Viral Week is our weekly round-up of the weekend’s trending memes, humor, rumor, gossip, and everything else Chinese netizens are chatting about.
First Chinese woman visits space station
Three Chinese taikonauts boarded the Tianhe Space Station via the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft on the morning of October 16, the second crew to begin their six-month rotation after the first batch returned to Earth last month. The new crew, including Wang Yaping, the first female astronaut to enter the space station, will conduct spacewalks, test the station’s operability, and carry out a series of experiments during their stay.
Murder in Shanghai
A 28-year-old woman was murdered in her apartment in central Shanghai, with the suspect, a man from Henan who worked as a butcher, caught disposing of her body in a suitcase in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. The incident has sparked conversation about the security of residential communities and the general safety of women who live alone.
LinkedIn leaves China
LinkedIn, the last major US social media platforms operating in China, announced it will shut down the Chinese version of its site due to the “significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China.” Microsoft, the parent company of LinkedIn, said they would create a new local version of the site called InJobs that would be used strictly for posting job ads.
Guangxi woman claims to be Queen of England
A woman in Guilin, Guangxi, attempted to avoid punishment from traffic police after crossing the road on a red light by claiming she had been the Queen of England in a past life and 48 countries had been waiting five days for her to visit. The woman also produced a certificate that said she was a delegate at the United Nations. Officers were unconvinced by the woman’s claims.
Folk singer’s comeback after drugs ban fails again
A Chengdu venue cancelled a planned comeback performance by folk singer Song Dongye, five years after he was arrested for taking marijuana, amid public criticism for giving a platform to a “misbehaving” celebrity. Song responded with a Weibo post stressing he had already served a three-year ban from performance according government regulations, but both netizens and mainstream media continued to respond with hostility, stating artists who violate public morality should permanently lose the right to be public figures.
Mother of dead livestreamer calls for action against trolls
The mother of a livestreamer who killed herself by drinking pesticide on camera is considering taking legal action against viewers who apparently encouraged her daughter’s suicide during the broadcast, writing comments like “Drink up” when the depressed girl took out the poisonous liquid.
Kind-hearted otter rewarded for returning phone
An otter named Youtiao (“Deep-Fried Dough Stick”) at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park gained fame after swiftly diving into the water to pick up and return a cellphone dropped by park visitor Ms. Zhao. In response, Ms. Zhao ordered a jinqi (brocade pennant) for Youtiao to express her gratitude. The park held a short ceremony for the kind-hearted otter, and also awarded it an extra fish at mealtime.
Snobbish student’s complaints go viral
An incoming graduate student at the prestigious Peking University complained online that his assigned supervisor’s “first degree record (bachelor’s degree)” was not from a high-ranking university, and that PKU should reconsider the qualifications of the teachers they hire. The incident started discussion about the student’s ignorance and widespread discrimination based on school ranking in Chinese workplaces, with the Ministry of Education stepping in to clarify there is no official definition of a “first degree record.”
Employer feud ends in stolen frying pan
A woman surnamed Zhu who works as a housekeeper took revenge on her former employer, who fired her two months previously, by stealing the family’s favorite frying pan when they were out of the house. The pan was reportedly worth thousands of RMB, and netizens joked the theft was a great advertisement for the cooking appliances brand. Zhu is currently under investigation for the burglary.
Typhoon blows boy’s homework away
An elementary school student in Xiamen, Fujian province, had a unique excuse for not handing in his homework after high winds from typhoon “Yuangui” blew away his almost completed exercise book. The boy had to start over, according to his mom.
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