Beijing Pops: "Hikaru No Go," Dubbed the Chinese "Queen's Gambit" a Big Hit, Available on YouTube With English Subtitles

Feeling left out when your Chinese colleagues are gossiping about a trending star? Puzzled by those glamorous Chinese faces in subway ads, but can't even tell who they are? Our new column Beijing Pops will help you get through it all with the latest pop culture and celebrity news.

Chinese version of The Queen's Gambit a hit

Adapted from a successful manga, 棋魂 qí hún Hikaru No Go became an instant hit with drama lovers this season, earning comparisons to the highly-acclaimed Netflix series, The Queen's Gambit, in the process. Hikaru No Go is akin to a bildungsroman that follows the life of a Go master, Chu Ying, and a teenage boy, Shi Guang. It features 20-year-old young actor Hu Xianxu, who's currently training as a senior student at Beijing's Central Academy of Drama (yes, that small campus located in Nanluoguxiang). Needless to say, his debut leading role is nothing short of remarkable. What's more, much like what The Queen's Gambit did for chess stateside, the success of this series has given a boost to downloads of Go, the strategy game around which the show revolves. And it gets better: Hikaru No Go is now available on YouTube, with English subtitles to boot! Meaning if you've exhausted the exploits of Elizabeth Harmon, perhaps it's time you take up an interest in another game that uses exquisite black and white stones.

Crosstalk show tickets sold out in seconds

Local Beijingers always know where to enjoy themselves, and this month it'll be at Beijing's biggest 相声 xiàngsheng crosstalk club, Deyunshe, which recently sold out their 2,500+ ticket New Year show within seconds of releasing them online. Now, those tickets have skyrocketed and are going for double or even triple their original price in second-hand markets. Established it in 1995 by Guo Degang, spent about a decade finding its footing, however, in 2005 Deyunshe began to thrive, eventually growing to become the largest xiangsheng club in China. It now has 400 performers and staff, six theaters in Beijing (including their headquarters at Tianqiao), three branches in other Chinese cities, and even one in Melbourne, Australia. Believe it or not, xiangsheng is a traditional performance style with a long history, and is affectionately referred to as "grandpa's favorite", and yet today it's just as well-received by young Chinese folks as ever. If you have any interest in catching a show – and your Mandarin is up to snuff – you can try your luck on the ticketing site damai.cn. Deyunshe has a theater that's centrally located at Sanlitun SOHO, where they host daily performances with tickets ranging from RMB 60 to RMB 500. However, during holidays and special occasions (see NYE show news above) there’s always fierce competition. As such, might we suggest you quit the battle, keep calm, and enjoy one of their shows online from the comfort of your home.

Chinese actor Zhu Yilong shows up at Sanlitun

Zhu Yilong is definitely one of the most popular Chinese actors nowadays. On China's Twitter-like social media platform Weibo, his posts easily garner over 10,000 within moments of being published and go on to accumulate well over a million. No big a deal. Likewise, fans can also send digital flowers to their idols via Weibo to earn the celebrity higher "scores." And guess who's always ranking top of the list? Bingo, it's him. Well, recently this 32-year-old actor showed up in Sanlitun to shoot a commercial. Perhaps more surprising though is that, given the activity was not made public (for obvious rabid idol-loving mob reasons), fans who were shopping or eating in the area had no idea that their favorite idol was right next door. To be sure, a few lucky individuals caught a quick glimpse of the heartthrob. For the rest of us, however, we'll just continue to ogle his KFC poster.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress arouses heated discussion online

For the past two decades, Zhang Ziyi has been well known among Western audiences for her starring role in the Oscar-winning film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Now, 20 years later, the 41-year-old mother of two is more active in TV than film and has gained quite the reputation for her caustic manner of speech. Now, in her role as a judge on the acting competition and reality show, 我就是演员 wǒ jiùshì yǎnyuán I Am The Actor, she's decided to go full Simon Cowell. Case in point, in the latest episode, she tore down an aspiring actor when she said, "There is no point in working hard without talent... Nobody forced you to act! Why did you accept these bad offers and unsuitable roles? To make a living?" The less than constructive criticism sparked a heated debate online. Said one commenter, "It's easy for you to say because you're lucky!" Others, however, sided with Zhang, conceding that she merely represents the cruelty of show business.

READ: Why is "Beijing" Now Shown in Red in the Travel Pass App?

Images: Weibo, Hikaru No Go, I Am The Actor