upped his hearthrob status when he took an
injured stray dog to the vet to get treated. He posted a video to his
Instagram showing him helping the vets shave the area around the wound.
6. Spiderman
Liang
Lei, of China's Shandong province, was nicknamed Spiderman after he
scaled a building with his bare hands to reach a two-year-old boy who
was dangling by his neck through the bars on the window. Climbing up
several floors, Lei managed to get to the boy in the nick of time.
5. Chinese Immigrant
An
elderly Chinese immigrant melted Canadian and Chinese hearts this year
when an essay was published by her neighbor, Nicole Morris, about how
the immigrant, Wing, began bringing homecooked meals to her after
Morris' mother underwent heart surgery. Wing doesn't speak any English
and Morris only knows how to say "hello" in Chinese.
4. Wheelchailer
Paraplegic
Quan Peng of Gansu province spent his 2016 backpacking the country in a
wheelchair. Quan began his journey in August 2014 in Beijing. By the
end of his trip, he will have travelled nearly 3,500 miles (5,670
kilometers). He will finish his journey in Sanya, the southernmost city
of Hainan province.
3. Astronauts
In
mid-October, China successfully launched Shenzhou-11 from the Gobi
Desert. Aboard the manned spacecraft were two male astronauts, Jing
Haipeng and Chen Dong. The spacecraft docked at China's orbiting space
lab Tiangong-2 for 30 days, more than doubling China's national record
for staying in space.
2. Turtle Releaser
A
Fujian fisherman was offered RMB10,000 last March for a turtle he
caught identified as a nationally protected Olive Ridley sea turtle.
However, the man refused all offers, on the basis that returning the
turtle to the ocean would allegedly give him good luck and fortune.
1. Fu Yuanhui
Olympic
swimmer Fu Yuanhui became an online sensation within and without China
this year after her endeering post-race interview in which she was
informed she came in third went viral. "I was so fast!" she exclaimed.
Fu now has more than 4.9 million followers on Weibo, where people shared
videos of themselves imitating Fu's iconic facial expression filled
with utter excitement.
Who was China's biggest hero of 2016? Vote below and let us know why in the comments.
For more 2016 year in review coverage, click "Read more" below.