If you happened to be walking through Taikoo Mall last Saturday, you may have witnessed a flash mob consisting of young people dancing to a hip-hop song in the public square.
If so, you may have inadvertently witnessed Chinese superstar, Zhang Yixing – a man poised to become China's next big thing.
For folks who aren't familiar with Chinese pop culture, this may all, unfortunately, be a moot point. Unlike the legions of fans that worship him, you may be missing the context of what makes the white-hot celebrity known as Zhang Yixing.
The first thing you should know is that, like other top Chinese celebrities ...
Zhang is a product of the South Korean entertainment industry
Becoming famous in China these days is as simple as making the right "stupid move" that pleases your live stream audience. But, for those with a more enterprising spirit, success in South Korea's entertainment industry can lead to lucrative opportunities, as they did for Zhang.
The Chinese market's interest in South Korean pop culture culminates with EXO, a massive boy band with wide Asian mainstream appeal by including both Chinese and South Korean members (shown above).
Although still a member of EXO (or EXO-M, as it were), Zhang's solo efforts mirror the same path as Luhan and Kris Wu, two other Chinese superstars that also got their start from being in EXO. And although Zhang isn't as big a star as Lu or Wu ...
Zhang is already a big deal in China
Zhang put out his first EP last October to wide acclaim, becoming the first Chinese artist to have reached the iTunes Top 60 when his second album debuted last week. Known as the primary dancer for EXO, Zhang has also put his talents to use on a number of film and television shows that include a lead role in this year's Jackie Chan vehicle Kung Fu Yoga, as well as the extremely popular Go Fighting! variety show. Winner of multiple awards and a philanthropist with his own charity foundation, Zhang found time to author his own autobiography Standing Firm at 24 two years ago.
READ: Chinese Pop Culture Primer: What You Need to Know About Liu Wen,
China's Top Supermodel
If you haven't yet heard of this impressive young man, it may be because you don't know ...
Zhang's stage name is "Lay"
It just is. For the purposes of this article, we call him "Zhang" because that's his real name.
But wait! There's more, because ...
Zhang's nickname is "Sheep"
China's male pop idols are described as "fresh meat" (小鲜肉 xiǎo xiān ròu) by their fans, and Zhang, in particular, is known by the name "Sheep." While this may appear to be cruel objectification, in truth fans learned to use this name from Zhang himself.
READ: Chinese Pop Culture Primer: What You Need to Know About TFBoys,
China's Most Popular "Fresh Meat"
When asked by fans which animal he most identifies with, Zhang picked "sheep," an animal that also happens to be his Chinese zodiac sign. But besides dressing up as a sheep during his performances, Zhang's known to refer to himself as "Sheep" because that's the name of both his second album and one of its singles.
As heard in Zhang's Sanlitun performance and the music video (shown below, dancing in a microwave), lyrics to "Sheep" include the following passages:
- I am the sheep
- The China sheep
- I'm the lead sheep in China
- Be careful; sheep in the neighborhood
As heard in Kung Fu Yoga, Zhang speaks English fluently (or at least well enough to star in a Jackie Chan film). But even without its Western connotations, the term "sheep" has negative connotations for its association with Emperor Dowager Cixi's part in the fall of the Qing dynasty.
Along these lines, we could assume that Zhang is trying to position himself to be the "bad boy" by associating himself with a social taboo.
But being part of a flock is part of Zhang's big plan because ...
Zhang is a spokesperson for the Communist Party of China
Being a Communist in China isn't just about Mao suits and old men with jet-black hair.
Last July, Zhang was appointed by the Communist Youth League of China of Changsha as a propaganda ambassador, the first celebrity to hold such a title.
Zhang said he had "plans to dedicate himself to the youth league's publicity demands," but having a pop idol become the face of China's only political party (technicalities aside) does not necessarily ensure success, because ...
Zhang failed to draw crowds to the CCP's big propaganda film
Celebrities are very important in Chinese entertainment because their involvement in any project usually guarantees a successful return due to fans consuming products made by their idols. However, the casting of Zhang and other "fresh meat" still wasn't enough to save the box office of this summer's The Founding of an Army, a series of films that glorify the history of the CCP.
With the failure of The Founding of an Army, some pundits have insisted that this patronage system has come to an end by pointing out the example of Wolf Warrior 2, a competently-made action flick that didn't feature the star-studded cast of The Founding of an Army.
Undeterred by setbacks ...
Zhang has his own wax figure at Madame Tussauds
Zhang unveiled his waxen doppelganger last month in Beijing. Meanwhile, Chinese supermodel Liu Wen had to wait until just a few months ago for hers after having been an international sensation for years.
That Zhang kissed his own likeness isn't the weirdest thing about the guy, because ...
Out of all the adorable pop idols, Zhang is known for being the "most adorable"
As a pop idol, you're expected to sing, dance, and act. But above all, you have to be considered adorable by your fans.
Zhang can certainly entertain a crowd, but his fans like him most for his endearing qualities. Consider fan compilations that show Zhang's habit of "Jimmy Fallon-ing" his skits by laughing, or others that show his social inelegance by freaking out at the presence of pigeons in a park, or those that show his inability to speak clearly while on camera.
We get it, fans – no blunder committed by Zhang will ever draw scorn on account of his adorableness, signifying that they'll watch him do anything. That could explain how ...
Zhang was involved in a weird, high-budget, nine-minute-long commercial that has no point
As they are known in South Korea, "commercial films" (CF) are short vignettes that feature celebrities promoting brands and products. Although these are usually modest projects that run around three minutes, Zhang did one such CF that raised the bar with sky-high production costs.
Running nine minutes long, the Kang Shifu beverage's Chinese New Year-themed commercial features Zhang along with Chinese pop idols Li Yifeng and Yang Yang. But if the massive star power wasn't enough, the commercial also featured lots of special effects and parkour stunts.
However, the ambitiousness of the commercial made for a weird story that manages to involve Chinese tradition, fantasy, demons, time travel, and even the always popular Chinese movie trope/social taboo of grave-robbing.
Want more Lay in your life? Check out these jams:
- "I NEED U": Zhang infuses French new wave filmmaking into anniversary celebrations for his grandparents
- "What U Need": A-Ha's "Take On Me" video meets synchronized hip-hop dancers with ripped jeans
- "Lose Control": Zhang's best video features satin shirts and chandeliers, as it should
More stories from this author here.
Twitter: @Sinopath
E-mail: charlesliu1@qq.com
Images: People's Daily, twinmg, Exodited, Youtube (1, 2), Soonpi, Movie News Guide, KPOP, Soonpi