Beijing Pops: Celebrities’ Health App Data Leaked Online, Acclaimed Director Admits Plagiarism

Yiran Huang | Jan 7, 2021 8:30 am | Add a comment | 2233 reads

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.

Paparrazi in the Time of COVID?

Last week, a long list of Beijing celebrities found their personal data from the now ubiquitous Beijing Health Kit (健康宝) had been leaked and was being sold online. Photos, ID numbers, and even the nucleic acid test results of hundreds of Chinese stars were being sold for RMB 1 each – and in some cases, a package of 70 celebs’ info for RMB 2. The list contains the photos and data of such entertainment bigwigs as actress Yang Mi, crosstalk godfather Guo Degang, and pop star Lu Han. A spokesperson from the company that developed the mini-app said they are following up on the issue and will keep the public informed of updates. While it's not clear how long the harvesting of celebrity data has been going on, we know that black-market bio-traders have been selling the info of common folks since at least July of last year. Which is to say... Stars, they're just like us!

TFBoy Yiyang Qianxi Has the First Hit Movie of 2021

Member of popular boy band TFBoys Yiyang Qianxi 易烊千玺 – a student of Beijing’s Central Academy of Drama – stars in what can be considered to be the first hit movie of 2021, A Little Red Flower, which opened on Dec 31 and has already earned RMB 800 million at the box office. The 20-year-old is no stranger to film having demonstrated his remarkable talent in 2019’s award-winning Better Days, which also earned him a number of accolades. Despite this, however, his reputation as an actor still hasn’t eclipsed the fame he’s achieved via the TFBoys, which remains the most influential boy band in China. In fact, an August concert broadcast online in celebration of the band’s seventh birthday broke the Guinness World Record for the most viewed paid concert ever – over 786,000 fans tuned in at the same time.

Acclaimed Director/Screenwriter Admits to Plagiarism

Guo Jingming, a 37-year-old writer and director who’s known for directing the hit series Tiny Times – which many consider to be the Chinese equivalent of Sex and the City – apologized for plagiarizing portions of a book he published 15 years ago. Last month, 156 scriptwriters, directors, and producers jointly signed a letter of intent to boycott Guo's work after he was invited to be the judge of an acting competition show. Under pressure from the public, Guo posted an article on Weibo on Dec 31, admitting to and apologizing for the plagiarised work. He publicly offered compensation to the victim, writer Zhuang Yu, but Zhuang refused and counter-proposed the establishment of an anti-plagiarism fund together with Guo. On Dec 16 Guo’s new film, The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity, premiered in Beijing, however, in light of the scandal, the film was subsequently pulled from most cinemas.

The Hit List: 2020’s Most Popular Actors and Actresses

Professional entertainment marketing and consulting company Vlinkage released its annual list of the most popular actors and actresses in China for 2020. Vlinkage is one of the most comprehensive media monitoring companies and uses a combination of factors such as views and social media mentions to evaluate the popularity of celebrities. Topping the list this year is Wuhan-born actor Zhu Yilong, the star of the online series Reunion: The Sound of the Providence. The drama gained 2.86 billion views last summer and Zhu was lauded for his remarkable acting. Being the most valuable star, he's also the darling of brands. His commercial endorsements range from Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford to KFC, Coca Cola and Nestle.

Here is the full Top 10:
1. Zhu Yilong, actor, born in Wuhan, star of Reunion: The Sound of the Providence
2. Xiao Zhan, actor, born in Chongqing, star of The Untamed
3. Wang Yibo, actor, born in Henan, star of The Untamed
4. Dilraba, actress, born in Xinjiang, star of Love Designer
5. Ren Jialun, actor, born in Shandong, star of Under the Power
6. Yiyang Qianxi, actor, born in Hunan, star of Better Days
7. Tan Songyun, actress, born in Sichuan, star of Under the Power
8. Yang Zi, actress, born in Beijing, star of The Oath of Love
9. Zhao Liying, actress, born in Hebei, star of Legend of Fei
10. Li Qin, actress, born in Jiangsu, star of Joy of Life