Chinese netizens are grabbing their popcorn (or sunflower seeds) and are diving into this explosive story as these leaked WeChat records show that the extremely rich & famous bachelor Wang Sicong is no Prince Charming after all.

Wang Sicong (王思聪), the son of one of the richest men in China, has become the most popular gossip topic on Weibo this week after his love interest leaked their WeChat conversation records online.

Wang Sicong, who has over 41 million followers on his Weibo account (@王思聪), is one of China’s most famous fu’erdai (富二代, the ‘second generation rich’). Wang is the son of Chinese tycoon Wang Jianlin (王健林), one of the richest persons in Asia.

Wang Sicong is a 33-year-old businessman, and he is known as a playboy who has had many girlfriends but never settled down, turning him into one of China’s most wealthy eligible bachelors. But despite so many women being interested in Wang, the girl he has been chasing for the past few years, internet celebrity and livestreamer Sun Yining (孙一宁), is just not into him at all.

Sun and Wang first met four years ago, and apparently, Wang never stopped pursuing her ever since. In the screenshots of the WeChat conversations between the two that leaked online, Wang is very blunt in expressing his interest in Sun and doesn’t shy away from using cheesy pick-up lines and repeating how much he misses her.

At times, he is rude and pushy, telling Sun he needs to see her: “Can’t you just make me feel better? My mood has been bad for days.” He sometimes also keeps sending Sun belligerent messages, even if she does not respond at all.

Wang keeps talking to Sun (in a patronizing way), even if Sun doesn’t respond at all.

Sun, however, again and again, keeps shutting him down by changing the topic, ignoring his cringy phrases, or making fun of him.

At one point during the four-year-long ‘charm offensive,’ Sun tells Wang that she is attracted to women and not to men – but even that doesn’t stop his ‘alpha male strategy’ to win her over: “Will you still say you’re a lesbian when you’re lying in my arms?”

Sun asks Wang if he realises how ridiculous he is after the ‘lesbian’ comment.

The conversations between the two become even more bizarre in April of 2021 when Wang unexpectedly tells Sun he has come to her hometown of Hangzhou to spend time with her, and then gets angry when she is not happy to meet him. He insists that they meet, even when Sun clearly indicates she has no interest in him.

Even after that, the billionaire keeps sending Sun desperate messages on how much he misses her and how he cannot believe that she is not a heterosexual woman. In the end, the conversation between the two gets so explosive that Wang threatens to expose Sun. But the tables were turned, and Sun was the one to first post the history of their WeChat messages online on June 15.

On her Weibo account, where the live-streaming star has over 720,000 fans, Sun shares how she has always been straightforward with Wang Sicong that she was not interested in becoming his girlfriend. She also makes it clear that Wang’s money and influence will not stop her from taking control over her own life.

Before posting the chat history, Sun appeared to be drunk and upset while live-streaming at night and scolding Wang Sicong.

On Weibo, the hashtag “Sun Yining / Wang Sicong” (#孙一宁 王思聪#) has received over 550 million views by now.

The drama further snowballed on Tuesday when Wang himself apparently also shared their WeChat chat records online, claiming Sun Yining had been misleading about their relationship and is not to be trusted. That hashtag page (#王思聪曝光和孙一宁聊天记录#) also attracted over 500 million views.

Many of the thousands of people commenting on this story find it entertaining and funny; who would have thought that the richest son in the country would be so poor when it comes to love? Others expressed disbelief that such a powerful man would be begging for this girl’s love for so many years.

There are those praising Sun Yining: “This offers new perspectives for online influencers. Rejecting Wang Sicong turns out to make you hotter than becoming Wang Sicong’s girlfriend!” But many people also do not sympathize with Sun at all, calling her a drama queen and an actress.

Even in the middle of the night, the Weibo discussions on ‘Wang versus Sun’ continue on Weibo. “I’m here enjoying this spectacle,” one commenter says: “I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

By Manya Koetse with contributions by Miranda Barnes

Follow @whatsonweibo

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“How to look at the boycott of Yang Li?” (#如何看待抵制杨笠#) became a top trending topic on social media site Weibo on Monday after female comedian Yang Li was dismissed as the spokesperson for American tech company Intel over a controversial ad campaign.

On March 18, Intel released an ad on its Weibo account in which Yang says “Intel has a taste [for laptops] that is higher than my taste for men” (“英特尔的眼光太高了，比我挑对象的眼光都高.”)

The ad drew complaints for allegedly insulting men, with some social media users vowing to boycott the tech brand. On Sunday, Intel deleted the ad in question from its social media page and reportedly also removed Yang from her position as their brand ambassador.

The commotion over the ad had more to do with Chinese comedian Yang Li (杨笠) than with the specific lines that were featured in it.

Yang Li is controversial for her jokes mocking men (“men are adorable, but mysterious. After all, they can look so average and yet be so full of confidence“), with some blaming her for being “sexist” and “promoting hatred against all men.”

Since she appeared on the stand-up comedy TV competition Rock and Roast (脱口秀大会) last year, she was nicknamed the the “punchline queen” and became one of the more influential comedians in present-day China. Yang now has nearly 1,5 million fans on Weibo (@-杨笠-).

Yang Li’s bold jokes and sharp way of talking about gender roles and differences between men and women in Chinese society is one of the main reasons she became so famous. Intel surely knew this when asking Yang to be their brand ambassador.

In light of the controversy, the fact that Intel was so quick to remove Yang also triggered criticism. Some (male) netizens felt that Intel, a company that sells laptops, could not be represented by a woman who makes fun of men, while these men are a supposed target audience for Intel products.

But after Yang was removed, many (female) netizens also felt offended, suggesting that in the 21st century, Intel couldn’t possibly believe that their products were mainly intended for men (“以男性用户为主”)? Wasn’t their female customer base just as important?

According to online reports, Intel responded by saying: “We noted that the content [we] spread relating to Yang Li caused controversy, and this is not what we had anticipated. We place great importance on diversity and inclusion. We fully recognize and value the diverse world we live in, and are committed to working with partners from all walks of life to create an inclusive workplace and social environment.”

However, Intel’s decision backfired, as many wondered why having Yang as their brand ambassador would not go hand in hand with ‘promoting an inclusive social environment.’

“Who are you being ‘inclusive’ too? Common ‘confident’ men?”, one person wrote, with others saying: “Why can so many beauty and cosmetic brands be represented by male idols and celebrities? I loathe these double standards.”

“As a Chinese guy, I really think Yang Li is funny. I didn’t realize Chinese men had such a lack of humor!” another Weibo user writes.

There are also people raising the issue of Yang’s position and how people are confusing her performative work with her actual character. One popular law blogger wrote: “Really, boycotting Yang Li is meaningless. Stand-up comedy is a performance, just as the roles people play in a TV drama.”

Just a month ago, another Chinese comedian also came under fire for his work as a brand ambassador for female underwear brand Ubras.

It is extremely common in China for celebrities to be brand ambassadors; virtually every big celebrity is tied to one or more brands. Signing male celebrities to promote female-targeted products is also a popular trend (Li 2020). Apparently, there is still a long way to go when the tables are turned – especially when it is about female celebrities with a sharp tongue.

By Manya Koetse

Follow @whatsonweibo

Li, Xiaomeng. 2020. “How powerful is the female gaze? The implication of using male celebrities for promoting female cosmetics in China.” Global Media and China, Vol.5 (1), p.55-68.

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