Beijing Pops: NetEase Employees Enjoy a Visit From Heartthrob Zhang Chao, Intel Successfully Pisses Off Men and Women

Feeling left out when your Chinese colleagues are gossiping about a trending star? Puzzled by those glamorous Chinese faces in subway ads, but can't even tell who they are? Beijing Pops will help you get through it all with the latest pop culture and celebrity news.

What's trending in town?

Last week, Beijing actor Zhang Chao – famous for his role in last year's hit drama, Hikaru No Go (棋魂 qí hún), an online series that many called the Chinese Queen's Gambit – appeared at the offices of internet giant NetEase in Beijing’s “Silicon Valley,” Houchangcun, to promote his latest film Tomorrow Will Be Fine (明天会好的 míng tiān huì hǎo de) set to hit theatres on Apr 2. In what was doubtlessly a pretty great day for NetEase employees (as evidenced in the photo below), Zhang hung out with staff, performed a few songs from his new film, and live-streamed the whole thing on Weibo, attracting over 10,000 views in 20 minutes.

Prior to his role in Hikaru No Go, the 33-year-old actor was relatively unknown, landing the odd supporting role here and there. He made his debut as a singer in a men's talent show back in 2007, ending his tenure on the show in fifth place. It wasn't until 2010 that he got his first film gig, playing Dawei in Lost On Journey (人在囧途 rén zài jiǒng tú). Then, in 2015, he starred in the political satire film Mr. No Problem (不成问题的问题 bú chéng wèn tí de wèn tí), which won him the Best Supporting Actor at that year's Shanghai International Film Festival. As his star continued to rise, director Liu Chang cast him for the leading role in 2019’s school drama Exclusive Memory (独家记忆 dú jiā jì yì) and 2020’s Hikaru No Go.

Unequivocally handsome and with a charming and magnetic voice to match, as well as his humble public image, Zhang continues to attract more and more fans, especially among young ladies. However, life in the spotlight hasn't been without its share of hot gossip. Last April, Zhang’s ex-girlfriend shared numerous posts on Weibo, indicating that Zhang had cheated on her and was keeping up affairs with multiple women. Zhang later apologized on his account, explaining that “their break-up [had] nothing to do with any third person.”

Get a celebrity blind box at MINISO

As the "blind box" phenomenon becomes increasingly hot in the market, lifestyle product retailer MINISO has decided to get in on the action by releasing an exclusive "celebrity blind box" featuring post-2000 actress, Zhang Zifeng. It’s not a big surprise given that Zhang was chosen as the brand's global ambassador in May 2020, along with popular dancer and actor Wang Yibo.

Born in 2001, Zhang is one of the most recognized actresses in China. She began her career at just five years old in director Feng Xiaogang’s disaster film Aftershock (唐山大地震 táng shān dà dì zhèn) in 2010. The film – adapted from a novel of the same name – follows the 32-year-long story of a family after the devastating Tangshan earthquake. Winning 13 awards in total, the film was a huge hit, with Zhang herself bringing home the Best New Performer Award at the Hundreds Flowers Award, making her the youngest winner in the category.

Now a student of Beijing Film Academy, Zhang Zifeng is loved by audiences for her sweet personality and top-notch performances. Cas in point, Zhang's haunting, wicked grin as the mysterious Sinuo in Detective Chinatown (唐人街探案 táng rén jiē tàn àn) left a deep impression on anyone who saw the film.

Zhang’s new film My Elder Sister (我的姐姐 wǒ de jiě jiě ) will be on the big screen Apr 2. It’s her first time playing the older sister and Zhang cut her hair short to look more like a “big girl.” A tale of two siblings' struggles and conflicts after their parents untimely death, the film touches on a much-discussed topic, “the second child,” and examines the notions of family and kinship. Click here to view the trailer.

Stand-up comedian Yang Li brings a PR crisis to Intel

28-year-old Yang Li recently found herself embroiled in controversy, again, over last year’s cyberbullying incident. Famous for her blistering takedowns of men and male fragility on stand-up comedy show Rock & Roast (脱口秀大会 tuō kǒu xiù dà huì), Yang made headlines after she landed one particularly poignant punchline, “How can men look so average and yet be so full of confidence?” However, Yang's overwhelming popularity has also brought more than its fair share of trouble since the show initially aired.

Last weekend, computer processor manufacturer Intel announced via Weibo that Yang would feature in one of the company's newest advertisements. The news largely came and went without incident, that is until a few male netizens claimed that the advertisement "provoked gender opposition" and demanded an apology from the brand. Shortly thereafter, calls to boycott Intel and condemn Yang began to spread across social media. Caving to the public pressure, Intel deleted the post and the advertisement from its online shop, which in turn pissed off a number of female consumers. Needless to say, the controversy ended with Intel losing both male and female customers, as well as a whole bunch of money on an ad campaign that will never again see the light of day. Meanwhile, Yang is yet to release a statement.

Big bug: Hi, Mom director Jia Ling isn’t the global box office leader, at least for now

On Mar 20, various media outlets (including this one) were reporting that Hi, Mom had grossed more than RMB 5.303 billion at the box office, beating out Wonder Woman's RMB 5.302 billion to make Jia Ling the world's highest-grossing female director.

Unfortunately for Jia, it was later discovered that somewhere along the way, someone made a grave mathematical mistake. According to the latest exchange rate between USD and RMB, the total box office earnings for Wonder Woman is USD 821 million, or about RMB 5.347 billion, meaning Wonder Woman still holds the number one spot for global box office sales, at least for now. Given that Hi, Mom recently announced its plans to release overseas, the competition is still far from over.

READ: Beijing Pops: CNY Box Office Champ "Hi, Mom" Announces Plans for Global Release

Photos: Yiran Huang, Douban, Weibo