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SCMP

We have selected five Trending in China stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. China influencer, 24, dies day after telling fans she had not eaten for 2 days
The death of a 24-year-old cosplay influencer has triggered an outpouring grief from mainland Chinese internet users who sympathised with her strained financial situation and her suffering from mental illness.
2. Shock as Chinese woman has baby a day after discovering she was 34 weeks pregnant

A make-up blogger has captured the attention of social media in China by sharing her experience of giving birth to a baby just a day after discovering she was pregnant. The story of the eastern Jiangsu province-based influencer known as @tingtingyupengpeng on a major social media platform, has been viewed 190 million times, the Litchi News reported.
3. 36 men in China buy ‘love nest’ only to discover they have same lover

A total of 36 men in Shenzhen are alleged to have been swindled by the same woman who pretended to date them before luring them into buying flats in a nearby city.
4. Hometown of DeepSeek founder turns tourist hotspot, renovations paid by government

An obscure and underdeveloped village in southern China has become a tourism site following the huge success of the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepSeek, as its founder hails from there. The tourism boom has prompted the local authorities to spend money giving the whole hamlet a facelift, the Southern Countryside Newspaper reported.
5. Depressed Chinese passenger pricked by stray needle on flight seeks compensation

A man in China who was pricked by a left-behind needle on a flight is demanding 130,000 yuan (US$18,000) in compensation for depression caused by his resultant fear of infections.


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SCMP Highlights

Chinese influencer dies, ‘love nest’ scam, DeepSeek founder’s hometown: 5 trending stories

A 24-year-old influencer in China has died after revealing during a live-stream that she had not eaten for two days and was unable to pay her rent. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

A woman in China has given birth to a baby boy just 24 hours after she found out she was 34 weeks pregnant. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin

A scamming woman in China has tricked dozens of men into spending US$140,000 on a “love nest” only to disappear as soon as the deal is done. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

The China hometown of the founder of DeepSeek has become a tourist haven after he shot to international fame. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Wikipedia/Weibo/Douyin/163.com

A Chinese man who was pricked by a left-behind needle on a flight suffers depression and seeks compensation from the airline as a result. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Sohu

Lost Chinese hiker, Trump US$250 bill, gold hotpot: 5 trending stories

A young Chinese hiker survived for 10 days in the cold mountains by eating toothpaste after becoming lost and trapped. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin

A US proposal to put the face of President Donald Trump on a US$250 banknote has caused much hilarity on mainland social media. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

A Chinese man has been hospitalised after undergoing a painful three-hour simulation of childbirth at his lover’s request. Photo: The Paper

A pregnant woman in China was forced to lie in bed for weeks to save her fetus after its foot slipped out of her cervix. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin

A hotpot bowl made of pure gold which costs US$97,000 to buy has shocked social media in China. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Love after accident, marriage deadline plan, Maserati ring toss game: 5 trending stories

A Chinese couple’s lives have intertwined after they “met” as a result of a car accident. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo

A company in China has ditched a plan to fire single and divorced staff if they fail to tie the knot by a specific deadline. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

An angry mother in China has sparked an online parenting debate after she beat her son with a stick on the side of the road after the boy had a tantrum. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

A man in China spent just US$280 at a ring toss game and won a US$235,000 Maserati sports car. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/QQ.com

An online influencer in China with five million fans has faced criticism after she claimed to be earning US$41,000 a day by doing nothing. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin/Sohu

Chinese workers eat dog, snow made of cotton, Faye Wong’s lookalike: 5 trending stories

Chinese highway workers sparked public outrage after cooking and eating a dog that had escaped from a pet boarding centre. Photo: SCMP composite/RedNote

A tourist site in China has been criticised for using fake snow after it suffered a lack of winter weather. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu/Shutterstock

A university student in China who was startled by the early return of his roommate to the dorm, torched his “inflatable girlfriend” in a panic, sparking a fire. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin/Temu

A Vietnamese restaurant owner, who bears a resemblance to Hong Kong singer Faye Wong, is attracting attention on Chinese social media.  Photo: SCMP composite/RedNote/IG@faye_fa_ye

Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s doppelganger, Ne Zha 2 director profile: 5 trending stories

A man in China who resembles Hong Kong singing star Eason Chan is often approached for photos by eager mainland “fans”. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/Douyin

The Chinese film director who made the Ne Zha 2 animation blockbuster has revealed how he spent three years living off his parent’s meagre earnings. Photo: SCMP composite/YouTube/IMDb

The parents of a boy in China are facing a hefty bill after their son sparked an explosion which damaged several luxury cars when he tossed a lit firecracker into a sewer. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Mourning Barbie Hsu, US man calls China home, proposal gone wrong: 5 trending stories

Chinese netizens are using DeepSeek to emulate Taiwanese actress Barbara Hsu’s style in farewell letters to pay tribute to her memory. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Weibo

Brian Linden felt welcomed and at home by the locals in Yunnan, which is why he chose to settle there. Photo: SCMP composite/YouTube/chinanews/people.cn

A Chinese man was stunned when his ring-in-cake surprise marriage proposal went wrong as his girlfriend almost ate the love token. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

A Taiwan actress has slammed a Chinese influencer after a dog died while he was giving it a live-stream bath. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/Douyin

A taxi driver in China who was mistaken for a friend by a passenger, who turned out to be his long-lost twin, has had an emotional family reunion. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

News

People & Culture

Trending in China

From a ‘love nest’ scam to DeepSeek founder’s hometown becoming a tourist hotspot, here are five stories from SCMP’s recent reporting


From a ‘love nest’ scam to DeepSeek founder’s hometown becoming a tourist hotspot, here are five stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.


Chinese influencer dies, ‘love nest’ scam, DeepSeek founder’s hometown: 5 trending stories

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From a ‘love nest’ scam to DeepSeek founder’s hometown becoming a tourist hotspot, here are five stories from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. China influencer, 24, dies day after telling fans she had not eaten for 2 days

From a ‘love nest’ scam to DeepSeek founder’s hometown becoming a tourist hotspot, here are five stories from SCMP’s recent reporting