WHAT’S HOT? WHAT’S NOT?
Monkey King Transformed
A series of videos featuring the famed hero from Journey to the
West rendered as a character from Transformers have gone viral. Producer Zhao Wensong used CGI skills he learned in school to animate cars transforming into the Monkey King and other leading characters of the classic Chinese novel. His videos also include battle scenes between the mechanized Monkey King and Transformers characters Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. Zhao said he dreams of starting his own business based on Chinese-style characters.
‘Soundless’ bakeries
A baking teacher in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province warmed hearts online for running three bakeries that only employ deaf people. Qiu Junkun, 36, told media that he opened the first ‘soundless’ bakery after learning some of his deaf students were having difficulty finding work. At his bakeries, customers use pens and paper to place orders with employees. Many told media they enjoy the silent, considerate service. Netizens praised Qu for his contributions to the community, saying that skills and job opportunities are more valuable than mere financial assistance.
Unlucky Koi
China’s Ministry of Housing and UrbanRural Development (MHUD) in January publicly criticized the local government of Hancheng, Shaanxi Province for spending 190 million yuan (US$27.5M) on a giant koi carp-shaped landscaping project. Located beside the highway entrance to the city, the project included a large number of costly rockeries and water features. MHUD ordered Hancheng to suspend construction and remediate what it called a vanity project. Netizens applauded the ministry’s action, and hoped for a dedicated institution to supervise and publicize expenditure on government projects.
Three Wives per Kilometer
A Jiangsu Province man recently arrested for polygamy had his three wives living within a kilometer of each other without their knowledge. According to reports, the man surnamed Zhang married three women between 2015 and 2017, registering the marriages in different provinces to avoid detection. Zhang then set up his wives in three of his apartments, located only one kilometer apart. Zhang, who worked in real estate, managed to hide his polygamy from the women under the guise of taking frequent business trips – until his second wife became suspicious. Many on social media slammed Zhang, asking “why do scumbags always get so many women?”