Viral Week is our weekly round-up of the weekend’s trending memes, humor, rumor, gossip, and everything else Chinese netizens are chatting about.
This week, Typhoon Lekima batters China’s eastern coast, leading to calm news reporters and bad jokes. Elsewhere, apologies abound as a singer, an Italian fashion brand, a filmmaker, and a university have to say “sorry,” Golden Horse films are pulled, and a KTV marathon ends in a punctured lung:
Calm in the storm
A Beijing News reporter went viral for his nonchalance while covering Typhoon Lekima (which ruffled many of his colleagues), smiling and joking that his weight made him the ideal reporter for windy days.
Singer apologizes
Controversial singer Xue Zhiqian has deleted a Weibo video in which he was shown climbing on a utility pole in a flooded street. Many found the stunt to be in poor taste given the recent damage caused by Typhoon Lekima.
Versace apologizes
Italian luxury brand Versace apologized for a T-shirt that agitated many netizens for implying that Hong Kong and Macao were countries.
Creators of Shanghai Fortress apologize
Director Teng Huatao and screenwriter Jiang Nan apologized to disappointed fans after their much-hyped sci-fi film Shanghai Fortress bombed at the box office, and received a dismal rating of 3.3 out of 10 on Douban.
Beida backtracks
Peking University admitted two affirmative action students from Henan province, who were previously refused out of fear that they would fall behind higher-scoring students at the prestigious university. The decision ignited more controversy, though, when PKU classmates allegedly made malicious comments about the students’ academic ability online.
KTV marathon
After singing 10 high-pitched songs in a row at KTV, a 65-year-old man in Nanchang was hospitalized with a collapsed lung.
Wrong number
After a few drinks on Chinese Valentine’s Day, a Sichuan man accidentally sent a gift of 8,888 yuan (twice his monthly salary) meant for his wife to an acquaintance, who has refused to return the money.
Golden Horseplay
Several Hong Kong studios pulled their selections from November’s Golden Horse Film Festival in Taiwan on Wednesday, joining the mainland’s boycott of the event.
Cover image from VCG
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