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Chinese Media Coverage of China’s Rescue Efforts in Turkey-Syria Earthquake

Chinese state media have framed China’s rescue efforts in Turkey and Syria as being in line with the responsibilities of a great nation.

Manya Koetse

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PREMIUM CONTENT ARTICLE

After the devastating earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, killing over 25,000 36,000 people, rescue teams from all over the world have come to provide assistance in the quake-hit areas and dozens of countries have reached out to help in various ways.

On Chinese social media, China’s efforts to assist Turkey and Syria have become big topics in ongoing discussions about the earthquake.

Topics such as China sending cash aid to the disaster areas, along with rice and wheat and tents, blankets, etc., have been widely covered by online media this week (#中国220吨小麦将运抵叙利亚#), but it is the efforts of the Chinese rescue teams that have received the most attention when it comes to China’s assistance to the quake-hit areas.

State media outlets mostly drive the online attention for the Chinese rescue groups in Turkey and Syria. People’s Daily, Xinhua, China News Service, and CCTV all report about the rescue efforts of the teams from China.

Chinese Rescue Teams in Turkey and Syria

Several rescue teams from China have come to the quake-hit areas. Apart from the official China Search and Rescue Team, there are also Chinese civilian rescue teams, including the Blue Sky Rescue Team and Ram Rescue Team. The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) also sent a rescue team to Syria on Thursday.

The official Chinese Rescue team – the China International Search and Rescue Team (CISAR/中国国际救援队)- consists of experienced members from, among others, the Beijing fire and rescue corps, the National Earthquake Response Support Service, and some of them are emergency hospital staff. They also brought four rescue dogs with them.

A first batch consisting of 82 rescuers dispatched by the Chinese government arrived at the disaster area on Wednesday (#中国救援队82人抵达土耳其#).

The Blue Sky Rescue Team (蓝天救援队) is a professional non-profit search-and-rescue organization with more than 30,000 registered volunteers. Founded in 2007, it is China’s largest nonprofit civil rescue organization.

China’s Blue Sky Rescue Teams arrived in Turkey on February 8 and 9, including the local Chongqing, Hainan, Fujian, Jiangsu, and Hunan teams. They also brought special earthquake rescue and alarm systems with them.

The ‘Ram Rescue Team’ or ‘Rescue Team of Ramunion’ (公羊救援队) is a professional volunteer team specializing in outdoor emergency rescue tasks. The team, founded in 2008, has participated in various rescue efforts. They previously also provided assistance during earthquake rescue situations in Nepal, Pakistan, Ecuador, Italy, and Indonesia on behalf of China’s civilian rescue forces.

Nine members of the Zhejiang Ram Rescue Team arrived in Turkey’s Adana on Wednesday, bringing a rescue dog. Seven more members arrived from Sichuan on Friday.

Rescue-Related Hashtags on Social Media

#蓝天救援队在机场遇到感人一幕# – Chinese state media outlet Xinhua News reported that some members of the Blue Sky Team ran into local people upon their arrival in Turkey, who were moved to see the teams coming in from China.

#公羊救援队救出1男子和1儿童# – At about 9 am local time on Feb. 9 in Turkey, China’s Ram Rescue Team rescued a man and a child.

#中国救援队救出第二名幸存者# – On Feb. 9, Chinese state media reported that a Chinese rescue team and a local rescue team managed to rescue a survivor in Turkey. The person, a pregnant woman, was taken to the hospital by ambulance for treatment.

#公羊救援队与土方合力救出一家5口# – The same day at 1:30 pm local time, the Chinese Ram Rescue Team, together with the Turkish Army urban search team, successfully rescued a family consisting of 2 adults and 3 children in Belen Town.

#公羊救援队成功救援一户家庭# – On Feb 9., Chinese state media outlet People’s Daily reported that the Chinese rescue workers joined forces with local rescue teams in rescuing a family of two adults and three children from the earthquake rubble on Thursday afternoon.

#中国救援队成功营救出第3名幸存者# – At 8pm local time on February 9, a Chinese rescue team and the local Turkish rescue force managed to rescue a female survivor from a collapsed 7-story building. At this time, over 80 hours had already passed since the earthquake.

#中国救援队连夜奋战拯救生命# – Xinhua News reported that Chinese teams continued to work throughout the night in order to try and rescue more people.

#中国救援队救出被埋100小时幸存者# – CCTV reported on Friday that, through the joint efforts of Chinese and Turkish rescue teams, a woman who was trapped inside a collapsed building was able to be rescued from the ruins after 100 hours.

#搜救犬Lucky上岗首日寻获1名幸存者# – On Feb 10. China’s Ram Rescue Team and the search and rescue dog Lucky provided assistance to Turkish rescue workers in rescuing one survivor.

#中国救援队成功救出第四人# – Around 3:40 pm on Friday, the Chinese rescue team managed to rescue another earthquake survivor trapped inside a collapsed building in Antakya.

#蓝天救援队第二梯队赴土救灾# – A second Blue Sky Team headed to Turkey on Saturday, Feb 11, to help disaster victims. Besides equipment, the team brings all kinds of food to the disaster area, including instant noodles, pickled mustard, and Laoganma.

#蓝天救援队有人借钱去土耳其# – China News Service reported that some members of China’s Blue Sky Rescue team had to borrow money to get to Turkey. Rescue members of the civilian rescue team pay for travel costs themselves, spending over 20,000 yuan ($2937) per member.

#官方呼吁尚未启程救援队取消行动# – On Saturday, Feb. 11, China’s Association for Disaster Prevention called on Chinese civilian rescue teams that had not yet left China to cancel or suspend their plans to go to the disaster area. As the rescue work had reached its fifth day, survival chances have greatly dropped and in order to let emergency relief aid workers do their work and not to add burden, the official advice is to suspend traveling to Turkey at this time.

‘Major Power’ Humanitarian Aid

Chinese state media have also framed China’s rescue efforts in Turkey and Syria as being in line with the responsibilities of a great nation (“大国风范,” “大国的担当,” “大国担当”), as providing international humanitarian assistance is generally seen as being part of the role of a major power.

Chinese media outlet Rednet reported how the speed and efficiency in which the Chinese government organized rescue teams to send to Turkey and Syria demonstrate China’s power to the rest of the world as a “Chinese miracle” (“中国奇迹”).

In recent years, China’s role in international rescue operations has become increasingly important. The experiences and lessons of China’s rescue teams during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan have also contributed to the development of China’s disaster emergency rescue system in various ways, including inter-organizational coordination (Lin et al 2-17).

This week, China Daily provided an overview of some of the rescue efforts China has contributed to in recent years, including the 2019 Mozambique cyclone disaster, the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the 2011 Japan tsunami, the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, and the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake.

On Weibo, the China Communist Youth League also initiated the hashtag “In 20 Years, China Has Participated in 12 International Rescue Operations” (#20年来中国共参与过12次国际救援#).

“Our motherland is powerful, they are taking responsibility,” one Weibo commenter wrote: “No matter if it is official teams or civilian ones, they embody the air of a great power. It’s moving.”

By Manya Koetse 

References

Lin, Xi, Ke-Jia Liu, Yong-Gui Zhang, Yang Dan, Dian-Guo Xing, Li Chen, Ding-Yuan Du. 2017. “China Medical Team: Medical rescue for “4.25” Nepal Earthquake.” Chinese Journal of Traumatology 20 (2017) 235-239.

 

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Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

Manya Koetse is the founder and editor-in-chief of whatsonweibo.com. She is a writer, public speaker, and researcher (Sinologist, MPhil) on social trends, digital developments, and new media in an ever-changing China, with a focus on Chinese society, pop culture, and gender issues. She shares her love for hotpot on hotpotambassador.com. Contact at manya@whatsonweibo.com, or follow on Twitter.

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China Insight

Modern-Day Yugong or Greedy Wolf? Critical Discussions after Ningxia Land Owner Goes Viral Begging for Water

Is Sun Guoyou the victim of bad coal mine practices or did he throw dust in netizens’ eyes? The viral Ningxia story is getting more complex.

Manya Koetse

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As a video of him crying out and begging for water went super viral on March 29, Ningxia land owner Sun Guoyou suddenly became a public figure. But while Chinese netizens initially sympathized with the local landowner whose water was cut off by a big coal mine, he is now increasingly seen as a businessman who used social media to exploit his situation.

This week, the story of Ningxia land owner Sun Guoyou (孙国友) went completely viral on Chinese social media.

Various Chinese media outlets, from Sina News to Beijing News and The Paper all covered the story of the old man who was seeing his enormous land destroyed because a nearby coal mine had cut off water supplies. Although they had allegedly promised Guo to resume water supplies on March 27, they did not follow through.

A video of Sun kneeling on the ground and begging for water went viral on Douyin and Weibo, where dozens of hashtags relating to the story received millions of views (read our earlier story here).

One crucial aspect of the story is how Sun Guoyou allegedly has been combating desertification and improving the soil conditions of the barren land through afforestation, by planting trees and irrigating the land.

This is one of the various reasons why netizens initially felt sorry for Sun and wanted to help him out. People were rooting for the underdog, supporting the seemingly weaker Sun against the more powerful coal mine company and local authorities.

He was also called the ‘modern-day Yugong’ by some, referring to the old Chinese fable about an old man who was called foolish for persistently trying to move a mountain, yet finally succeeded in doing so. The Chinese idiom about “the foolish old man moving a mountain” (愚公移山 yúgōng yíshān) is often used as a figure of speech for persisting despite hardship.

But the more viral Sun’s story went since March 29, the more people started doubting his story and called into question whether Sun was genuinely an underdog or just a business owner exploiting his land and, through the help of social media, manipulating the circumstances to his benefit.

On March 30, Weibo knowledge blogger ‘PYGZ’ (@平原公子赵胜) was among many other netizens accusing Sun of planting the wrong species of trees and raising cattle and sheep on his land, causing more soil erosion instead of improving soil quality. Rather than controlling desertification (“治沙”), Sun’s practices are creating sand dunes (“造沙”) instead, the blogger argued.

Why would Sun do such a thing? According to PYGZ, the state subsidizes windbreak forests that help prevent desertification (“防沙林”): 500-800 yuan ($72-$116) per Chinese “mu” (亩), which is about 666 square meters / 0.165 acre. With a land as big as Sun’s, the annual subsidy would be millions of yuan (or more than $1M per year).

“This is what combating desertification in Ningxia actually looks like,” charity blogger Sui Jiao (@碎叫) wrote, sharing photos of desert control work: “If you are concerned about desertification control, you can donate money to the China Green Foundation (中国绿化基金会) to plant trees.”

Desert control work in Ningxia, image via Weibo @碎叫

Desert control work in Ningxia, image via Weibo @碎叫

Another thing that came up in critical discussions on Sun’s case is how he previously received over seven million yuan (more than $1M) in compensation from the Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group (神华宁夏煤业集团) for economic losses caused by them occupying forest land (#孙国友此前727万判决书曝光#).

As more netizens are starting to dive deeper into the facts behind Sun’s desperate kneeling video, Sun’s family stated that they did not want to further escalate the issue and were just focused on saving their trees for now (#跪地求水林场主家属称不想事情升级#).

The nationalist Weibo blogger Ziwuxiashi (@子午侠士), who has over one million followers, posted an image of a wolf sneaking away, writing: “They want to get away, but I’m afraid it’s too late, the [wolf’s ] tail has already been exposed.” The blogger suggested that the Sun family might have enjoyed the spotlight, but do not want people to dig deeper.

Many others agreed, suggesting that Sun and his family staged the dramatic video to draw attention to their case, but now want to retreat before more details come out showing that Sun might not be the underdog he made himself out to be.

“Netizens are not like toilet paper that you can wipe your ass with and get rid of once no longer needed,” one Weibo user wrote.

Chinese political commentator Hu Xijin (@胡锡进) also commented on the issue – as he does whenever social stories go viral like this, – and wrote that he understood why netizens would doubt Guo’s sincerity or even say the entire video was staged.

At the same time, he reminded people that issues such as these are never black and white, arguing it is understandable that Guo earns income from his land and that it would only be right for the coal mine company to supply water to Guo if that is what they legally agreed on.

Hu suggested that, while many details in this story still have not come out, netizens might want to wait to make an absolute judgment in the case since issues such as these are usually not clear-cut and can be more complex than they initially seem.

More updates will follow.

By Manya Koetse 

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©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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China Arts & Entertainment

Weibo Night: All the Winners and the Highlights of the 2022-2023 Weibo Awards Ceremony

The main winners and trending topics surrounding the 2022/2023 Weibo Night Awards Ceremony.

Manya Koetse

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PREMIUM CONTENT ARTICLE

The biggest Weibo stars gathered at the main Sina Weibo event of the year: the annual Weibo Night. Which movies were the most popular, which influencers had their big breakthrough, and what went trending? This is an overview with a full list of all the winners and the moments that got people talking online [Premium Content].

Weibo Night was one of the biggest trends on Weibo this week. Weibo Night (#微博之夜#) is the yearly much-anticipated live-broadcasted ceremony that looks back on Sina Weibo’s hottest celebrities, entertainment productions, and happenings of the last year.

Hosted by the Sina media company, the night has been a recurring event since 2003 – long before the Sina Weibo platform was launched. The night was initially known as the ‘Sina Grand Ceremony’ (新浪网络盛典) until it turned into the ‘Weibo Night’ (微博之夜) in 2010.

During the ceremony of Weibo Night, which took place on the evening of March 25 in Shanghai and was broadcasted live on Weibo and on Sina, various prices were awarded in categories such as ‘The Hottest Weibo Celebrity of the Year’ (微博年度热度人物), ‘The Movie of the Year’ (年度电影), ‘Drama of the Year’ (年度电视剧), ‘Weibo Original Musician of the Year’, and ‘Weibo King & Queen.’

The award ceremony is always much anticipated since it is attended by all the big stars of the Chinese entertainment world, including the most famous actors/actresses, musicians, and online influencers.

What they are wearing is a big part of online discussions on Weibo Night, and with some celebrities changing their outfits during the night, talking about what they wear and who shines the brightest on the red carpet and who sits where is part of the fun.

So many stars in a row! Many thought that Yang Mi, in the red dress, was one of the best-dressed celebrities of the night; others thought it was Angelababy (杨颖), who is sitting next to her. Image via Weibo.

The hype surrounding the event begins long before the actual award ceremony as Weibo users can vote for their preferred candidates, and the shortlist of winners, based on Sina Weibo’s annual “Weibo Index,” is also published prior to the event.

The event is an important one for Weibo as a platform, not just because it drives massive traffic to the site, but also because all the celebrities have a strong Weibo presence and, throughout the night, express their love for the platform.

It is also important for celebrities, as it is an opportunity for them to promote themselves and the projects they are working on. Many celebrities do special photoshoots before the event and change outfits multiple times to make the most of their participation in the event.

As you can see below, there are so many categories during the award show, and some are actually really similar. This gives the idea that more important than the awards themselves is the showcasing of Weibo’s most popular celebrities.

On Weibo, the event was promoted using the slogan “Make the world more beautiful with the power of Weibo” (“以微博之力•让世界更美”).

Although the award ceremony is taking place in 2023, they are referred to as the 2022 Weibo Night since it mostly covers the year 2022, but also part of 2023, up to Spring Festival. For an overview by What’s on Weibo on the biggest topics of 2022 see this article.

 

THE RED CARPET

 

On Weibo, the hashtag “Weibo Night Red Carpet Livestream” (#微博之夜红毯直播#) received a staggering 610 million views this week.

The live stream of the red carpet was suddenly canceled midway, as there allegedly were too many fans gathering, and cancellation was done as a safety precaution.

Some videos surfacing on social media during the day also showed many fans around the area and some food delivery staff shouting out names to bring the right order to the right customer in the midst of the crowds.

 

MOST IMPACTFUL EVENTS

 

Weibo Night started with the presenters (Nigermaidi Zechman 尼格买提·热合曼 being one of them) announce an overview of the Weibo news topics that became a part of people’s collective memory over the past year.

The video shows different topics that went trending on Weibo in 2022-2023 with news footage. The video is divided into different segments.

▶︎ Under the topic of “conflict and disaster,” they listed the following (please note that not all hashtags are literally translated, but conveying the meaning so that everyone will understand what it is about):

• Tonga Volcanic Eruption and Tsunami #汤加火山喷发# (780 million clicks on Weibo)
• Russia-Ukraine War (#俄乌局势#) (10.1 billion clicks on Weibo) (read more)
• US Federal Reserve Interest Increase (#美联储加息#)(320 million clicks on Weibo)
• Europe’s Cold Winter (#欧洲寒潮#) (110 million clicks on Weibo) (related article)
• China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 (#MU5735#) (5.6 billion clicks on Weibo) (read more)
• Turkey-Syria Earthquake (#土耳其强震#) (510 million clicks on Weibo) (related article)
• Assassination of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (#安倍普三身亡#) (2.5 billion clicks on Weibo) (more here)

▶︎ A text on the screen then emphasizes how love and kindness can shine through in times of struggle and catastrophe, and the following events are listed:

• Sichuan Luding Earthquake (#四川泸定地震#) (1.59 billion clicks on Weibo) (read here)
• Missing Man Found 17 Days after Luding Earthquake (#泸定地震中失联17天的甘字找到了#) (2 billion clicks on Weibo)
• Building a Great Wall of Fire [to Prevent Wild Fire from Spreading] (#他们用微光筑起防火长城#) (1.43 billion clicks on Weibo) (read)
• Young Courageous Heroes to the Rescue (#这些娃儿侠肝义胆#) (540 million clicks on Weibo) (more)

▶︎ Then the text on the screen says: “There will always be people who create miracles by challenging oneself.”

• Kipchoge Won Men’s Marathon World Record (#吉普乔格打破男子马拉松世界纪录#) (120 million clicks on Weibo)
• Argentina Wins World Cup (#阿根廷冠军#) (3.9 billion clicks on Weibo)
• Eileen Gu Wins Gold (#谷爱凌金牌#) (4.1 billion clicks on Weibo) (related articles)
• Su Yiming Wins Gold (#苏翊鸣金牌#) (1.7 billion clicks on Weibo)
• Xu Mengtao Wins Gold (#徐梦挑金牌#) (1 billion clicks on Weibo)
• China Wins Its First Gold of the Games (#短道速滑中国队北京冬奥会首金#) (1.37 billion clicks on Weibo)
• China Wins in Women’s Asian Cup (#中国女足亚洲杯冠军#) (2.8 billion clicks on Weibo)

▶︎ The text on the screen then says: “There will always be people who firmly believe that there will be Spring after longing for it.

• China Cancels Circuit Breaker Measures for Inbound Flights (#入境航班熔断机制取消#) (150 million clicks on Weibo)
• End to [Covid-19] Travel Code Service (#行程卡下线#) (550 million clicks on Weibo)
• Goodbye Health Code (#告别健康吗#) (1.19 billion clicks on Weibo) (read here)
• Hello, 2023 (#你好2023#) (670 million clicks on Weibo)

▶︎ Text: “There will always be people who restart first after facing difficulties.”

Full River Red Breaks 4.5 Billion at Box Office (#满江江实时票房破45亿#) (170 million views on Weibo)
Wandering Earth 2 Breaks Box Office 4 Billion (流浪地球2票房破40亿) (290 million clicks on Weibo)
Boonie Bears Guardian Code Breaks 1.4 Billion at Box Office (#熊出没之伴我熊芯票房破14亿#) (120 million clicks on Weibo)
The Knockout (#狂飙#) (1 billion clicks on Weibo)
• A Lot of Concerts (#好多演唱会#) (110 million views)

▶︎ “There will always be people who turn a seed once planted into glory.”

• China Discovers New Moon Mineral (#月亮上发现嫦娥石#) (160 million clicks on Weibo)
• China Launches Third Aircraft Carrier (#我国第三艘航母下#) (1 billion clicks on Weibo)
• China’s C919 Jet Obtains Certificates for Commercial Flight (C919交付准备工作正有序推进) (190 million views)
• China’s Shenzhou-14 Manned Space Mission (#神十四发射成功#) (490 million clicks on Weibo)
• China Space Station Completes T-shape Basic Structure Assembly (#中国空间站“T”字基本构型在轨组装完成#) (140 million clicks on Weibo)
• Chinese Astronauts’ Firt Space Meeting (中国航天员首次太空会师) (110 million views on Weibo)
• China’s Shenzhou 14 Returns on Earth (#神十四返回地球#) (490 million clicks on Weibo)

Highlighted events: Tribute to China’s Firefighting Heroes

After the overview of all of these big topics, Chinese spaceflight Shenzhou 14 was highlighted and honored as one of the most important Weibo events of the year, together with the Chongqing wild fires.

Yang Zi, dressed in a black dress, was the actress to deliver a speech to pay tribute to the heroes of the Chongqing wildfires.

 

MOST INFLUENTIAL IN MUSIC

 

Weibo Breakthrough Artist of the Year

Voted as musicians that made the biggest breakthrough were:

• Liu Yuxin (刘雨昕), Guizhou-born singer/dancer
• Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜), Taiwanese singer, musician, and actress
• Shan Yicun (单依纯), Chinese singer and former winner of The Voice of China

▶︎ In this same category, the group INTO1 received the award for the most notable breakthrough pop group of the year. The group received attention on social media for their extremely correct posture during the award ceremony.

INTO1 was like its own little army during Weibo Night (image via Weibo).

Best Newcomer and Rising Stars

In the category of rising star awards – or those having made the biggest “leap” (微博年度飞跃音乐人), – are:

• Ayunga (阿云嘎), Mongolian musical theater actor, singer, and songwriter
• Gina Alice Redlinger (吉娜爱丽丝), German-Korean pianist who happens to be married to the renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang
• Dany Lee (李斯丹妮), Chengdu-born singer

▶︎ Boy band BOYSTORY was among the first to receive an award during Weibo Night, namely that of the best newcomer pop group (微博年度新锐团体).

 
Weibo’s Original and Influential Musician of the Year

• Wang Yuan (王源)

▶︎ Wang Yuan (王源, also known as Roy Wang) won the award for Original Musician of the Year. Born in 2000, Wang is mostly known as a member of the hugely popular TFboys idol group that debuted in 2013, but his solo career has also been thriving for years.

Roy Wang accepts his award at the Weibo Night, images by Sina Weibo.

• Li Yuchun (李宇春)

Li Yuchun shared a photo of her outfit on her own Weibo account.

▶︎ Li Yuchun (李宇春), once known as China’s “most handsome supergirl,” received the award for Weibo Influential Musician of the Year. Since winning the nationwide talent show ‘Supergirl’ (Chaoji Nüsheng) and appearing on the cover of Time Magazine Asia in 2005, Li Yuchun has become a household name in China and managed to stay popular. During Weibo night, she wore a beautiful white suit and was one of the few ladies not wearing a long dress for the occasion (Eileen Gu also wore pants!). Li Yuchun also performed at the event later on in the show.

 
Weibo Outstanding Musician of the Year

In the “Outstanding Singers” category, the awards went to the popular female singers:

• Yu Wenwen (于文文)
• Yuan Yawei (袁娅维)
• Zheng Suyan (郑秀妍)

 
Weibo Music of the Year

The award for Weibo Music of the Year (微博年度人气音乐) went to the following songs:

• “Just Like Sunshine” (像阳光那样) – Wang Yibo (王一博)
• “To Find You” (寻一个你) – Liu Yuning (刘宇宁)
• “Worry-Free” (花开忘忧) – Zhou Shen (周深)

 

MOST INFLUENTIAL IN ACTING

 

Weibo Breakthrough Actor of the Year

• Wang Yibo (王一博)

▶︎ Wang Yibo (王一博) is the winner of the Weibo Breakthrough Film Star of the Year. Wang (1997) has been super popular in China for years. Born in Henan, he is a multi-talent and is active as an actor, singer, dancer, rapper, and professional road motorcycle racer. In 2014, Wang debuted as a member of the South Korean-Chinese boyband UNIQ. since then, his career has been thriving and he has starred in various popular productions, such as 2019 drama The Untamed (陈情令).

The Weibo Breakthrough Actor of the Year Award (微博年度突破演员), given to those actors who made a significant breakthrough in their careers during the past year, went to:

• Han Dongjun (韩东君)
• Jin Chen (金晨)
• Li Yitong (李一桐)
• Liu Yuning (刘宇宁)
• Xu Kai (许凯)
• Zhang Jingyi (张婧仪)

 
Newcomers, Rising, and Eye-Catching Actors of the Year

The award for best newcomer went to young actors:

• Hu Lianxin’er (胡连新儿)
• Wang Churan (王楚然)
• Wang Jiayi (王家义)
• Wu Xuanyi (吴宣仪)
• Zhang Yifan (张艺凡)
• Zhou Yiran (周艺然)

The Rising Actors Award (微博年度飞跃演员) went to:

• Bai Lu (白鹿)
• Guan Xiaotong (关晓彤)
• Mao Xiaotong (毛晓彤)
• Song Yi (宋轶)
• Tang Jianji (檀健次).

The ‘Eye-Catching Actors’ award (微博年度瞩目演员), which is about those actors who have achieved significant popularity and influence on social media, went to:

• Wang Jun (王俊)
• Wang Hedi (王鹤棣)
• Wu Lei (吴磊)
• Yu Shuxin (虞书欣).

The Weibo award for most promising or hard-working actors (微博年度进取演员) went to:

• Chen Zheyuan (陈哲远)
• Hou Minghao (侯明昊)
• Li Landi (李兰迪)
• Shen Yue (沈月)
• Tian Xiwei (田曦薇)
• Wang Ziyi (王子异)
• Zhang Linghe (张凌赫)

Tian Xi wei in Sophie Couture for Weibo Night, photos via Sina Weibo.

▶︎ Chinese actress Tian Xiwei stood out with a beautifully designed pink dress by Sophie Couture.

 
Weibo Attractive Actors of the Year

Honored as the most “attractive” actors of the year are:

• Gao Ye (高野)
• Pan Yueming (潘粤明)
• Tong Yao (童瑶)
• Wang Yang (王洋)

 
Weibo Night Performers of the Year

The Weibo award for performance of the year (微博年度表现力演员) went to:

• Dilraba Dilmurat (迪丽热巴), Chinese actress who recently starred in the popular series You Are My Glory (这个杀手不太冷静)
• Li Xian (李现), Chinese actor who starred in TV series Meet Yourself (which actually boosted Yunnan tourism)
• Yang Zi (杨紫), one of the big stars of the night who starred in multiple successful productions recently

 
Weibo Public Favorite Actors of the Year

The Weibo Public Favorites Actors of the Year awards, also called the Weibo Word-of-Mouth Actors of the Year (微博年度口碑演员) award, went to:

• Ma Li (马丽)
• Song Jia (宋佳)
• Yao Chen (姚晨)

▶︎ Of course, Yao Chen should be on this list – although Yao Chen is not necessarily China’s number one actress, she was one of the first celebrities to share her personal life on Weibo since 2009,and interact with her fans. On Weibo, she talks about her everyday life, family, news-related issues, work, and fashion. She posts a lot personal pictures every day. Yao Chen’s popularity as an actress and philanthropist combined with her frequent Weibo updates and closeness to her fans have made her a huge Weibo celebrity.

▶︎ Ma Li (马丽) has been in the limelight a lot reently. The Chinese actress starred in Too Cool to Kill (这个杀手不太冷静) and was a hit star during the Spring Festival Gala.

 
Weibo Quality Actor of the Year

They received the Quality Actor of the Year (微博年度品质演员) Award at the Weibo Award stage:

• Xiao Zhan (肖战)
• Liu Yifei (刘亦菲, Crystal Liu)
• Zhang Ruoyun (张若昀)

▶︎ Zhang is known for his acting work in various productions and well-known dramas, such as Joy for Life (2019). In 2022, he starred in Under The Microscope, a series about a math genius who ends up in a complex web of corruption and lies after he discovers a major tax discrepancy in his county’s finances.

 
Weibo Awards for Fine Acting of the Year

The award for realistic acting / fine acting (微博年度质感演员) went to some of China’s most renowned actresses, namely:

• Yang Mi (杨幂), the super popular actress who recently starred in Thank You Doctor (谢谢你医生)
• Angelababy (杨颖), the multitalented celebrity who often makes it to Weibo’s top trends
• Tong Liya (佟丽娅), actress and dancer of Xibo ethnicity who won many awards for her acting work
• Liu Shishi (刘诗诗), the renowned actress who is commonly praised for her quality acting

The actresses take their award at the Weibo Night stage.

▶︎ This became a much talked about moment since it was the first time for Angelababy to be at an event with Chinese actor Huang Xiaoming. The moment Angelababy went on stage, the camera focused on Huang who spoke a few words with Li Bingbing who sat right next to him. This sparked discussions on what he said at that moment, and simlarly, when Huang was on stage, people wanted to know what Angelababy was saying to Yang Mi. Oh, if only you could be a fly on the wall!

 
Weibo Award for Influential Actor

The award for actor that had the most influence / impact on Chinese social media thi year (微博年度影响力演员) went to:

• Li Bingbing (李冰冰)

▶︎ Li Bingbing shared the stage with Li Yuchun for this award, as Li Yuchun was honored for being the most influential musician.

 

MOST INFLUENTIAL IN MOVIES

 

Weibo Breakthrough in Film

The awards for the most notable breakthrough in film (微博年度突破电影人) went to:

• Wang Yibo (王一博)
• Da Peng (大鹏)
• Zhang Chiyu (张吃鱼/张迟昱)

The breakthrough in film winners, photo shared by Da Peng on Weibo.

▶︎ Da Peng, who is always quite active on Weibo (@大鹏董成鹏), is the director and screenwriter for the Chinese comedy movie Post Truth (保你平安) about a former mob boss who has now ventured in the business of selling burial plots and finds himself in the middle of a rumor scandal after the death of one of his clients.

 
Weibo Quality and Impactful Films of the Year

Honored in the category of “quality film” of the year (微博年度品质电影):

Moon Man (独行月球)
Song of Spring (妈妈)
Lighting Up the Stars (人生大事)
Hidden Blade (无名)

Honored in the category of films that made the most impact on Weibo (微博年度影响力电影), meaning they generated the most online discussions and often topped the Weibo trending lists:

Wandering Earth 2 (流浪地球2)
Full River Red (满江红)
Home Coming (万里归途)

 
Weibo Quality Filmmakers of the Year

The award for quality film influentials of the year (微博年度品质电影人) went to:

• Lei Jiayin (雷佳音)
• Jackson Yee (易烊千玺)
• Rao Xiaozhi (饶晓志)
• Wen Muye (文牧野)

▶︎ Wen Muye directed the 2022 movie Nice View (奇迹·笨小孩) which stars Jackson Yee and tells the story of the 20-year-old Jing Hao who comes to live in Shenzhen to look after his little sister Tong Tong after the unexpected death of their mother. Rao Xiaozhi directed Home Coming, one of the major box office hits of 2022.

 
Best Movies of the Year

The most beloved movies of the year on Weibo (微博年度人气电影) are:

Hidden Blade (无名)
Wandering Earth 2 (流浪地球2)
Home Coming (万里归途)

▶︎ Hidden Blade is a 2023 Chinese World War II espionage thriller directed by Cheng Er. ‘Home Coming’ (万里归途) is inspired by China’s overseas citizens protection response during the 2011 Libya crisis, and it sparked waves of nationalistic sentiments earlier in 2022.

▶︎ The sci-film Wandering Earth 2 became a box office hit in 2023 and has already become a part of China’s online culture in terms of visuals, memes, and vocabulary.

 
Weibo Most-Watched Movie Person of the Year

The award for Weibo Most-Watched Movie Personality (微博年度关注电影人) went to:

• Karry Wang (王俊凯)
• Li Yu (李玉)
• Yang Lina (杨荔钠)

▶︎ Yang Lina wrote and directed the 2022 film Song of Spring (妈妈), which tells the moving story of an 85-year-old mother caring for a 65-year-old daughter with Alzheimer’s disease.

 
Weibo Most Influential Director of the Year

▶︎ Zhang Yimou (张艺谋) received the award for most influential director of the year. The renowned director’s latest film Full River Red (满江红), a historical suspense comedy film starring Shen Teng and Jackson Yee, became a hit during the Spring Festival holiday and is China’s sixth highest-grossing box office entry of all time.

 

MOST INFLUENTIAL IN TV

 

Weibo Drama of the Year

This honors the Weibo serialized dramas of the year (微博年度剧集):

Love Between Fairy and Devil (苍兰诀)
Draw The Line (底线)
Wild Bloom (风吹半夏)
The Knockout (狂飙)
The Three-Body Problem (三体)
Bright Future (县委大院)
Love Like the Galaxy (星汉灿烂·月升沧海)
The Story Of Xing Fu (幸福到万家)
The Blue Whisper (驭鲛记之与君初相识·恰似故人归)

 
Weibo Drama of the Year

The Oath of Love (余生,请多指教) – Yang Zi and Xiao Zhan both star in this drama about a romance between a doctor and pianist
Being A Hero (冰雨火) – crime and mystery drama featuring Chen Xiao and Wang Yibo
Immortal Samsara (沉香如屑·沉香重华) – xianxia drama starring Yang Zi and Cheng Yi

 
Variety Show of the Year

Street Dance of China 5 (这就是街舞5) – reality competition show focused on street dance
Time Concert: Season 2 (时光音乐会2) – music variety show
Hello, Saturday! (你好星期六) – variety show including games, interviews, and more

 

MOST INFLUENTIAL WEIBO CELEBRITIES

 

Weibo Influential Sports Personality of the Year

The award for Weibo’s Annual Most Influential Sport Person (微博年度影响力体育人物) went to:

• Eileen Gu (Gu Ailing)
• Ren Ziwei (任子威)

▶︎ 2022 really was the big year of Eileen Gu (@青蛙公主爱凌, 6.5 million fans), the America-born Olympic freestyle skier and gold medalist who came out for China. Although Gu could not attend the Spring Festival Gala earlier this year, she did attend Weibo Night, wher she changed outfits twice and also gave some interviews. For more about the Year of Eileen Gu, see our article here.

 
Hottest Celebrities of the Year

• Xiao Zhan (肖战)
• Yang Zi (杨紫)
• Wang Yibo (王一博)

▶︎ Xiao Zhan, Yang Zi, and Wang Yibo were the big winners of the Weibo Night. They all received the awards as the most popular Weibo celebrities. Xiao Zhan has over 31 million followers on Weibo (@X玖少年团肖战DAYTOY); Yang Zi has over 60 million (@杨紫); Wang Yibo (@UNIQ-王一博) has over 40 million.

A moment of Xiao Zhan sitting by himself, with his back super straight and a serious face, also went viral on Chinese social media.

▶︎ Besides both being super popular on Weibo, Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo have more in common: they both starred together in the 2019 Chinese television series The Untamed, which is also very popular within online boys’ love communities.

The popular actress and singer Yang Zi, also known as Andy Yang, is also known for starring in various hit dramas such as Ode to Joy, Ashes of Love, Go Go Squid!, and Oath to Love.

 
Weibo Annual Favorite Person

The Weibo celebrities with the most likability are:

• Chinese table tennis player Sun Yingsha (孙颖莎)
• Professional esports multigame player Yi Nuo (一诺)
• South-Korean-born Chinese short track speed skater Lin Xiaosha (林孝埈)

 
The Queen and King of Weibo

• Hu Ge (胡歌)
• Liu Yifei (刘亦菲, Crystal Liu)

▶︎ The most anticipated awards of Weibo Night are those of the Weibo Queen and King. This year, Hu Ge (胡歌) was voted Weibo King while Liu Yifei (刘亦菲, Crystal Liu) accepted the Weibo Queen award. Liu Yifei is a Chinese-American actress who is most famous outside of China for starring in Disney’s Mulan live-action movie. Liu Yifei, who was recently announced as the new global spokesperson for Bvlgari, wore a spectacular Elie Saab dress to the Weibo night awards.

▶︎ Liu was reunited on stage with Weibo King Hu Ge, with whom she starred in the popular Chinese TV drama series Chinese Paladin. Hu Ge has previously won numerous awards for his acting, including the Best Actor Award at the 2013 Golden Eagle Awards and the Best Actor Award at the 2016 China Britain Film Festival. He is also popular as is a singer in China.

By Manya Koetse 

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