Flipping fame: Pancake vendor in Hebei stirs online buzz for Jay Chou resemblance

A street snack vendor in Baoding, Hebei province, has risen to online fame for his uncanny resemblance to pop icon Jay Chou, also known as Zhou Jielun. Dubbed "Zhou Bing Lun," this vendor, whose real name is Bai Xianying, has amassed nearly 3 million followers across various Chinese social media platforms, reported news portal Economic View on Friday.

The nickname Zhou Bing Lun is not only a homophonic pun on the name of the pop icon Zhou Jielun, but also a precise description of the street food he sells, as "zhou" stands for porridge and "bing" for pancake in Chinese.

Drawing visitors from far and wide, including some who have traveled all the way from South Korea, the line in front of Bai's stall often stretches for hundreds of meters. His most popular video on the short video-sharing platform Douyin has garnered close to 1.6 million likes.

Bai's rise to fame can be traced back to late 2020 when a regular customer captured a video of him focused on garnishing his pancakes and playfully added a mention of Jay Chou in the caption. This simple act sparked the viral sensation that made Bai an online celebrity.

Despite the influx of comparisons to Jay Chou, Bai remains humble, acknowledging his limited talents compared to the music icon. "I don't know if I really look like him or not. I can't compare myself to him. I'm just an ordinary person... Everyone says I look like Jay Chou, but I can only make pancakes, not sing. I'm grateful to bask in his fame," he remarked.

Since becoming an internet sensation, Bai has been invited to various events, such as the grand openings of shopping malls across the country for his "National Pancake Tour," which has become a regular part of his life. Despite the newfound fame and increased income, Bai continues to prioritize his pancake business, shying away from opportunities that ask him to sing or perform.

When he's not on his pancake tour, Bai remains busy with his occupation as a street food vendor. Summer is usually the off-peak season for pancakes, but Bai's stall still sells between 200-300 pancakes a day, with the most expensive pancake costing about 20 yuan ($2.8).

Every morning, Bai rises at 5 am to prepare the ingredients, working tirelessly until around 8 am when he opens his stall. After closing around 5 or 6 pm and returning home, he continues to prepare the necessary ingredients for the next day, kneading dough, peeling potatoes, and more. By the time he finishes these tasks, it's usually midnight or 1 am. If he runs out of sauce or chili, he works until 2 or 3 am.

Since gaining fame, Bai's income has increased by nearly half, and his workload has correspondingly increased as well. Despite the revenue from his pancake tour, he mentions that his primary source of income remains selling pancakes.