In Chinese cyberspace, a blossoming passion
By Edward Cody (Washington Post)
Updated: 2005-07-29 10:17

Pretty soon the sites were full of lovelorn prose from Sister Lotus, along with titillating - but clad - photos showing her in a variety of poses that seem arty.

"Lotus coming out of crystal-clear water" was the title of one such posting.

"I have no idea what was going on, but I got a lot of e-mails in response," Sister Lotus said over a bowl of tripe soup, stroking her long black hair and smiling vaguely at what she set in motion. "People wanted more pictures. Most of them liked me, but of course a few were critical."

Throughout the spring, the phenomenon grew, metastasizing into off-campus Web sites as well. As they studied for year-end exams last month, millions of student-age Chinese were finding distraction by logging on to review Sister Lotus postings.

The mainstream media, focusing on the North Korea nuclear crisis and official declarations from Chinese leaders, were slow to discover the boom. But by the beginning of July, Sister Lotus appeared to be looking out from the magazine racks at every newsstand in China.

Inevitably, the journalists went to experts for their perspectives. Interviews and roundtables appeared, accompanied by photos showing Sister Lotus dancing in the park or thrusting her chest out to form an S with her body.

"In one sense, the phenomenon of Sister Lotus is the victory of common people," said Zhang Yiwu, a Peking University specialist in modern culture. "Also, it shows the influence of the modern medium, the Internet."

Xia Xueluan, a sociologist and Peking University colleague, was less sanguine. "The lack of beliefs among young people leads them to fulfill their needs in a lower way," she said. "And of course, that is not a good thing."

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