" Cangsheng - China Folk Ecological Report "

Author: Zhang Fu, Xue Hu / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: "Super Girl" has captivated the masses, and when it comes to the "crazy cities," Chengdu takes the top spot. The entertainment spirit and talent of Chengdu residents are undoubtedly among the best in the country. The sheer number of bars, restaurants, tea houses, bath centers, karaoke lounges, mahjong parlors, and rural leisure spots in the city can leave a first-time visitor from Beijing or Shanghai speechless. This city is brimming with endless entertainment! Gathering friends to watch "Super Girl" has become the most popular leisure activity for Chengdu residents. Many locals have shifted their Friday night dinners to their homes or in front of TVs in tea houses or bars, saying, "We can't wait for Friday to come." From the preliminary rounds to the final, bars and tea houses across Chengdu rushed to install TVs and large-screen projectors. A resident in Wuhou District of Chengdu would bring his elderly parents and children to a nearby tea house every Friday, saying, "They have food, tea, and even mahjong—so comfortable (‘dapo,’ a Sichuan dialect word meaning 'comfortable')." The family would then split into three factions: the elders favored Zhang Liying, he favored He Jie, and the children favored Li Yuchun. "Tofu," "box lunches," and "corn" would gather together, and after watching the show, they would even argue. A 17-year-old high school student named Shanshan would use her mother's TracFone and her father's mobile phone to vote for Li Yuchun, text with classmates about "corn," and even have her monthly phone bill exceed a thousand yuan. Even Hu Xiao, the host of the Chengdu competition, had his 5-year-old daughter use his mobile phone to support Li Yuchun. She followed her father to the venue and refused to even acknowledge Zhou Bichong, covering her ears when she heard her sing: "I only like Li Yuchun sister." Li Yuchun herself never expected so many people to love her. After advancing to the top five in the Chengdu competition, she came out of a Chengdu TV program, and an overwhelming crowd of "corn" fans blocked the streets, causing traffic to come to a standstill. Wu Pianpian, a "Super Mother," recalled that the little girl was terrified. "She was just an ordinary girl." As the "corn," "box lunch," and "tofu" fan clubs grew, Hu Xiao, the deputy director of the Economic Channel Project Center at Chengdu TV, was shocked to find that the ratings for "Super Girl" had actually surpassed those of the Spring Festival Gala in recent years. A local TV station's ratings reached 15%, a record he had never seen before. "Incredible!" An 54-year-old taxi driver named Chen Lao would stop working every Friday to stay home and watch "Super Girl," losing about 200 to 500 yuan in income each day. He said, "From the early 1980s with shows like Huo Yuan Jia and The Legend of the Condor Heroes, to the early Spring Festival Galas, I've never been this obsessed with TV." Many "Super Girl" fans even planned street protests to vote. In this frenzy, a group of crazy "snack clubs" formed a self-driving car team, driving from Chengdu to Changsha to cheer on the Chengdu girls who made it to the finals. "I envy how Chinese celebrities now get such treatment," Hu Xiao, the host, said. A newspaper vendor said that customers would ask him, "Do you have news about 'Super Girl'?" Almost any newspaper with "Super Girl" coverage would sell out. Media coverage of "Super Girl" reached fever pitch. A widely circulated saying in Chengdu's media circles was that if any newspaper didn't feature "Super Girl" news the next day, department heads would be fined. This was confirmed by a director of a Chengdu newspaper: "There's no choice—any news related to 'Super Girl' sells well, even online reports." Local newspapers covered the entire competition, from behind-the-scenes gossip to contestants' daily lives, even digging up and exaggerating their childhood stories. Chengdu's media enthusiasm even surprised the head of Hunan TV's program department: "Chengdu journalists are too, it's giving us headaches. We're especially worried about affecting other contestants' emotions." A male "tofu" fan with the online name "Black3Old1" learned from two female "tofu" fans in the same residential complex about a QQ group and immediately joined. After answering, "I'm a 'tofu' fan from Chengdu," he was approved. He also discovered that there were 10 such groups in Chengdu, with over 1,000 members. During the competition, Zhang Liying advanced to the top three, but her number of supporting text messages was significantly lower than the other two. In the final, the number of text messages would heavily influence rankings. The "tofu" fans grew anxious and launched a vote-drive sprint, with the QQ group becoming the backbone. The "Tofu Army of Chengdu's Funny Version," mainly from QQ chat rooms, had nearly 200 members, mostly in their 20s. On August 20, 2005, the group sent a notice to its members, asking them to gather at the entrance of Biaonaihui Computer City at 2 PM the next day to vote. "Black3Old1" showed up as scheduled. Two days later, he received another call to vote, attending three events and finishing at 9:30 PM. After several vote drives, "Black3Old1" became an active member, with over a dozen QQ users contacting him to join the group. Whether discussing internally or campaigning externally, the most important reason for supporting Zhang Liying was her singing. Zhang Dou, a 31-year-old construction worker who was struggling professionally, happened to hear Zhang Liying's performance in the competition. "The melody was beautiful—like being shocked by electricity. Her voice comforted my broken heart," he said. He attributed Zhang Liying's charm to "persistence." At 15, her father passed away due to illness, and her mother's income was low. She supported her family while studying and singing in bars, eventually entering university herself. From her experience, Zhang Dou learned a lesson: "Perseverance is key to success." So, he took a week off work and fully dedicated himself to voting for Zhang Liying. During the vote drive, he lived like a super "tofu" fan: going out to vote in the afternoon until dark, posting updates online, urging more people to vote, listening to Zhang Liying's songs, and reading others' posts until 6 or 7 AM. "There were too many posts to finish—their official website had over 300,000 posts in a day." He lay down until 11 AM, then got up to check activity notices in his QQ group, visit Zhang Liying's official website, and search for posts about her on Baidu. Then it was time to go vote again. Zhang Dou had impressive results, gathering nearly 600 votes in just five days. He also bought ice water and treated other "tofu" fans to meals, spending over 300 yuan. "She saved me with her voice. Maybe she'll never know my support, but I'm already satisfied." As he spoke, he broke down again. Other "tofu" fans expressed similar feelings: they too had been through tough times and found solace in Zhang Liying's music, so they wanted to repay her.
P8-10