Hot issues
'Uncle Flatbread' latest internet sensation
Updated: 2011-07-07 21:00
By Yan Weijue (chinadaily.com.cn)
Litahong works in his booth in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, July 7, 2011. [Photo/CFP] |
A photo of a good-looking flatbread maker has created a frenzy on China's twitter-like Weibo service, catapulting the figure - a 22-year-old Xinjiang native - to overnight fame.
Curly haired, whiskered and with a brooding air, Litahong (or "Uncle Flatbread" as microbloggers have been calling him) has been compared to renowned Asian movie stars like Donnie Yen and Takeshi Kaneshiro.
Litahong currently makes a living operating a flatbread booth in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province. Life is tough as he only sleeps for three hours a day inside the booth and earns a monthly salary of around 5,000 yuan, of which 2,000 yuan has to be paid in rent.
He is reported to have decided to return to his hometown - Yengisar county in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region - to get married in August, when his brother will take over the business.
The case of a John Doe coming under the spotlight occurs on an irregular basis in China, as netizens develop an interest in hyping up the ordinary. Still in Ningbo in March 2010, a homeless man wandering in street was suddenly noticed and quickly discussed in the cyber world for his "sharp sense of dressing", despite having collected all his clothes from garbage cans.
E-paper
Shining through
Chinese fireworks overcome cloudy times, pin hopes on burgeoning domestic demand
Pen mightier than the sword
Stroke of luck
Romance by the sea
Specials
90th anniversary of the CPC
The Party has been leading the country and people to prosperity.
My China story
Foreign readers are invited to share your China stories.
Green makeover
Cleanup of Xi'an wasteland pays off for ancient city