Hanyu idolized in China
13:48 JST, February 8, 2022
BEIJING — Figure skating star Yuzuru Hanyu hit the ice for the first time at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games on Tuesday.
Hanyu’s popularity in China is on par with that of local athletes. Copies of a book about the two-time Olympic champion’s illustrious career were displayed prominently at a Beijing bookstore, while Chinese media have been reporting his every move as breaking news since before the Games started.
On Monday, the state-run international broadcaster China Global TV Network posted on social media that Hanyu had appeared at a skating rink, which prompted a host of supportive comments.
Hanyu arrived in Beijing on Sunday, after other athletes, so many Chinese fans wondered and asked online when he would get to China. At one point, Hanyu’s name topped social media searches in that country.
Hanyu is popular in China for his good looks and skating talent — one Chinese newspaper has called him “the prince of figure skating.”
However, fans also seem attracted to his caring personality. During the medal ceremony at the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki, which Hanyu won, he noticed that the Chinese flag held by third-place finisher Boyang Jin of China was reversed, and helped him hold it correctly.
Videos of that moment went viral in China and are said to have cemented Hanyu’s immense popularity there.
"Sports" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Shohei Ohtani Defied Ex-Interpreter’s Request to Cover Up Fraud, Report
-
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 6 Shutout Innings Help Dodgers Finish Sweep, Defeat Nats 2-1
-
Shohei Ohtani Hits 176 MLB Homers; the Most by a Japanese-Born Player Surpassing Hideki Matsui
-
Japanese Public Divided Over Hosting Future Olympic Games As Corruption, Bid-Rigging Scandals Blunt Enthusiasm
-
Interest in Hosting Olympics ‘Never So High’, Says IOC Boss
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Japan Household Spending Down 0.5% in Feb.
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’