| Page 2 of 3 < > |
They're Big, but Not Yet Stars
Qian Jin Zu He, based in Nanjing, appears at store openings and industry conventions as well as nightclubs. Through its performances, the group hopes to change negative stereotypes in China about the obese, says one member.
(Photo Courtesy Qian Jin Zu He)
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
The acts Hu envisioned were not subtle. Already on his roster of performers were a man who could drag a car with his ear and another who broke glass with his teeth. Such acts aren't all that unusual in China, where variety shows, reality television and competitions involving audience participation have become increasingly popular.
Xiao "was educated, so I thought if I could dig out some potential performing skill, maybe I could help her and she might be a good resource for my company," Hu said.
He gave her CDs and DVDs featuring various performers, as well as a coach, and asked her to study dance moves.
Xiao felt uncomfortable at first. Every time she called home, her family asked if she had lost weight. "Obesity has already made my parents and me so unhappy. I thought, 'Am I really going to use my fat figure to make a living?' " she said.
To build her confidence, Hu tried to find her a boyfriend. He knew that the relentless pressure from her family to lose weight was driven by fears she would never marry. He got the largest newspaper in the city, the Nanjing Evening News, to write up every detail of Xiao's misfortune in a story and seek prospective husbands.
Xiao wasn't serious about getting married. But the story in March 2006 was a big boost to her confidence and drew 200 letters from interested men. It also attracted letters from more than 100 obese women from all over China who had had the same feelings and experiences. They all wanted to be friends with Xiao.
Hu and the newspaper formed a club for the women, with activities such as a beauty contest. That produced enough talented performers that Hu decided to form a band. Dozens of people auditioned.
The result was Qian Jin Zu He.
The group's name is a play on words. One meaning refers to a courteous expression for another person's daughter or, in ancient times, a thousand pieces of gold. But no one who sees the band perform can mistake its second meaning: 1,000 jin, a Chinese measurement that would translate to just over 1,000 pounds.
These days, the band is making more TV appearances than before, on cooking shows and alongside Olympic wrestlers. It performed in more than a dozen provinces last year.
But as Qian Jin Zu He crisscrosses China, the band sometimes meets less welcoming audiences. Once, a spectator thought Xiao was wearing a fat suit and asked if he could test his theory by burning her skin with a cigarette. Another audience member came onstage to trip her.
"Only a small part of the audience understands and supports us," said Shen Jing, 23 and, at 198 pounds, the lightest member of the group.
