‘King of Mandopop’ Jay Chou lookalike pancake vendor in China becomes top influencer, news of national flapjack tour delights 3 million fans
- Small town street vendor sells pancakes, is ringer for star singer
- Online fans propel him to fame, but he keeps feet on ground
A street food vendor in China has attracted 3 million followers on mainland social media because he looks like the “King of Mandopop” Jay Chou.
Bai Xianying, 43, went viral online in 2020 after a customer posted a video of him with one of the star’s songs playing in the background.
The video changed the life of a man who had been selling stuffed pancakes in a small town in northern China’s Hebei province since 2015.
Online observers nicknamed him “Zhou Binglun”, a play on Jay Chou’s Chinese name which translates into “porridge and pancake Jay”.
They also turned his clothing and expressions into puns using the names of 45-year-old Chou’s songs.
Despite his new-found fame, Bai continued his street food business, and did not become an impersonator like others who perform Chou’s songs for a living.