SHANGHAI: When it comes to Chinese names for Western celebrities, “Sweet Tea” is definitely hot, “Fruit Sister” is off the menu, and an ample posterior can have you anointed “Lord of Butt.”
Chinese is expressed using idiomatic characters rather than an alphabet, making it difficult to use the language to transliterate foreign names, and opening the door for a range of creative and often bizarre appellations for well-known stars. The recent Academy Awards minted a new star in China, Timothee Chalamet, a best actor nominee for — ironically — “Call Me By Your Name.”
He is known as “Tian Cha” or “Sweet Tea,” a play on the first syllables in his names and a nod to his heartthrob looks.
He is now among the hottest celebrities on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform, the subject of posts like: “Come and drink this cup of sweet tea, until the summer.” Things are not so sweet these days, however, for “Shui Guo Jie” or “Fruit Sister,” also known as Katy Perry, so-dubbed because of the fruit-colored costumes she is known to perform in.
US media reported that the singer was dropped as a headliner for the Victoria’s Secret fashion show in November last year after she was denied a visa, possibly because she had previously draped herself in the flag of China’s diplomatic rival Taiwan.
In China’s hyperactive cybersphere, some names get propagated to the point where some people might find them obscure, as in the case of actress Jennifer Lawrence, or “Da Biaojie” (“Big Cousin“).
But most seem to be more logical.
British actor Tom Hardy is known as “Tang Lao Shi.” “Lao Shi” means “always wet,” apparently because of his typically slicked-back hair. Another hair-inspired name belongs to Benedict Cumberbatch, who sports a curly top in the “Sherlock Holmes” series and has been dubbed “Juan Fu” (“Curly blessing“).
China’s passion for flavourful food has led to “Xiao Tian Tian” (“Little Sweetie“) for Britney Spears, and “Ma La Ji” (“Little Spicy Chicken“) for sex-symbol singer Nicki Minaj.
Last but not least, there’s Jennifer Lopez, whose well-known posterior has earned her the designation “Luo Ba,” or “Lord of Butt.”
’Lord of Butt’: China’s weird names for Western celebs
’Lord of Butt’: China’s weird names for Western celebs
Trunk snapped off famed Bernini statue in Rome square
ROME, Feb 18 (Reuters) - A marble elephant designed by Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini has been damaged, with its left tusk found snapped off and lying at the base of the monument in the heart of Rome, authorities said.
The damage was uncovered on Monday night and police said they would review video footage from Piazza della Minerva to determine whether the tusk was vandalised or simply fell off following weeks of unusually heavy rains.
Italy's Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli made clear he thought it was deliberate, saying the 17th statue, which supports an ancient Egyptian obelisk, was victim of an "absurd act of barbarity".
"It is unacceptable that once again the nation's artistic and cultural heritage must suffer such serious damage," he said in a statement.
It is not the first time the sculpture, popularly known as the Elefantino (little elephant), has been damaged.
In November 2016, the tip of the same tusk was similarly found broken off. The piece was reattached during restoration work.
The sculpture, created in 1667 by Ercole Ferrata based on a design by Bernini, stands a short distance from the Pantheon, one of most visited tourist sites in Rome. (Reporting by Francesca Piscioneri, editing by Crispian Balmer)
