A chubby-faced Shanghai gas station intern known as "Little Fatty" has reached the heights of Internet fame in China thanks to cheeky Photoshop artists who are turning the 100kg youth into a pop icon.
It all started three years ago when Qian Zhijun, then 16, was attending a traffic safety class and someone snapped a picture of his rotund, rosy-cheeked face.
His suspicious-looking sideways look at the camera soon made its way on to the Internet. That picture of "Xiao Pang" (Little Fatty), as he was soon named, has since been morphed onto other iconic visages including the Mona Lisa, Marilyn Monroe and other well-known celebrities. It has also spawned Web sites, blogs and numerous fan clubs.
PHOTO: AFP
"I like it when they put me on the body of heroes, such as Russell Crowe in Gladiator," Qian said. "But I hate it when they place me on the shoulder of naked women or when the touchup job is terrible," he said.
Qian, who now attends vocational school and works part-time at a gas station, discovered his fame when he walked into a cybercafe and came face to face with himself.
He is yet to make any money off his celebrity and initially considered suing somebody, but now welcomes the attention and even set up his own personal blog where his fans, many of them also overweight, write in.
"I really like the way you are," one blogger called "Constantine" gushed in Chinese on Qian's blog. "Very ordinary but very hopeful and with a fat person's cleverness."
Qian now fancies a career in entertainment. "It would be nice to work as an entertainer, even though it'll mean I'll have to give up some of the pleasure of being a regular guy," he said. (AFP)
臉頰肥嘟嘟、被稱為「小胖」的一位上海加油站實習生在中國網路上發紅發紫,全都要多虧Photoshop玩家讓這位一百公斤的年輕人變成流行象徵。
一切都要追溯到三年前十六歲的錢志君參加交通安全講習課程時,有人拍了張他圓嘟嘟的紅臉頰照片。
他斜眼望著相機的疑心模樣隨即在網路上流傳。他很快就被叫做「小胖」,照片從此被移花接木加入其他象徵性的臉孔,包括蒙娜麗莎、瑪麗蓮夢露與其他眾所皆知的名人。他的照片也衍生出網站、部落格與眾多粉絲俱樂部。
「我喜歡他們把我放在如《神鬼傳奇》的羅素克洛等英雄的身體上,」錢志君說︰「不過我討厭他們把我放在裸女臉上,或是影像處理很糟的時候。」
目前為職校學生、並在加油站打工的錢志君在一家網咖看到自己的臉時,才發現自己紅透半邊天。
他的知名度還沒幫他賺到錢,他起先也考慮興訟,不過他現在樂見這樣的名氣,甚至還成立了自己的個人部落格,讓粉絲可以留言。他的很多粉絲也是過重者。
「我真的很喜歡你的風格,」一位署名「康斯坦汀」的部落客用中文熱情寫道︰「非常平凡但充滿前途,有著胖子的聰明。」
錢志君現在想朝影藝事業發展。他說︰「當個藝人應該不錯,雖然這也代表我必須放棄當個普通人的一些樂趣。」 (法新社/翻譯:賴美君)
A: Yet another shopping mall has just opened in Taipei. B: Do you mean the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang? A: Yeah, the shopping mall run by Japanese Mitsui & Co. opened last week. B: I hear the mall features about 300 stores, Vieshow Cinemas and Japanese Lopia supermarket. A: With the opening, a war is breaking out between Taipei’s department stores. A: 台北又有新的購物商場可逛啦。 B: 你是說Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport 南港? A: 對啊這家日本三井集團旗下的商場上週開幕。 B: 聽說商場有威秀影城、樂比亞日系超市,還有多達300家專櫃。 A: 新商場一開幕,看來又要掀起一場百貨大戰啦! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
A: Hey, didn’t you go to the opening of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang last week? B: Yeah, there are about 300 shops, including the first overseas branch of Japan’s Mahou Dokoro — a famous Harry Potter-themed store. A: Wow, I’ve always wanted to get a magic wand. B: There are also a bunch of great restaurants, such as Smart Fish hotpot restaurant. A: I wish I had Harry Potter’s “apparition” and “disapparition” magic, so I could teleport to the mall right now. A: 你上週不是有去LaLaport南港的盛大開幕嗎?有什麼特別的? B: 那裡有多達300家專櫃,包括魔法之地的海外首店——它可是日本知名的《哈利波特》專賣店。 A: 哇我一直想買根魔杖。 B: 另外還有各式各樣的美食,像是林聰明沙鍋魚頭。 A: 真希望我也有哈利波特的「現影術/消影術」魔法,能瞬間移動到商場去! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
When it comes to movies, some people delight in watching spine-chilling horror films. Surprisingly, apart from containing a few scares, horror movies may also offer an unexpected __1__. According to a study, watching 90 minutes of a scary movie can burn an average of 113 calories, which is roughly __2__ to taking a 30-minute walk. Researchers from the University of Westminster carried out an experiment in which they __3__ participants’ oxygen intake, carbon dioxide output, and heart rates while they were watching horror movies without any distractions. The results revealed that physiological responses to fear play a crucial role
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看,這句話英語該怎麼說? 1. 你覺得這部電影怎樣? ˇ What do you think of the movie? χ How do you like the movie? χ How do you think of the movie? 註︰What do you think of = What is your opinion of。 think 的受詞是 what,不能用 how。 2. 你認為哪一個歌星唱得最好? ˇ Which singer do you think is the best? χ Do you think which singer is the best? 註︰英語中 which singer 似乎是 do you think 的受詞,實則 do you think 是插入語,其他例子如下: 你以為他喜歡誰? Who do you think he likes? 你以為我住在哪裏? Where do you think I live? 你想我昨天在公園裏碰到了誰? Whom/Who do you think I met in the park yesterday? 3. 他不論到什麼地方,總是帶著一把雨傘。 ˇ No matter where he goes, he