The 11-year-old giant panda Meng Meng's twin panda cubs are now more than one month old, and have been developing well, gaining weight daily. They are set to make their public debut at Zoo Berlin in Germany on October 16, according to an email sent to the Global Times by Zoo Berlin.

Meng Meng gave birth to twins on August 22 at Zoo Berlin. Since their birth, the twin cubs and their mother have been cared for in the rear area of the Panda Garden at the zoo and have not been visible to zoo visitors, according to Zoo Berlin.

From October 16, visitors will be able to watch the twin panda cubs as they grow, according to the zoo. The twin panda cubs will be in the Panda Garden every day from October 16 for about an hour between 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm. This will not change the cubs' daily routine, said the zoo.

In the weeks since the twin panda cubs' birth, they have been developing splendidly, gaining weight daily. Having recently transitioned from the incubator to their own "panda bed," the cubs are now prepared for the next stage, and zoo visitors can take a first look at them, according to the zoo.
The two cubs continue to take turns with their mother Meng Meng and drink exclusively from her. The zoo also said that the cubs are beginning to resemble "real" giant pandas as they have developed the typical black and white coloring. They have increased their birth weight more than tenfold.

Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, a male giant panda, arrived in Germany in 2017 from China. In August 2019, Meng Meng gave birth to the twin cubs, Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan, in Germany. In December 2023, the twins were returned to China, according to Xinhua News Agency.

On September 23, 2024, the Chinese national brand "YAYA Down Jacket" made its second appearance at Milan Fashion Week, unveiling the 2024 Black Label Goose collection. This collection features top-grade Siberian goose down, winning the attention of the global fashion industry with its fineness, fluffiness, and exceptional warmth. 

Since its inception in 1972, YAYA has continuously explored high-quality down resources worldwide. In 2023, it established cooperation with Iceland for eiderdown. The introduction of the top-grade goose down during this Milan trip not only demonstrates an international perspective but also provides valuable insights for the globalization of Chinese brands. 

The YAYA Black Label Goose embodies the transformation of Chinese brands from "Made in China" to "Created in China," marking YAYA Down Jacket's advancement into the high-end segment of the global value chain and a unique exhibition of oriental charm.

Chinese scientists have developed ancient DNA technology to systematically study the microbial genomes of the "oldest cheese," which was discovered from the Bronze Age at the Xiaohe cemetery in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. This research reveals two routes for the diffusion of cheese fermentation techniques in the prehistoric Tarim Basin, shedding light on the lifestyle and cultural exchanges of ancient populations in the region, according to China News Service.

Fu Qiaomei, a researcher from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led the research, which was published as a highly recommended paper in the journal Cell on Wednesday.

The research team designed probes for the complete genome of Lactobacillus, raising the DNA concentration of lactic acid bacteria in the kefir cheese samples from around 0.43 percent to 0.55 percent, to 64 percent to 80 percent, making it the first successful case of ancient whole-genome research.

The cheese samples, identified as kefir through earlier ancient protein studies, date back approximately 3,500 years. They were made using kefir grains, which ferment milk into a distinctive yogurt. 

By reconstructing the microbial communities involved in the fermentation process, researchers confirmed that the kefir cheese was produced by using lactic acid bacteria, with evidence suggesting that the goats used for milk production originated from a lineage that spread across Eurasia after the Neolithic period. This suggests a probable connection between ancient populations in the Tarim Basin and groups in the Eurasian steppe during that time.

The study also identified a previously unknown route for the dissemination of kefir bacteria. It found the lactic acid bacteria used for fermentation split into two main branches: One associated with strains from Europe and coastal regions of Asia, and the other linked to strains found in inland East Asia, including Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. This indicates that kefir production techniques likely spread from Xinjiang to other parts of East Asia through cultural exchanges.

Researchers believe this differentiation in kefir bacteria strains reflects how ancient populations adapted and shared fermentation practices. By comparing ancient and modern kefir bacteria genomes, the team explored the evolution of these microbes over thousands of years, revealing significant adaptations to environmental pressures and interactions with humans.

This research underscores the long-standing relationship between humans and microorganisms, highlighting the critical role of fermented foods in our dietary history. It provides new insights into how ancient peoples applied and adapted fermentation techniques, contributing to our understanding of cultural exchanges and human development over time.

The commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command attended a defense chiefs conference in Hawaii last week, meeting with representatives from the US and the Philippines, among other countries. 

Experts said on Monday that the move is conducive to reducing risks of a conflict with the US or the Philippines amid tensions in the South China Sea.

At the invitation from the US, Wu Ya'nan, commander of the PLA Southern Theater Command, led a delegation to attend the Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defense Conference in Hawaii from September 18 to 20, where he engaged in bilateral meetings and interactions with representatives from Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, the UK, France and the US, the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a press release on Monday.

During his meeting with Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Wu exchanged candid and in-depth views on implementing consensus reached by the two heads of state and on issues of mutual concern, according to the press release.

It marked the second exchange between Wu and Paparo this month, and the first face-to-face meeting. On September 10, they had a video teleconference in which they exchanged views on issues of mutual concern.

The face-to-face meeting by senior officers in charge of two major Chinese and US theaters is conducive to reducing misunderstandings and misjudgments of the frontline forces at sea and in the air in the South China Sea as well as risks of maritime and aerial accidents, Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Monday.

It will also help the healthy and stable development of China-US military ties, Zhang said.

The meeting between Chinese and Philippine military officers showed that the two sides are willing to maintain communication channels, which can also prevent misunderstandings and misjudgments amid the ongoing tensions between the two countries in the South China Sea, Zhang said.

Another Chinese military expert, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times that a senior Chinese officer's attendance in a conference organized by the US showed China's sincerity in managing and controlling differences through talks, and the US' invitation showed that the US does not want to have unintended military frictions with China either.

While there remains issues and differences to be worked out, having talks is better than not having talks, the expert said.

Grammy Award-winning rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, performed a sold-out show in Haikou, South ­China's Hainan Province, on Sunday. Just one day later, an encore performance set for September 21 was announced by the Bureau of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports of Haikou City, extending the festivities. 

Prior to the show, Ye met with fans in Haikou restaurants. Before the show, he also shared on social media a childhood photo of himself in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, with the caption: "BACK."

A 24-year-old Singaporean fan named Alex told the Global Times that he was surprised by "how good the overall effects of the show" were since he knew that the show had almost been canceled due to Typhoon Yagi.

He noted that the young "globally connected and open-minded" Chinese fans that he met made him want to visit China again and make some friends.

On the stage, Ye interacted with Chinese fans saying "I Love Haikou." Ye once lived in China at the age of 10. His mother was an English professor and worked as a visiting scholar at the Nanjing University in 1987.

Besides Ye, pop icon Mariah Carey, called "Niujie" (Awesome Sister) in China, also finished her two-day show The Celebration of Mimi in Beijing on Monday.

Carey journeyed to the Great Wall during her visit - and featuring her own style, she did it while wearing heels. Dressed in a chic black dress, black shades, immaculate makeup, and a blow-dried ponytail, she shared a picture of the hike on her X page. 

"At the Great Wall of China!" she wrote. "Someone should've warned me about heels (not that I would've listened)."

Many netizens reported running into Ye in Haikou, while others spotted ­Carey, in high heels, during her climb up the Great Wall in Beijing.

Since the introduction of the 144-hour visa-free policy, the topic of "China Travel" has been trending. 

"The 144-hour visa-free policy has not only attracted international tourists to come over to China but also encouraged international icons to consider performing here," Bruce Xu, a researcher and student mentor in the field of international relations at a US university, told the Global Times.

Xu said that the booming tourism market and increasing global appeal have significantly attracted international performers to perform and travel in ­China at the same time.

"The growing interest in China as both a tourist and entertainment hub has created unique opportunities for global artists to connect with local audiences and explore the country's diverse attractions. For many artists and performers, this presents a chance to expand their reach and tap into one of the world's largest and most dynamic markets," he noted.

Kathryn, a Mariah Carey fan from Shanghai, told the Global Times that she saw many foreign tourists attending the show. 

"I saw four foreign fans just seated in a row in front of me, and many audiences members from different places went to visit Beijing while enjoy the show. I personally went to the Temple of Heaven with some of these fans," Kathryn told the Global Times.

"Music is like a vessel that carries many expressions and culture is one of them," says Azora Chin, a Malaysian singer, describing his musical journey in China. "Chinese culture is vast and profound, and I love every bit of it here," adds Caelan Moriarty, a Cuban-born artist, reflecting on his experiences in the country.

Both artists have built their careers in China, using music as a bridge to transcend cultural and linguistic barriers.

Recently, the Global Times interviewed the two foreign musicians to learn more about their journeys in China and how they have grown both personally and professionally through their art. For them, music serves as a universal language that nurtures cross-cultural connections, and China is a land to explore their musical dreams.

A land of dreams

For Chin, often mistaken for a Chinese national, the connection with China feels almost fated. A Malaysian national of Chinese descent, he grew up immersed in Chinese culture.

"My ancestral home is Fujian Province, and I have been influenced by Chinese culture since childhood. My parents insisted that I attend Chinese-language schools from elementary to high school," Chin told the Global Times.

Chin came to China after graduating from high school to study music at university. "The first time I landed in China, I felt at home," he recalled. "Hearing people speak Putonghua everywhere, I thought of the phrase 'cultural resonance.'"

While studying in Malaysia, he watched numerous Chinese TV shows, which he thought provided a platform for people passionate about music to showcase their talents, skills, and ideas. "I thought it was a fantastic environment," said Chin.

Drawn to the open and creative atmosphere of China's music scene, Chin made the leap to pursue his career in the country. He debuted as part of a music group in China in 2018; and after the group disbanded in 2019, he continued his career as a solo artist. For the last six years, he has been pursuing his musical dreams in China.

"China offers a platform where different forms of expression and musical styles collide. It's exactly what I've always wanted to do," he said.

Similarly, Moriarty, debuted in 2018 at the age of 18 as part of a boy group. His first visit to China was paid during a performance with the group. In 2021, he came to China to participate in the reality show CHUANG 2021, where his stage performances won the audience's affection, leading him to establish his career roots in China to pursue his musical dreams.

"It's China that gave me the opportunity to fulfill my dreams, have joyful experiences, and make lifelong friends," said Moriarty.

Speaking about his decision to come to China, Moriarty said, "I'm glad I took that brave step." The "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" his friends called allowed him to meet more fans and friends, and to experience the beauty of Chinese culture.

"China has so many places worth exploring, and I love every bit of it. Each city has its own unique style and charm." He speaks fondly of his love for the local cuisine, especially the spicy dishes of Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province, and expresses a desire to explore places like Chongqing and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

"If I have the chance, I want to explore China fully. I'd like to visit Chongqing and Xinjiang. I heard that Xinjiang is especially beautiful," said Moriarty.
Cultural messenger

BothChin and Moriarty are participants in the fourth season of the Chinese singing reality show Call Me by Fire. On the show, 34 participants from various countries compete in various performing art forms including singing, dancing, and rapping.

Having been influenced by Chinese culture from an early age, Chin views music as a powerful way to connect people.

"Although there are language barriers between us, when we work together to create a piece, we realize that language is not an obstacle. Good work transcends words," he said.

In Chin's view, culture can awaken people's senses, and music brings people closer together. "We can't remember all cultures in our lifetime, but music is like a vessel that can carry many expressions, and culture is one of them."

For Moriarty, growing up in a multicultural family gave him a natural appreciation for diversity.

Working with other members, each from different cultural background, he has learned to embrace differences as a source of inspiration. "Cultural differences open up new conversations," said Moriarty. "There's so much to share, and we could talk about culture for a long time."

Moriarty's immersion into Chinese culture has been transformative. Once unfamiliar with the country, he can now undertake interviews in fluent Putonghua. "I feel comfortable speaking this way, and I want to showcase my Putonghua."

He also enjoys embracing diverse traditional Chinese cultural practices, from writing Spring Festival couplets to celebrating Spring Festival with friends. "Chinese New Year has such a significant meaning in this culture. It's a time of pride and joy for every Chinese person, and I'm lucky to experience it as a foreigner."

Both artists have ambitious plans for the future. Chin is gearing up to release his second album and can't wait to reunite with fans on his next tour. Moriarty, too, is excited to continue his journey in China, "creating more unforgettable memories in this land of opportunity."

"I'll keep being myself," said Moriarty. "And I hope you will too."

As one of the official events of 2024 New York Fashion Week, a T-stage gala made its debut in Puyuan Town in East China's Zhejiang Province on Saturday. Known as the "hometown of knitted clothing" in China, Puyuan became a sensation when its sweater market turnover reached 130.4 billion yuan ($18.3 billion) in 2023.

The show was called the NYFW Shang Discovered: Global Design & Model Competition. A total of 18 emerging designers and 60 models debuted at the town's Puyuan Fashion Resort, a cultural touristic landmark known for its antique-looking architecture in Tongxiang, East China's Zhejiang Province.

The gala featured garments made from the local intangible cultural heritage known as "Pu silk." Ma Jianrong, the chairman of the event's organizing committee, told the Global Times that the gala not only exhibits the "indigenous yet inclusive Chinese aesthetics to the world," but also shows how Puyuan is using "fashion" as a strategy for its modern development.

"At this show, we want people to see how fashion has boosted the region's industrial growth as well as nurtured opportunities in sectors like cultural tourism," Ma emphasized.
Puyuan's sweater manufacturing tradition emerged during the 1970s with only a few hand-operated flat knitting machines and a few merchants. Now, the 60.5-square-kilometer town has more than 13,000 business units. Its all-round and modernized industrial chain makes it China's largest production base for knitted clothing.

Over 40 years of development, the local knitting industry, especially its cashmere and sweater sectors, has blossomed. Around 700 million sweaters made in Puyuan Town are sold annually worldwide. Such a record is still expecting new growth due to the nearby Jiaxing Nanhu Airport that is under construction.

"We have a powerful and well-established manufacturing base here, and now we are looking to transform it into 'Puyuan Fashion' through a pan-fashion strategy," Zhou Yan, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC ­Tongxiang committee and the Party secretary of Puyuan Town of the People's Government of Tongxiang, told the Global Times.
Taking the NYFW Shang Discovered show as an example, the pan-fashion strategy suggests "broadening the concept of fashion" and combining it with cultural creative industries, tourism, the fashion industry and also the younger generation's preferred sectors like esports.

The Puyuan Fashion Resort is where this pan-fashion blueprint is being fulfilled.

The resort, which carries South China's typical above-water gardening and architectural aesthetics, has brought in more than 1 million tourists since it was opened in 2023. It is now a Puyuan landmark that hosts fashion shows every year. It also has events dedicated to esports and the streaming industry planned for the latter half of the year.
Yao Jie, a representative who is in charge of the resort's management sector, told the Global Times that in the future a Coca-Cola experiential center is planned for the resort with the aim of attracting young visitors. Also, the resort is planning to dedicate a block to incorporate cultural and creative commercial units with original designs.

"Our target consumers are young people of course, but also people pursuing fashionable lifestyles regardless of their age," Yao remarked. She also emphasized that tourists make huge contributions to the local clothing retail market.
The approach of using the increasing number of tourists to promote itself while boosting sales is just one goal of its development plan for the next five years.

Giving his insight, Zhou told the Global Times that "Puyuan Fashion" will aim to go abroad by "bringing in overseas design brands while encouraging local brands to join international exhibitions."

"Our aim is to make the world know that any knitted product with a Puyuan tag is one of the top-notch products in the world," Zhou remarked.

"Bailu," or White Dew, the 15th of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar, falls on September 7 this year. 

Ancient Chinese usually described the seasons with the five elements. According to the Chinese calendar, Bailu takes place in autumn, which is golden. In the Chinese color system, a golden color is close to white, the color associated with the element of metal, so their conclusion was that this is the time of year when yin energy grows heavier, leading to white dew to condense on the ground, according to the Collective Interpretation of the Seventy-two Phenological Terms, compiled by Yuan Dynasty scholar Wu Cheng.

After Bailu, the temperature declines gradually and the moisture in the air often condenses into white dew on the grass and trees at night.

Ancient Chinese divided the Bailu period into three pentads. The first pentad starts when the swans and wild geese start to fly south. The second sees the southward migration of birds such as swallows to the south for the winter. The third pentad starts when birds begin to stock up on food for the winter.

During the Bailu period, the human body often experiences dryness, so it is best to consume nutritious and easily digestible food to stay fit. 

This is also the solar term for the harvest as it is the time when the northeast region in China begins to harvest millet, sorghum and soybeans. Farmers are also busy planting wheat. In northern China, the autumn harvest has begun, and preparations for sowing wheat are being carried out as early as possible. Meanwhile, Northwest China is starting to plant winter wheat and Southwest China is harvesting rice and millet. In Central China, farmers are harvesting rice and summer corn and collecting cotton. They also need to level the land in preparation for sowing wheat.

During this season, people start to enjoy White Dew Tea, which has survived the hot summer and is now at the best stage of its growth. Different from tea collected at any other time of the year, White Dew Tea has a sweet refreshing taste and aroma. If you take a closer look at the tea leaves, you might see that they look like they've just been touched by the morning dew. Usually, by the end of summer, the stock of fresh spring tea is running out, so White Dew Tea comes just in time to hit the market.

In addition to tea, this solar term also offers White Dew Wine. People in the south prepare a homemade sweet wine from cereals like polished glutinous rice and sorghum during this season.

In planting areas for hickory in Lin'an, in the western part of East China's Zhejiang Province, Bailu marks the start of harvest season for hickory nuts. Before harvest, farmers will put fine nets under each hickory tree. On this day, before dawn, people with bamboo poles and bamboo baskets on their backs head up into the mountains and forests filled with morning mist. By sunset, these people return with heavy baskets containing hickory nuts. Starting from Bailu, the harvest for hickory nuts can take about half a month. 

Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Chinese people have been enjoying crickets fighting as part of the autumn fun. The hobby got even more popular through the Ming and Qing dynasties. The fun could last until after the Chongyang Festival, or the ninth day of the ninth Chinese lunar month.

During the season of White Dew, Chinese have the folk custom of collecting clear dew. The dew collected in the morning during this season can be used to clean one's eyes and make tea and wine. Ancient Chinese believed that dew could be nourishing as it contained different characteristics from various plants. For instance, the dew from flowers could be good for skin care, dew from herbs could quench one's thirst and cypress leaf dew can brighten the eyes. 

The 2024 Beijing Culture Forum will kick off in the Chinese capital from September 19 to 21, according to its organizers. With a permanent theme of "Inheritance, Creativity, Mutual Learning," the forum has "Enhance Cultural Exchanges for Common Progress" as its theme for this year.

Over 800 participants, including 240 foreign guests from more than 70 countries and regions will attend a main forum, six sub-forums, and 32 professional seminars and relevant cultural activities during the three-day event.

The participants will hold in-depth discussions on topics including mutual learning between civilizations and common progress, spiritual life and industrial development, cultural heritage protection and inheritance, new cultural business forms, and technological integration.

The main forum takes the application of Beijing's Central Axis as a UNESCO World Heritage site as one of its important contents, and releases a special report on Beijing's experience during the application and protection of Beijing's Central Axis as a UNESCO World Heritage site and the relevant situation of further strengthening the protection of historical and cultural cities. 

Meanwhile, the Ten Major Events in the Construction of National Cultural Centers in 2023 will also be announced.

The 2024 Beijing Culture Forum is committed to creating a cultural festival, in which all people can participate through hosting a number of cultural events including book fairs, film screenings and theaters staging. 

As the performance of Team China at the Paris 2024 Olympics continues to grab headlines on Chinese social media, a debate is brewing in the country about the evolution of fan culture in the sporting field.

On August 4, several of China's social media platforms, such as Sina Weibo and Douyin announced that they were cracking down on over 800 accounts that had been spreading negativity and fomenting conflict during the table tennis events at the Olympics, removing more than 50,000 inappropriate fan posts.

This action was taken after an event on August 3, when Chinese paddler Chen Meng defeated her teammate Sun Yingsha 4-2, to win the table tennis women's singles gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with numerous fans showing favoritism toward Sun while booing Chen.

During the match, the stands at the South Paris Arena were filled with cheers for Sun, and there were even jeers when Chen scored points. On the internet, the battle of insults started at the commencement of the match, when some fans posted inflammatory comments attacking the athletes and coaching staff.

This phenomenon has caused numerous Chinese people to worry about the visibly aggressive fan culture that threatens to erode the sporting world.

"Fan culture" is a subculture that originated in the entertainment industry and is based on idol artists and fan economics. With the vigorous development of the Chinese sports industry, sports stars are becoming more influential as role models. However, some fans are taking things too far by turning sporting events into battlegrounds. They attack athletes online, inciting public emotions to increase exposure and attention. The arbitrary and relentless hounding of athletes by some fans off the field also presents a series of problems for athletes' normal training and personal lives.

Where does this aggressive fan culture come from? What do these fans hope to achieve? Is this really representative of Chinese sports fans as a whole? These are questions that are being raised as the debate continues.
Chaos abounds

"I wish Chen tests positive for a banned substance, then the gold medal can go to our Shasha (Sun's nickname)," one of Sun's extreme fans wrote online after the match. The inflammatory post soon caused widespread anger on both Chinese and international social media platforms, with many calling her "brainless."

"In that match, Sun was the biggest victim of her irrational fans," commented Zhang Fan, an associate professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, Shanghai University of Sport. She criticized the "fans" who kept cheering for Sun while booing her rival Chen, saying their impolite behaviors didn't do Sun any justice, but rather embarrassed and stressed her on the court.

In China, this voracious fan culture spread to the competitive sporting field during the Rio 2016 Olympics, according to Zhang. This unedifying "culture" quickly developed in the proceeding years and gave rise to many fan groups similar to those in the K-pop entertainment industry, Zhang explained.

China's Olympic table tennis champion Ding Ning will never forget August 20, 2016. On that day, the Chinese table tennis team returned home from the Rio 2016 Olympics with an impressive haul of four gold medals and two silver medals. As the team members arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport, they were greeted by a throng of excited fans. "We were truly amazed by the outpouring of support from the fans at the airport. It was a sight we had never seen before," Ding told the Global Times in a previous exclusive interview.

The Global Times found that leading up to the Rio 2016 Olympics, it was rare to see more than a few dozen fans gathered at the airport to welcome national teams home. The majority of the crowd usually consisted of journalists, with only a handful of supporters present.

However, following the Rio 2016 Games, athletes from various sports, such as table tennis, women's volleyball, diving, and swimming, began to attract a larger following. Fans who previously had little interest in sports started to show their support. In particular, table tennis, which is considered the national sport of China, saw its fan base grow exponentially.

However, the chaotic growth trajectory within some Chinese sports fan communities from 2016 to 2024 reveals several key issues, particularly the extreme behaviors exhibited by fans.

Leading fans control comments and initiate scolding battles on social media, manipulating comment sections and attacking other athletes, referees, clubs, national teams, and governing bodies, which leads to fierce conflicts between different fan groups.

CP fans, who pair athletes or public figures as "couples" or "combinations," create specific fan organizations. They share related photos and videos on social media, flood comment sections with their views, and even write fan fiction, severely impacting the viewing experience of other fans and athletes, and causing undue stress to the athletes involved.

Additionally, the act of proxy photographing and privacy violations is prevalent, where individuals sell athletes' personal information and capture photos or videos of athletes at airports, hotels, training grounds, and competition venues, which are then sold publicly on social media. This seriously infringes on the athletes' privacy.

The sale of signed memorabilia is another issue, with fans haranguing athletes in public places to obtain signatures, later selling these signed items on second-hand trading platforms, with items for sale ranging from autographed photos to signed paddles.

Overzealous support also disrupts competitions, with fans causing disturbances through loud cheering and flash photography during matches, affecting athletes' performances.

These chaotic phenomena not only disrupt athletes' regular training and competitions but also damage the harmonious atmosphere among the athletes.

Fandom distortion

"In China, there used to be a perfect balance between athletes and sports fans where their distance and interaction was 'just right,'" 30-year-old table tennis enthusiast Wu Aichen told the Global Times.

Wu became a fan of Ding Ning after the London 2012 Olympics, and joined the fan group called "Ding Dang," which she believes was one of the earliest fan groups in the Chinese table tennis community.

"Back then, we mainly communicated and connected through QQ chat groups. Our group gradually released fan merchandise like calendars, mostly funded by the fan club leaders. They helped us secure complimentary tickets for the China Table Tennis Super League, and after the games, we could approach the athletes in the fan zone for autographs and photos in an orderly way," Wu recalled.

After the Rio 2016 Olympics, driven by her love for table tennis, Wu also joined other table tennis players' fan groups, where she noticed a change in the nature of these organizations.

"In the beginning, most table tennis fan groups were spontaneous, with no formal organization or decision-making process. But later, there were more leaders in the fan base, and the division of labor became more detailed. The leader became more aggressive in encouraging everyone to buy idol-related cultural products and would push fans to vote on various rankings to attract advertisers for their athletes," Wu observed.

Wu pointed out that most of the active fans of the Chinese table tennis team are young people, particularly teenagers. "This generation of fans sees their idols' growth as a form of self-realization. Idols represent the fans' own aspirations, fulfilling their self-image," she noted.

Zhu Wei, a vice director of the Communication Law Research Center at the China University of Political Science and Law, introduced that China's fan community has now experienced a phenomenon of "breaking the circle," meaning it is no longer confined to the cultural sphere but has extended to all areas.

"This is accompanied by a highly aggressive online environment. The fan community has also trended younger, with various chaotic phenomena emerging," Zhu told the Global Times.

These fans feel a sense of duty that "the idol needs me," constantly creating discussions, and investing to boost the market value of sports stars, hoping to elevate their favorite athletes to the top of the sports fan community, Wu said, also noting that they are not sporting event enthusiasts but just fans.

What are the differences between ordinary sporting event enthusiasts and irrational "fans?" Zhang explained that the unwelcome "fans" are those who unconditionally boast and defend their favorite players, making all sorts of excuses for their failures - even resorting to insulting other players.

"These behaviors have seriously contradicted the open and inclusive spirit of sports," Zhang noted.

Return to reason and faith

"During the current Olympics, the young athletes have actually set a good example for teenagers and young people. They inspired young viewers to put down their video games, develop a love for sports, and foster a sense of patriotism. This is a very positive development," Zhu said.

Facing the surging popularity of table tennis, Ding expressed that what athletes always care most about is their performance in competition. "We speak only with our event results, not exposure."

Conversely, this is a gratifying thing that China's youth are no longer satisfied with idolizing entertainment stars, but are pursuing higher, faster, and stronger quality idols, Wu said.

To some extent, the spread of fan culture in China's competitive sporting field does have a few benefits, such as boosting the promotion of some sports among the young generations, bringing them vitality and more attention, said Zhang.

"But the disadvantages of 'fan culture' far outweigh the benefits." Zhang stressed that the unhealthy "fan culture" harms the atmosphere of competitive sports.

In recent years, China has been trying to curb the spread and intensification of fan community culture.

In May, the General Administration of Sport of China stated that the national sports system will resolutely resist the erosion caused by abnormal fan culture in the sporting field throughout the whole process, stressing that sports should not become the "lead" and "hotbed" for abnormal fan culture to continue to proliferate.

In 2021, the Chinese Olympic Committee called on fans to respect athletes' rights and avoid improper behavior toward them, and resolutely oppose the use of fandom to engage in profiteering activities.

Fortunately, Wu noted that now, in the fan communities of various table tennis athletes, most people are looking at the controversy on the Olympic stage objectively and rationally.

"'Focus on the competition and have rational discussions' is the most frequently mentioned phrase in fan communities now. We can all agree that when athletes are showcasing the Olympic spirit and national honor at their peak. They should not be degraded through irrational fan behaviors," she said.

Wu believes that in the future, more fans will respect the sweat that each athlete puts in, willing to experience the pure charm that comes from sports and show the good qualities of Chinese audiences.