I would rather cry in a BMW | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traditional Chinese | 寧在寶馬車裏哭,也不在自行車上笑 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 宁在宝马车里哭,也不在自行车上笑 | ||||||
Literal meaning | Rather inside BMW car crying, than be on top of a bike laughing | ||||||
|
"I would rather cry in a BMW" is a quotation that became an online sensation in the People's Republic of China in 2010. The old,long-familiar phrase was made famous by Ma Nuo,a 20-year-old female contestant on the television dating show Fei Cheng Wu Rao (also known in English as If You Are the One). The line was in response to a question by an unemployed suitor who asked if Ma would "ride a bicycle with him" on a date. The series of events have been summed up in the media with the quip "I would rather cry in a BMW than smile on a bicycle." [1]
In interviews after the show,Ma pointedly denied that she is a "gold digger" –saying that she "just wanted to reject [her suitor] in a creative way." [2] Social commentator Chen Zhigang remarked,"Does Ma Nuo only speak for herself? No. Her opinion resonates with youth;they have grown up in a society that is quickly accumulating material wealth. They worship money,cars and houses because the highly developing economy has made them do so." [3]
The blunt nature of the statement works well in the dating show's format,and is not the first controversial phrase to arise out of Fei Cheng Wu Rao. It was cited by critics as a window to the "degradation of Chinese social values," [2] and even drew the attention of government censors,who eventually forced producers to re-design the format of the show to be more professional and 'clean' of morally questionable content. [4] The phrase also earned notoriety for Ma,whose purported pictures began surfacing all over the internet despite strong dislike from the public.
Professor Jinhua Zhao of the University of British Columbia referred to the quote to allude to trends in the last decade of Beijing residents opting to get rid of their bikes in favour of cars as a mode of transport,citing the social perception that,"bikes are now for losers." [5]
Dating game shows are game shows that incorporates a variety of matchmaking systems and services in the form of a game with clear rules. Human matchmaking is involved only in selecting the game's contestants,who are usually selected more for the amusement value than any concern for their happiness or compatibility. The audience sees only the game;an important feature of all dating game shows is that the contestants have little or no previous knowledge of each other,and are exposed to each other only through the game,which may include viewing a photograph or at least knowing the basic criteria for participation.
Cheng Fei is a Chinese retired artistic gymnast. She is a three-time World Champion on the vault (2005–2007) and 2006 World Champion on floor exercise. She was a member of the gold medal-winning Chinese teams for the 2006 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Aarhus,Denmark and 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing,China. She was also a member of the silver medal-winning Chinese team for the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart,Germany.
Censorship in the People's Republic of China (PRC) is mandated by the country's ruling party,the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is one of the strictest censorship regimes in the world. The government censors content for mainly political reasons,such as curtailing political opposition,and censoring events unfavorable to the CCP,such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre,pro-democracy movements in China,the persecution of Uyghurs in China,human rights in Tibet,Falun Gong,pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong,and aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Xi Jinping became the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012,censorship has been "significantly stepped up".
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a Chinese television series adapted from the classical 14th century novel of the same title by Luo Guanzhong. The series was produced by China Central Television (CCTV) and was first aired on the network in 1994. It spanned a total of 84 episodes,each approximately 45 minutes long. One of the most expensive television series produced at the time,the project cost 170 million yuan. It was completed over four years and involved over 400,000 cast and crew members,including divisions of the People's Liberation Army from the Beijing,Nanjing and Chengdu military regions. Some of the dialogue spoken by characters was adapted directly from the novel. Extensive battle scenes,such as the battles of Guandu,Red Cliffs and Xiaoting,were also live-acted.
The China men's national basketball team represents the People's Republic of China in international basketball tournaments. The national team is governed by the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Based on the number of tournament titles,China is considered a major basketball powerhouse in Asia and has by far the most successful basketball program on the continent.
Wu Po-hsiung is a Taiwanese politician who was the chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT). He has been the Interior Minister (1984–1988),Mayor of Taipei (1988–1990),Secretary-General to the President (1991–1996),and Chairman of the KMT (2007–2009). Wu was nominated as Honorary Chairman of the Kuomintang when he was succeeded by Ma Ying-jeou as the Chairman of the Kuomintang.
The 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was in a five-year session from 1977 to 1982. The 10th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party preceded it. It held seven plenary sessions in the five-year period. It was formally succeeded by the 12th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
"Illegal flower tribute" is an Internet meme that emerged after Google's announcement of a possible exit from Mainland China in January 2010. On 12 January 2010,Google posted an article on its official Blogspot blog,entitled "A New Approach to China",in which it disclosed its decision to end compliance with the Internet censorship in China at Google.cn,citing recent politically motivated hacker attacks from China on Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists as its primary concern. Google also announced it had negotiated with the Chinese government on this issue,but no agreement or consensus on a non-censoring search engine was made,so traffic to Google.cn was re-routed to Google.com.hk.
The Guaizi Ma is a military formation that was allegedly used by the Jin army when they invaded Southern China during the Song dynasty period of Chinese history (960–1279). It was once believed to involve the linking together of three cavalrymen with a hide rope to enhance their fighting capabilities. Later scholars believe that the Guaizi Ma was in fact a Song military cavalry tactic or the name of a particular unit of the Song army.
Fei Cheng Wu Rao is a Chinese dating game show hosted by Meng Fei. Loosely based on the Taken Out format,the show is produced by JSBC:Jiangsu Television and taped in Nanjing. It was first broadcast on January 15,2010,and originally aired twice a week on Saturdays and Sundays until December 2014. From January 2015 to March 2017,it aired on Saturday nights at 9:10 pm on Jiangsu TV. Starting from January 2018 onwards,it airs on Saturday nights at 8:30 pm.
The Patriot Yue Fei is a 2013 Chinese television series based on the life of Yue Fei,a Song dynasty general widely regarded as a patriot and culture hero in Chinese culture for his role in defending the Song empire against the Jurchen campaigns. While the plot is based on historical sources and descendants of the general served as consultants,it also includes elements of fiction and draws ideas from the novel General Yue Fei (說岳全傳) and other folktales on his life.
Meng Fei,also known as "Grandpa Meng",is a Chinese prime time television host based in Nanjing. He works for Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (JSBC). His rise to national fame came with his hosting of the hit TV dating show Fei Cheng Wu Rao,after which he emerged as a household name.
Happy Michelin Kitchen is a 2012 Taiwanese romantic-comedy television series. The television drama was produced by Anhui Television International Media Ltd.,starring Lan Cheng-lung and Cheryl Yang. The shooting began during mid-June 2011,and first aired on January 23,2012 on Anhui Television.
The Baidu 10 Mythical Creatures,alternatively Ten Baidu Deities,was a humorous hoax from the interactive encyclopedia Baidu Baike which became a popular and widespread Internet meme in China in early 2009.
The Empress of China is a 2014 Chinese television series based on events in the 7th and 8th-century Tang dynasty,starring producer Fan Bingbing as the titular character Wu Zetian—the only female emperor in Chinese history.
Bromance is a 2015–16 Taiwanese romantic comedy television series starring Baron Chen,Megan Lai,Bii,Sean Lee and Katie Chen. The series was produced by Sanlih E-Television and showcased every Sunday.
Beijing Love Story is a 2012 Chinese television series co-scripted and directed by Chen Sicheng,starring himself,Li Chen,Zhang Yi,Tong Liya,Yang Mi,Zhang Xinyi and Monica Mok. This is Chen Sicheng's directorial debut. It premiered on Zhejiang TV on 8 January 2012.
Mao Zedong 1949 is a 2019 Chinese historical film directed by Huang Jianxin and Ning Haiqiang. The film stars Tang Guoqiang as Mao Zedong,alongside Liu Jing,Huang Jingyu and Wang Likun. The film picks up the history of the leaders of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party,as they prepare to establish the People's Republic at a villa in Beijing's Fragrant Hills in 1949. The film was released in China on September 20,2019.
China's first subway was constructed in Beijing in January 1970,nearly one hundred years after its initial development in London. By 1984,66 major subway systems existed worldwide. Urban rail transit helped ease the immense pressure caused by urban traffic congestion,while allowing commuters to travel at great speed and convenience. Tianjin was the second city to have an urban rapid transit system and Shanghai was the third,the latter opening its Metro in 1995 that incorporated both subway and light railway lines.