Chinese Woman Films Herself Eating Unbelievable Things, Netizens Call The Police
A series of videos showing a middle-aged woman eating unbelievable things from goldfish to light-bulbs has caused much concern on Sina Weibo, where netizens were so worried that they called the police.
A series of videos showing a middle-aged woman eating unbelievable things from goldfish to lightbulbs has caused so much concern on Sina Weibo that netizens decided to call the police.
A woman who calls herself Foodie Fengjie (吃货凤姐) has attracted much attention on Chinese social media. Multiple videos showing the middle-aged woman eating various strange things, from cigarettes to pure wasabi, has got Chinese netizens worried about her health condition, with some people suspecting that she might be filmed under threat. Netizen’s phone calls to the local police have led to an investigation into the matter.
Foodie Fengjie: “Let’s eat something normal people cannot eat”
Kuaishou user Foodie Fengjie has become a trending topic on China’s social media. Kuaishou (快手) is an online platform where users can broadcast about their life via photos and short videos. According to her profile, Foodie Fengjie is a 48-year-old retired single woman with no kids. Her personal description reads: “Let’s eat something normal people cannot eat!”
Fengjie named herself after online celebrity “Sister Feng” who gained fame in late 2009 for her outrageous actions and comments.
So what does Foodie Fengjie eat? The selection ranges from the disgusting to the scary: raw ginger, a bowl of instant noodles with 6 packs of wasabi, a whole plate of mealworms, goldfish, cactus, a living eel, light-bulbs… and the list goes on.
The spectacle is broadcasted live every day at 20:00. By now, Foodie Fengjie has gained more than 1.5 million followers on the platform.
Netizens: “Could she be under threat? Police should investigate!”
While eating weird food might just be unusual, eating lightbulbs is a health hazard. Two of Foodie Fengjie’s photos also feature her with fireworks around her neck or in her hands, with a caption reading: “Oh my hand bled!”
The woman’s videos and these images stirred netizens’ concern about the woman’s mental and physical condition. It also brought suspicion on the motives behind these videos. Many suspected that the young man shooting the video, presumably a family member of the woman, was threatening her.
One user of Kuaishou messaged the woman during the live broadcasting: “If you are under threat, please let us know by blinking three times”. In the screen shot of this message, the woman looked serious and had just taken off her glasses.
The issue turned many Chinese netizens into ‘Sherlock Holmes’, paying close attention to the woman’s every move and expression – analyzing the curling of her lips and the movement of her eyes to detect whether or not the woman was being forced.
Some netizens decided to do more than just discuss the issue, and contacted the police. On June 3rd the local police in Handan (Hebei province), where Foodie Fengjie resides, received multiple reports from netizens, after which they immediately launched an investigation.
Police: “Plot to gain online attention”
Handan police turned out to be very efficient in their work; just 6 hours after announcing investigation, an initial report was released:
“… according to primary investigation of Handan police, the middle-aged woman in the video (Chen, age 45, Congtai region) and the suspected young man (Wu, age 24, Congtai region) are mother and son. Chen is found to be in good health; there are no visible injuries. The two people told the police that they planned, shot and published many videos of “eating strange food” on the Kuaishou platform to attract netizen’s attention and increase their viewer ratings. The police has gathered props like ‘processed cactus’ and pepper powder. Further investigation will be conducted. ”
Foodie Fengjie herself also released a video to clarify the matter. In her video, she thanked netizens for their concern, but clarified that she was not being kidnapped or threatened. She introduced her older nephew who made the videos for her. Later in the video, Foodie Fengjie turned the camera to herself, and announced to netizens, “I am a free person. Thank you for your concerns. I will continue broadcasting funny videos tonight”.
Chinese netizens still skeptical
After the police report and Foodie Fengjie’s clarification, some netizens appear to be reassured that the videos were just for attention, that no one was being threatened, and that the cactus she ate was fake.
But not everybody is satisfied. Above all, many netizens notice that although police declared the young man to be the woman’s son, the woman in her own video introduced him as “older nephew” (大外甥). For now, there is no theory to explain this discrepancy.
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Some netizens also suspect the clarification video to be a coerced one: “In the last scenes of herself, she keeps looking upwards. She must be looking at her nephew. She didn’t make this voluntarily”, remarked one netizen.
There are many people requesting further police investigation. One netizen says: “Please investigate them separately. A simple visit won’t reveal anything. What’s more, even if they are mother and son, I hope the police can give the son some good education, and take the woman to a hospital for a thorough check-up. Videos of this nature should be prohibited!”
The fact that people are willing to go to extremes to attract online attention is also criticized. “(Individual) online videos are growing like crazy”, remarked a lawyer on Sina Weibo: “People will do everything to increase viewer ratings”.
“Kuaishou simply is for a bunch of mindless online celebrities with twisted values”, said another netizen.
Although the matter is not entirely cleared up yet, this issue at least shows that netizens are willing to go from the virtual world to the real world to take action if they feel that things are not right.
It is unclear what the local police will do with the case now – but China’s netizens surely are hungry for more information.
Update: During June 4th, most of Foodie Fengjie’s video’s were deleted and her Kuaishou account now seems to have been closed.
Diandian Guo is a China-born Master student of transdisciplinary and global society, politics & culture at the University of Groningen with a special interest for new media in China. She has a BA in International Relations from Beijing Foreign Language University, and is specialized in China's cultural memory.
A Brew of Controversy: Lu Xun and LELECHA’s ‘Smoky’ Oolong Tea
Chinese tea brand LELECHA faced backlash for using the iconic literary figure Lu Xun to promote their “Smoky Oolong” milk tea, sparking controversy over the exploitation of his legacy.
It seemed like such a good idea. For this year’s World Book Day, Chinese tea brand LELECHA (乐乐茶) put a spotlight on Lu Xun (鲁迅, 1881-1936), one of the most celebrated Chinese authors the 20th century and turned him into the the ‘brand ambassador’ of their special new “Smoky Oolong” (烟腔乌龙) milk tea.
LELECHA is a Chinese chain specializing in new-style tea beverages, including bubble tea and fruit tea. It debuted in Shanghai in 2016, and since then, it has expanded rapidly, opening dozens of new stores not only in Shanghai but also in other major cities across China.
Starting on April 23, not only did the LELECHA ‘Smoky Oolong” paper cups feature Lu Xun’s portrait, but also other promotional materials by LELECHA, such as menus and paper bags, accompanied by the slogan: “Old Smoky Oolong, New Youth” (“老烟腔,新青年”). The marketing campaign was a joint collaboration between LELECHA and publishing house Yilin Press.
Lu Xun featured on LELECHA products, image via Netease.
The slogan “Old Smoky Oolong, New Youth” is a play on the Chinese magazine ‘New Youth’ or ‘La Jeunesse’ (新青年), the influential literary magazine in which Lu’s famous short story, “Diary of a Madman,” was published in 1918.
The design of the tea featuring Lu Xun’s image, its colors, and painting style also pay homage to the era in which Lu Xun rose to prominence.
Lu Xun (pen name of Zhou Shuren) was a leading figure within China’s May Fourth Movement. The May Fourth Movement (1915-24) is also referred to as the Chinese Enlightenment or the Chinese Renaissance. It was the cultural revolution brought about by the political demonstrations on the fourth of May 1919 when citizens and students in Beijing paraded the streets to protest decisions made at the post-World War I Versailles Conference and called for the destruction of traditional culture[1].
In this historical context, Lu Xun emerged as a significant cultural figure, renowned for his critical and enlightened perspectives on Chinese society.
To this day, Lu Xun remains a highly respected figure. In the post-Mao era, some critics felt that Lu Xun was actually revered a bit too much, and called for efforts to ‘demystify’ him. In 1979, for example, writer Mao Dun called for a halt to the movement to turn Lu Xun into “a god-like figure”[2].
Perhaps LELECHA’s marketing team figured they could not go wrong by creating a milk tea product around China’s beloved Lu Xun. But for various reasons, the marketing campaign backfired, landing LELECHA in hot water. The topic went trending on Chinese social media, where many criticized the tea company.
Commodification of ‘Marxist’ Lu Xun
The first issue with LELECHA’s Lu Xun campaign is a legal one. It seems the tea chain used Lu Xun’s portrait without permission. Zhou Lingfei, Lu Xun’s great-grandson and president of the Lu Xun Cultural Foundation, quickly demanded an end to the unauthorized use of Lu Xun’s image on tea cups and other merchandise. He even hired a law firm to take legal action against the campaign.
Others noted that the image of Lu Xun that was used by LELECHA resembled a famous painting of Lu Xun by Yang Zhiguang (杨之光), potentially also infringing on Yang’s copyright.
But there are more reasons why people online are upset about the Lu Xun x LELECHA marketing campaign. One is how the use of the word “smoky” is seen as disrespectful towards Lu Xun. Lu Xun was known for his heavy smoking, which ultimately contributed to his early death.
It’s also ironic that Lu Xun, widely seen as a Marxist, is being used as a ‘brand ambassador’ for a commercial tea brand. This exploits Lu Xun’s image for profit, turning his legacy into a commodity with the ‘smoky oolong’ tea and related merchandise.
“Such blatant commercialization of Lu Xun, is there no bottom limit anymore?”, one Weibo user wrote. Another person commented: “If Lu Xun were still alive and knew he had become a tool for capitalists to make money, he’d probably scold you in an article. ”
On April 29, LELECHA finally issued an apology to Lu Xun’s relatives and the Lu Xun Cultural Foundation for neglecting the legal aspects of their marketing campaign. They claimed it was meant to promote reading among China’s youth. All Lu Xun materials have now been removed from LELECHA’s stores.
Statement by LELECHA.
On Chinese social media, where the hot tea became a hot potato, opinions on the issue are divided. While many netizens think it is unacceptable to infringe on Lu Xun’s portrait rights like that, there are others who appreciate the merchandise.
The LELECHA controversy is similar to another issue that went trending in late 2023, when the well-known Chinese tea chain HeyTea (喜茶) collaborated with the Jingdezhen Ceramics Museum to release a special ‘Buddha’s Happiness’ (佛喜) latte tea series adorned with Buddha images on the cups, along with other merchandise such as stickers and magnets. The series featured three customized “Buddha’s Happiness” cups modeled on the “Speechless Bodhisattva” (无语菩萨), which soon became popular among netizens.
The HeyTea Buddha latte series, including merchandise, was pulled from shelves just three days after its launch.
However, the ‘Buddha’s Happiness’ success came to an abrupt halt when the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau of Shenzhen intervened, citing regulations that prohibit commercial promotion of religion. HeyTea wasted no time challenging the objections made by the Bureau and promptly removed the tea series and all related merchandise from its stores, just three days after its initial launch.
Following the Happy Buddha and Lu Xun milk tea controversies, Chinese tea brands are bound to be more careful in the future when it comes to their collaborative marketing campaigns and whether or not they’re crossing any boundaries.
Some people couldn’t care less if they don’t launch another campaign at all. One Weibo user wrote: “Every day there’s a new collaboration here, another one there, but I’d just prefer a simple cup of tea.”
[1]Schoppa, Keith. 2000. The Columbia Guide to Modern Chinese History. New York: Columbia UP, 159.
[2]Zhong, Xueping. 2010. “Who Is Afraid Of Lu Xun? The Politics Of ‘Debates About Lu Xun’ (鲁迅论争lu Xun Lun Zheng) And The Question Of His Legacy In Post-Revolution China.” In Culture and Social Transformations in Reform Era China, 257–284, 262.
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A short dress sold by Zara has gone viral in China for looking like the aprons used by the popular Chinese hotpot chain Haidilao.
“I really thought it was a Zara x Haidialo collab,” some customers commented. Others also agree that the first thing they thought about when seeing the Zara dress was the Haidilao apron.
The “original” vs the Zara dress.
The dress has become a popular topic on Xiaohongshu and other social media, where some images show the dress with the Haidilao logo photoshopped on it to emphasize the similarity.
One post on Xiaohongshu discussing the dress, with the caption “Curious about the inspiration behind Zara’s design,” garnered over 28,000 replies.
Haidilao, with its numerous restaurants across China, is renowned for its hospitality and exceptional customer service. Anyone who has ever dined at their restaurants is familiar with the Haidilao apron provided to diners for protecting their clothes from food or oil stains while enjoying hotpot.
These aprons are meant for use during the meal and should be returned to the staff afterward, rather than taken home.
The Haidilao apron.
However, many people who have dined at Haidilao may have encountered the following scenario: after indulging in drinks and hotpot, they realize they are still wearing a Haidilao apron upon leaving the restaurant. Consequently, many hotpot enthusiasts may have an ‘accidental’ Haidilao apron tucked away at home somewhere.
This only adds to the humor of the latest Zara dress looking like the apron. The similarity between the Zara dress and the Haidilao apron is actually so striking, that some people are afraid to be accused of being a thief if they would wear it.
One Weibo commenter wrote: “The most confusing item of this season from Zara has come out. It’s like a Zara x Haidilao collaboration apron… This… I can’t wear it: I’m afraid that someone will say I stole the apron from Haidilao.”
Funnily enough, the Haidilao apron similarity seems to have set off a trend of girls trying on the Zara dress and posting photos of themselves wearing it.
It’s doubtful that they’re actually purchasing the dress. Although some commenters say the dress is not bad, most people associate it too closely with the Haidilao brand: it just makes them hungry for hotpot.
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