Trending in Beijing: A Dancing Headmaster, Beijing Living Expenses, and a Huge Celebrity Scandal

The fun, the strange, and the what-on-earth-is-this: a wrap-up of top stories in Beijing as told by the trending hashtags, local press, and general power of the internet.
 

1) Dancing Xi'an elementary school headmaster goes viral abroad

The video of a dancing headmaster at an elementary school in Xi'an has been making waves abroad. Initially picked up by the South China Morning Post, the video has gotten over 1.2 million shares on their Facebook page, making a big enough splash to go full circle and get posted about on Weibo under the hashtag #跳鬼步舞校长火到国外# (shuffle dancing principal goes viral abroad).

The headmaster at the center of the feelgood video had reportedly taught himself how to dance and wanted to spark a love for physical exercise among his pupils (who he felt were spending too much time in front of their computers) by using a more engaging routine than usual.

From what we've seen when walking around Beijing in the early mornings, the routines commonly employed in schoolyards seem pretty damn boring, so we applaud this innovative headmaster. The fact that he's a legitimately great dancer also helps.
 

2) Actor Wu Xiubo embroiled in an extortion scandal 

This past week, Beijing-based actor and musician Wu Xiubo (吴秀波) has been caught in the middle of a complicated extortion scandal filled with family drama, billions of yuan, and plenty of sordid details, all aired out openly on Weibo. In a nutshell, actress Chen Yulin (陈昱霖) was arrested upon arrival at Beijing airport over the allegations of trying to blackmail Wu and invading his privacy. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison. Netizens are following the drama under #娱乐圈好男人# (are there any good men in the entertainment industry).

The scandal revolves around Wu's termination of the seven-year extramarital relationship (just one of a rumored five!), which came to light last September. Chen spoke out on Weibo claiming she had been prohibited from taking up acting jobs and spent almost a year in a hotel room doing Wu's laundry and cooking his meals during the time they were together. At the end of the relationship, Chen was allegedly offered hush money to avoid her leaking such details to the public. After the case was settled privately, it appears Chen decided to stay abroad and keep out of the public sight. However, Wu later asked her to come back to China for further negotiations on the agreement, whereupon she was arrested upon arrival.

Further developments came to light via relatives of the dramatic duo who also took to Weibo. In an open letter penned by Chen's parents, they said that their daughter was asked to renege the allegations she made against Wu in return for compensation, of which, only a small part was paid out. Later, Wu's wife also wrote a statement, claiming that their family was blackmailed for a year and a half and that the extortion has risen from millions to billions of yuan. It's a saucy, confusing mess, but if you love a bit of #drama, you can take a closer look at the details over at What's on Weibo.

Never ones to miss a beat and get involved themselves, Chinese netizens have been taking sides. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the criticism falls not on the arrested Chen, but on Wu instead. One netizen wrote in open repulsion: "is there anyone who doesn't want to see his face and name anymore? Let him go sing in bars, where he can have rotten eggs thrown at him."
 

3) How much money is enough to live in Beijing?

Truth be told, one can never have enough money to live comfortably in Beijing, especially with landlords jacking up rent like there's no tomorrow. Yes, it's no secret that the capital just keeps on getting more expensive and a video that has done the rounds recently shows city dwellers speaking out on the topic, answering the question: what salary is enough to live on in Beijing.

One ayi calmly topped everyone's estimations with, "If you don't earn RMB 50,000, then living here is very difficult." While some netizens mocked that sky-high estimation, others stood by her side. One made the point that while "All the other people talk about a single person's expenses, ayi is talking about a family's," a statement that shed light on the expectations that most people here hold about family life: working-age Beijingers are expected to support both their kids and their elderly parents.

Another user took a light-hearted approach to the topic, including this zinger: "even though I can't earn much, I try to save. For example, today I saw a Maserati and I didn't buy it, immediately saving 2-3 million." Netizens continue to discuss the price of Beijing life under #在北京多少钱一个月才够花# (how much money per month is enough to live in Beijing).
 

4) The first landing at Daxing Airport

At 10.10am on Jan 22, the first aircraft to ever land on Daxing Airport's recently completed runway touched down after a 40-minute trip from Beijing Capital International Airport. A video of the symbolic landing was posted on Weibo via China Aviation's account, and soon went viral. The airport, which will welcome 100 million travelers annually by 2025, is due to be completed on Jun 30 and in operation by Sep 30 of this year.

Read more on what to expect from Beijing's new Daxing Airport (and the closure of Nanyuan), right here.

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Email: tautviledaugelaite@thebeijinger.com

Images: Weibo