Chinese Internet Idol of the Day: Yaofei Niangniang

So what does this hullabaloo over Chinese Internet idols really mean, you ask? Why waste so much airtime over them? Shanghaiist thinks the fact that these guys actually become celebrities through the new media -- no matter how pathetic you think they are or how detested they might be among the general public -- goes to show that a critical mass of the Chinese population has actually arrived in the Internet generation.

While it took previous Internet idols such as Muzimei and Furong Jiejie a much longer time to make that precious leap from the computer screen to the TV screen, the latest Chinese Internet idols are taking a much shorter time for the gestation period it seems. Just two nights ago, while Shanghaiist was sweating it out on the friggin' treadmill at our friendly neighbourhood gym, our next Chinese Internet idol appeared on the TV screen, on SMG's News & Entertainment channel no less, prancing around in just his underwear! The vision induced a split-second hallucination on Shanghaiist, who then lost his balance most unglamorously on the treadmill, but fortunately, nobody saw.

Our new-born star goes by the online nick Yaofei Niangniang (妖妃娘娘, or Lady Flamboyant) and shot to fame, or rather infamy, by posting self-satisfied pictures of himself in his birthday suit. This picture featured here has him pretty well covered up, but you get the idea. For the uninitiated, "yao" means "flamboyant/drag" while "fei" means "concubine", so there you have it -- what a fabulous way to brand yourself when you're a guy, don't you think!

Her Royal Highness trails behind yesterday's droolsome hunk on Baidu with a paltry 158,000 search results, but what he lacks in brawn, he more than makes up for in brain. Evidence of his shameless self promoting excellent marketing skills comes in the form of the following blog entry, which he posted sensing this might be his big break (translation by Shanghaiist):

INTERNET CELEBRITY SEEKS AGENT: 010-83459969
I am Internet celeb Yaofei, and I've got talent!
Great dancing skills: Seductive dance, vigorous dance, classical dance, Korean dance, improvisational dance and French folk dance
Great singing skills: The classics and the pops, normal singing style
In addition, I can write excellently.
Give me a platform, and I will show you the miracle that takes place from virtuality to reality. I want to be on stage, and you will see that I am more than just an "Internet celeb". You will see a talented individual rise from an Internet celeb to a real-life star. I will not disappoint you.

That Beijing phone number up there, by the way, is the number he posted on his entry. Check for yourselves! Perhaps some enterprising talent agent among Shanghaiist's readership might like to give him a tinkle?

In an interview two weeks ago, the self-deluded upcoming star revealed that he had no girlfriends:

Some girls have come after me, but I don't feel anything for them. Some guys have also expressed their interest in me after seeing my pictures. One of them has even divorced his wife for me.

The sleuths at Shanghaiist decided to dive deeper into our Lady's blog, and mamma mia, we found him unabashedly proclaiming to be China's male version of Marilyn Monroe, and divulging that his parents dislike him and that it was his grandfather who sponsored his university education at this very prestigious (and undisclosed) university. He also seems to have gotten bolder and bolder with time. Yesterday's post was a blow-by-blow seduction account that ended with him performing oral sex on an internet date. Shanghaiist wonders what the next frontier is.

If we're not too busy tomorrow preparing to spook you out, we will dish out our next Chinese Internet Idol here, so watch this space!