Little Fatty (小胖 Xiǎo Pàng) is an
internet meme
An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...
involving superimposing the face of a boy on various photographs. Because of the internet meme and the resulting sudden fame, the boy,
Qian Zhijun, decided to become a public figure, and he became a major celebrity and an actor in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. The "Little Fatty" meme is an example of earlier ''
e gao'' works, which mainly consisted of images edited in
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc., Adobe for Microsoft Windows, Windows and macOS. It was created in 1987 by Thomas Knoll, Thomas and John Knoll. It is the most used tool for professional digital ...
.
History
In 2003 an unknown individual took a photograph of
Qian Zhijun, a student from
Jinshan District
Jinshan District, is a suburban district of southwestern Shanghai, neighboring Zhejiang province and Hangzhou Bay. It has a land area of and a population of 732,500 as of the 2010 Chinese census. Jinshan District, located in the southwest of ...
,
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
,
[The new cultural revolution: How Little Fatty made it big]
" ''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
''. Thursday November 16, 2006. Retrieved on May 18, 2011. while Qian attended a traffic safety event arranged by his school.
[The Last Laugh on the Fat Joke Heard 'Round the World]
" ''Fox News
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
''. Tuesday November 21, 2006. Retrieved on May 10, 2011.['Xiao Pang' tells growing pains]
" ''Shanghai Daily
''Shanghai Daily'' () is an English-language newspaper founded in 1999 and owned by the Shanghai United Media Group, a state media company under the control of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. It was the first dail ...
'' at Sina
Sina may refer to:
Relating to China
* Chin (China), or Sina (), old Chinese form of the Sanskrit name Cina ()
** Shina (word), or Sina (), archaic Japanese word for China
** Sinae, Latin name for China
Places
* Sina, Albania, or Sinë, a vi ...
English. September 29, 2006. Retrieved on January 25, 2012. Qian had volunteered to be a part of the "traffic safety day" along with his classmates.
[Macartney, Jane.]
Face of 'Little Fatty' finds fame among China's web users
" ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
''. November 21, 2006. Retrieved on May 16, 2011. Qian weighed over ,
[Cheung, Anne S.Y. "A Study of Cyber-violence and Internet Service Providers' Liability: Lessons from China," 335.] Qian was described by various writers as being "fat with a pudgy face"
and having "an expression on his face like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar."
Starting in 2003, his face was
superimposed onto various other images.
The images that Qian's face was superimposed on included film posters, photographs of celebrities, and classic works of art. His face, described by Jane MacArtney of ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' as a "slightly suspicious sidelong glance and cherubic cheeks", had been placed on people and characters like the
Mona Lisa
The ''Mona Lisa'' is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, ...
,
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...
,
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
,
Austin Powers
''Austin Powers'' is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of '' International Man of Mystery'' (1997), ' ...
,
and
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...
.
Qian's face also replaced the faces of
Jake Gyllenhaal on a ''
Brokeback Mountain
''Brokeback Mountain'' is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from Brokeback Mountain (short story), the 1997 short story by Annie Proulx, the screenplay ...
'' poster and
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
on a ''
The Da Vinci Code
''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is “the best-selling American novel of all time.”
Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon—the first was his 2000 novel '' Angels & Demons''� ...
'' poster, and his face had also replaced one of the faces on an image of
Mount Rushmore
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a National Memorial (United States), national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (, or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dak ...
in the United States.
In one photograph Qian's face appeared on a man next to
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
. In another Qian's face replaced that of
Jack Sparrow of ''
Pirates of the Caribbean''.
A Chinese newspaper said that Qian's face was "the face that launched 1,000 clicks".
Macartney said "No sooner has a movie poster appeared than Little Fatty's features appear, replacing the face of the star."
Because of the fame, Qian's images had hit rates in the tens of millions. Qian became so famous that non-Chinese journalism outlets, such as
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency ...
and ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', a British newspaper, covered his story.
[Cheung "Rethinking Public Privacy In The Internet Era: A Study Of Virtual Persecution," 196.] A
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
computer professional quoted in the ''
China Daily
''China Daily'' ( zh, s=中国日报, p=Zhōngguó Rìbào) is an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party.
Overview
''China Daily'' has the widest print circulation of any ...
'' said that creating versions of "Little Fatty" was used as a form of competition for many people who were talented in using computers.
[Wu, Jiao.]
E'gao: Art criticism or evil?
''China Daily
''China Daily'' ( zh, s=中国日报, p=Zhōngguó Rìbào) is an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party.
Overview
''China Daily'' has the widest print circulation of any ...
''. January 22, 2007. Retrieved on January 25, 2012.
Stephen Bull, author of ''Photography: Volume 2 of
Routledge
Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...
Introductions to Media and Communications'', said that "The popularity of the original image is as much down to Zhijun's connection with the viewer—via his apparently knowing look to camera—as it is his large body size."
[Bull, p]
183
184. In regards to how public opinion could have dealt with a case like Qian's, in 2009 Anne Shann Yue Cheung (), author of "Rethinking Public Privacy in the Internet Era: A Study of Virtual Persecution by the Internet Crowd," said "Little Fatty may easily win our sympathy if he brings any claims of privacy violations. After all, the harassment he was forced to put up with constituted bullying of the most insidious kind."
Cheung argued that the original intent of the meme was "
notorious example of targeting for the sake of malicious entertainment and amusement".
[Cheung "Rethinking Public Privacy In The Internet Era: A Study Of Virtual Persecution," 195.]
Qian's discovery and response
An article in ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' said that a chemistry teacher "first tipped him off that he was rapidly becoming an online superstar".
Some girls at a concert asked Qian to have a photograph taken with them. Qian declined and said that the incident was one of his worst moments.
According to Qian, when the meme first appeared, Qian's teachers and classmates had avoided mentioning the phenomenon in order to not hurt his feelings. When he appeared for an interview with the ''
Shanghai Daily
''Shanghai Daily'' () is an English-language newspaper founded in 1999 and owned by the Shanghai United Media Group, a state media company under the control of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. It was the first dail ...
'', the newspaper did not disclose his real name in order to protect his privacy. Originally many internet users mistakenly believed that Qian was from
Nanning
Nanning; is the capital of the Guangxi, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in South China, southern China. It is known as the "Green City (绿城) " because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of Guangxi, Nanning ...
,
Guangxi
Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
.
Originally Qian felt embarrassed by the internet phenomenon, but he said that "I have tried to turn sorrow into strength. At least this makes people smile and I have had quite a positive response from many surfers."
Qian said that he did not mind the photoshops when they were "well-meant".
He said that he liked it when his face is superimposed on bodies of heroes, such as the character played by
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor and film director. Russell Crowe filmography, His work on screen has earned him List of awards and nominations received by Russell Crowe, various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Gold ...
in ''
Gladiator
A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...
''. He said that he does not like it when his face is imposed next to the shoulder of a naked woman or when "touchup job is terrible".
['Little fatty' likes his newfound fame]
" '' IOL''. November 15, 2006. Retrieved on May 10, 2011. He also did not like it when his face was imposed on bodies of
porn stars,
and he did not like it when his face was imposed on the
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),*
*
*
was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
.
In an interview Qian said that his idol was the Canadian actor
Jim Carrey
James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...
. Hours after the interview was published, images of Qian's face photoshopped on posters of films starring Carrey, like ''
Bruce Almighty'' and ''
Dumb and Dumber
''Dumb and Dumber'' is a 1994 American buddy comedy film directed by Peter Farrelly, who cowrote the screenplay with Bobby Farrelly and Bennett Yellin. It is the first installment in the ''Dumb and Dumber'' franchise. Starring Jim Carrey and ...
'', appeared; the tag line in the altered photograph was changed to "Fat and Fatter."
Qian's mother told Qian that he needed to file a lawsuit, but the family did not figure out who they could sue. Qian decided to take actions to profit from his newfound fame. He contacted Gao Feng, an operator of xiaopang.cn, a website for obese people. Gao confirmed that the e-mail came from Qian, and Gao became Qian's agent and began promoting Qian on his website.
Xiaopang.cn became a tribute site to "Little Fatty", and Qian became a member of the site.
Because of the "Little Fatty" fame, Qian gained impersonators. Ultimately Qian became an actor and entertainer, hosting a cooking show for
China Food TV and starring in ''
The University Days of a Dog''.
Stephen Bull, author of ''Photography: Volume 2 of
Routledge
Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...
Introductions to Media and Communications'', said, in regards to Qian's decision to seek a career in the entertainment industry, that his scenario "is a kind of transient fame: a form of celebrity gained quickly through the infinite mobility of the digitally reproduced image, yet often lost quickly too."
[Bull, p]
184
Retrieved from Google Books
Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical charac ...
on January 23, 2012. , . Hal Niedzviecki, author of ''The Peep Diaries: How We're Learning to Love Watching Ourselves and Our Neighbors'', said "Like the
Numa Numa guy who initially reported depression and not wanting to leave the house before eventually seeming to accept his new position as an accidental global entertainer, there's a sense that, well, the
cat is out of the bag so what choice is there but to grin and bear it? Both end up launching official Web sites that predictably fail to capture the spontaneous, feverish energy of what was interesting about them in the first place."
Significance in Chinese culture
Cara Wallis, author of "New Media Practices in China: Youth Patterns, Processes, and Politic", said that "Explanations for why Little Fatty's face generated such a craze abound, but perhaps most interesting is how the phenomenon demonstrates a newfound means of creative expression and satire in China, with pop culture themes that cross global and cultural boundaries." Clifford Coonan of ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' said "So what does
Qian's story tell us about
modern China
The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...
? Well, it reflects two of the most remarkable themes. It shows how growing affluence has translated into a serious increase in the number of obese people. And it demonstrates how the internet is providing a platform for creative expression that the traditional, strictly controlled media can't even begin to match."
Jane Macartney of ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' said "
ian'sis a tale of how China's obsession with the Internet reflects the need of people to communicate openly and freely in a country with few other means for self-expression."
Significance about online behavior
Johan Lagerkvist, author of ''After the Internet, Before Democracy: Competing Norms in Chinese Media and Society'', stated that the Little Fatty meme is "an illuminating example of how netizens can turn a person, without bothering about his consent, into the most clicked person online overnight". In regards to the
human flesh search engine Lagerkvist explained that the Little Fatty meme demonstrates that the human flesh search engine "can also be directed against society's
subaltern and the powerless" and that "
is raises important issues of the legitimate right to privacy, defamation, and slander."
[Lagerkvist, p]
6061
References
* Bull, Stephen. ''Photography: Volume 2 of
Routledge
Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...
Introductions to Media and Communications''.
Taylor & Francis
Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in the United Kingdom that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, CRC Press, Routledge, F1000 (publisher), F1000 Research and Dovepress. It i ...
, April 2, 2009. , .
* Cheung, Anne Shann Yue ()
A Study of Cyber-violence and Internet Service Providers' Liability: Lessons from China"
Archive ''
Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal''. 18.2 (April 2009): 323–346. Available from
Gale Cengage Learning LegalTrac InfoTrac, document number GALE, A202253105.
* Cheung, Anne Shann Yue. "Rethinking Public Privacy In The Internet Era: A Study Of Virtual Persecution." ''
Journal of Media Law''. 1.2 (2009): 191–217. Available on
Academic Search Complete.
* Lagerkvist, Johan. ''After the Internet, Before Democracy: Competing Norms in Chinese Media and Society''.
Peter Lang, October 27, 2010. , 9783034304351.
* Meng, Bingchun ().
From Steamed Bun to Grass Mud Horse: E Gao as alternative political discourse on the Chinese Internet" ''
Global Media and Communication''. April 2011. Vol. 7. No. 1. Pages 33–51. DOI 10.1177/1742766510397938.
* Niedzviecki, Hal. ''The Peep Diaries: How We're Learning to Love Watching Ourselves and Our Neighbors''.
City Lights Books, May 11, 2009. ,
* Wallis, Cara.
New Media Practices in China: Youth Patterns, Processes, and Politics" ''
International Journal of Communication
The ''International Journal of Communication'' is an open access peer-reviewed academic journal covering studies on communication. The founding editor-in-chief was Larry Gross (USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism) and it is publi ...
'' 5 (2011), 406–436.
* Yuann, James K. and Jason Inch (foreword by Howard Balloch). ''Supertrends Of Future China: Billion Dollar Business Opportunities for China's Olympic Decade''.
World Scientific
World Scientific Publishing is an academic publisher of scientific, technical, and medical books and journals headquartered in Singapore. The company was founded in 1981. It publishes about 600 books annually, with more than 170 journals in var ...
, July 31, 2008. , 9789812814395.
Notes
External links
Xiaopang.cn a tribute site {{in lang, zh (Archive)
*
" ''
China Daily
''China Daily'' ( zh, s=中国日报, p=Zhōngguó Rìbào) is an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party.
Overview
''China Daily'' has the widest print circulation of any ...
''. November 15, 2006.
Internet memes introduced in 2003
Internet humor
Internet memes introduced from China