China Memes & Viral
“Soft Drink Prostitution” – How Beverage Bottles on Cars are Used for Soliciting Sex Outside of Chinese Campuses
People looking for paid sex have found a creative way of letting others know. In the world of so-called “soft drink prostitution,” green tea services are cheaper than Red Bull ones.
Over the past few days, various Chinese media outlets have been reporting about a new phenomenon popping up at Chinese campuses dubbed “soft drink prostitution.”
Just as shoes dangling from trees or telephone wire in many countries are associated with places where people can buy drugs, putting a drink on the roof or hood of a parked car in China (preferably a BMW), would mean the driver is soliciting prostitution.
A pet bottle on a car roof means someone is looking for some (paid) action.
Many recent articles about this issue, however, have been taken offline over the past two days from news sites such as Sina.com or Sohu.com.
Is it a new urban myth or is ‘soft drink prostitution’ in fact happening? What’s on Weibo dug deeper to find out more about what this phenomenon entails.
“Different drinks represent different prices.”
The recent coverage of the ‘soft drink prostitution’ phenomenon in Chinese media was first triggered by a notice on the official website of Tianjin Normal University on December 11, 2017, titled: “About the Disposal of ‘Rooftop Beverages’ on Cars From Outside the Campus” (“关于清理校园外来车辆“车顶放置饮料”的情况通报”).
Screenshot of the Dec 11 announcement on the Tianjin Normal University website about parked cars with beverage bottles on them.
The notice explained that since the beginning of the semester, campus security started noticing that parked cars outside the campus gates would have beverage bottles placed on their roofs or hoods with the purpose of “luring in female students to prostitute themselves,” and that “different drinks represent different prices.”
The notice also included a warning that it is illegal for people to perform sexual acts in return for money or goods, regardless of whether such transactions would occur between people of the same sex or opposite sex.
“This does indeed happen in various places.“
Around December 29, 18 days after the original announcement was allegedly placed, news of the Tianjin University phenomenon started spreading on social media in China.
On one message board, netizens questioned the veracity of the announcement, as it was nowhere to be found on the official website of the Tianjin Normal University.
“I’ve attentively examined the website of the Tianjin Normal University,” one commenter wrote: “And this particular news was not on the site. On December 11, they did post two articles, but one was about bank card skimming and the other was about the illegal recruitment of students for training programs. Also, the font used in the screenshot and that used on the official website is not the same.”
Although the critical readers determined this must be a fake news item, there were others who said that even if it were fake news, “this [practice] does [indeed] happen in various places.”
“It may lead to misunderstandings.“
As rumors about the Chinese campuses “soft drink prostitution” kept circulating online, news sources such as Modern Express (现代快报) and The Paper first covered the issue on January 2, 2018.
According to the The Paper, the announcement was, in fact, true, but that it was taken offline by the University because it “may lead to misunderstandings” because of its “wording.”
On Weibo, some netizens said that the article was more of a “manual” for students to how the phenomenon works than an actual warning against it.
According to a spokesperson at the University, the announcement concerned “a normal procedure,” and was not meant to attract so much attention online.
The spokesperson compared such a warning to regular announcements about pickpockets, and emphasized that no students had entered the parked cars.
“Green tea represents the offer to pay 300 yuan (±45$), whereas a can of Red Bull stands for 600 yuan (±90$).“
So-called “soft drink prostitution” is actually not an entirely new phenomenon around Chinese campuses. Various other media outlets and reporters, such this vlogger called ‘SheCar’on Baidu TV or this online newspaper already reported about the issue in 2016, explaining the difference between drinks types.
A bottle of mineral water means 200 yuan (30$), green tea represents the offer to pay 300 yuan (±45$), for instance, whereas a can of Red Bull stands for 600 yuan (±90$).
During a days-long experiment in which a Baidu TV presenter parked the car outside of various universities in Hunan with a beverage bottle on the rooftop, it turned out that several students -some female and one male- actually did pick up the bottle and got into the car.
In 2016, Sina news explained that the parked cars outside of campuses are mostly BMW brands. If a person gets into the car that is not to the driver’s liking, they can just say “they are waiting for someone.”
On Weibo, some netizens are surprised that the rumors and alleged “fake news” announcement have turned out to be true: “I always thought this was just some sexual fantasy,” one person comments.
There are also people who say that now that this phenomenon is more widely covered, it actually “reveals what people want to hide” (“此地无银三百两”).
Other people also point out that the beverage bottle trick does not always work. As one commenter writes: “I saw this in front of my school once. But no one got into the car all day. Finally, a street sweeper took the drink from the car roof and drank it.”
By Manya Koetse
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China Memes & Viral
Dutch Vlogger Discovers Her Boyfriend’s Photo on a Chinese TV Drama
Dutch vlogger Rianne Meijer was surprised to discover her boyfriend being somebody else’s lover in this Chinese television drama.
The Dutch influencer Rianne Meijer has gone viral in the Netherlands and on Chinese social media after she posted a TikTok video in which she shared the discovery of her boyfriend’s photo in a Chinese TV drama.
“Remember this picture? This is a picture that I posted with my boyfriend a while ago,” Rianne says in the TikTok video, then showing a scene in Chinese TV drama in which a photoshopped photo of Rianne’s boyfriend is featured.
Although Rianne stood next to her boyfriend in the original photo, her face was replaced in the photoshopped edition featured on the Chinese TV drama.
“They look good together, it’s fine!” Rianne jokingly responded to the scene.
Rianne Meijer is an online influencer and YouTuber with some 1.5 million fans on her Instagram. She is known for often posting funny videos and photos, sometimes together with her boyfriend Roy.
The scene featuring Roy’s photo comes from the Chinese TV drama Summer Again (薄荷之夏), which premiered on iQiyi in the summer of 2021.
The scene shows a lady named Mi Ya (played by actress Li Borong 李柏蓉) talking about her relationship with a man named ‘Andre.’
On the Chinese social media site Weibo, many netizens found the incident “embarrassing” and did not understand why the staff would just steal someone’s portrait: “Couldn’t the production team even find a foreign guy to take a picture?”
Others also thought the incident was very funny: “This is the reality of our global village. You’d think nobody would find out, but it’s really not so secret.”
According to Rianne’s most recent Tiktok post update, the show’s production staff has since sent her an apology. She also writes it’s “all good,” adding: “They are so sweet and this gave us a good laugh.”
The Dutch online influencer Rianne Meijer recently discovered a photo of her boyfriend was used in a Chinese TV drama. They photoshopped Rianne out and instead featured actress Li Borong. Rianne's boyfriend is supposed to be a foreign guy named "Andre" in the series 😂 pic.twitter.com/5kF7mMRJmA
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) October 16, 2021
By Manya Koetse
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China Memes & Viral
‘Anti-Square Dancing Device’ Goes Viral on Chinese Social Media
This tool might be a solution for Chinese residents experiencing ‘dancing grannies’ noise nuisance.
No matter where you go in China, from megacities to small towns, there inevitably will be a lively square dancing community. Local residents, usually older and retired residents, meet at a public park or plaza to perform synchronized dance routines together while playing loud music. Square dancing (广场舞) usually takes place in the mornings or in the evenings and is generally seen as a cheap way to stay fit and as a nice occasion to socialize with friends and neighbors.
Although most appreciate seeing the local ‘dancing grannies,’ there are also residents who find their rowdy gatherings annoying. During the time of national exams, for example, stressed-out students sometimes complain that they cannot focus on their studies due to the music blasting from the speakers. There are also others who are bothered by the music of the local dancing seniors.
This week, China’s ‘dancing grannies’ have again become a topic of discussion on social media after a video went viral in which a local resident in Jiangxi uses a special ‘anti-square dance tool’ to stop the music.
In the video, the man from the prefecture-level city of Yingtan (鹰潭) uses a small tool to mute the speakers of the square dancing group who have gathered below his apartment. The man, located in one of the higher apartments facing the square dancing, points his remote at the speakers and once it stops working, the dancing locals stop their activities and walk up and down trying to find out what is wrong with their music player.
Since the device works from a distance of 50-80 meters, anyone using the tool to stop the music won’t easily be discovered by the dancing grannies.
By now, the term ‘anti-square dance magical object’ (“反广场舞神器”) has been making its rounds on social media, with many netizens saying they also want to get this ‘magical tool.’
As described by Cnbeta.com, the device actually is just a powerful, long-distance remote control that can cause interference with some speakers.
On Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao, searches for the ‘anti-square dance device’ currently come up with dozens of results with remote controls, some advertising their product with the slogan: “Say goodbye to disturbance and have your quiet time.” Most ‘anti square dancing’ remote controls are sold for around 250 yuan ($38).
“Finally there’s a solution!”, some netizens write about the remote control. Others are also happy to discover the device, saying it’s the most peaceful way to create some silence when they experience nuisance; some mention that asking the ‘grannies’ to quiet down only results in being scolded anyway.
Others are jokingly predicting that hot sales of the device might result in a street war between opposing dancing groups silencing each other’s speakers.
There are also people who wonder why China’s square dancing grannies can’t just wear ‘silent disco’ headphones while dancing.
Some people warn users of the remote control that Chinese seniors will always find a way to continue square dancing: “You do this today, tomorrow they’re bringing their accordion!”
By Manya Koetse, with contributions by Miranda Barnes
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