Adopted Pakistani woman in China goes viral, hopes to buy parents a house
[Source]
A Pakistani woman adopted by a Chinese couple as a child has seen her fame skyrocket after a video of herself eating noodles at home went viral.
Key points:
Fan Zihe, also known as Xiao Hei Ni (or "Little Black Girl"), 20, is a social media content creator with 1.2 million followers on Douyin. Her story was featured in a local news post on Weibo on April 29, raking over 452,000 views.
Her most recent videos have attracted hundreds of thousands of views. Her most viral video to date — with over 1.3 million views — is one from November 2023, in which she is seen eating noodles and speaking in a Henan dialect.
The details:
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Fan was adopted by her Chinese parents about 20 years ago when they traveled from their home in Fanzhuang, a village in Ruzhou, Henan province, to Pakistan for work.
Speaking to Chinese media, Fan, who is an only child, proudly identifies herself as Chinese. “My family is not rich, but my parents have never treated me badly. They love me well in their own way,” she added.
While she had taken a few modeling jobs before, Fan said she turned down lucrative contracts from companies because she does not want to be commercialized.
She reportedly makes around 4,000 yuan (approximately $533) per month through her Douyin channel, where she shares about her rural life, fashion and other content, as well as a few advertisements. She also helps her family run their farming business.
Fan paid tribute to her parents in a heartwarming post, writing:
“There are many beautiful things in the world. Having Mom and Dad is one of them. I am grateful to my parents for sheltering me from the wind and rain, giving me a home. … I am grateful to my parents for their nurturing from childhood to adulthood. It is their meticulous care and encouragement that have made me who I am today.”
Fan hopes to continue making a living through livestreaming, selling her village’s agricultural products and promoting their province as a tourist destination. She also wants to use her earnings to buy her parents a home near the city. "I'm so young, I have to fight for my family," she said.
Reactions:
Douyin users were shocked as soon as they heard Fan speak in her viral video. One even compared her to Cleopatra, writing, “I feel like Cleopatra asked me if this noodle was a hit.”
Another joked that after Fan opened her mouth, “it feels like we've gone straight from Pakistan to Zhengzhou.”
“Is this person from Pakistan with a perfect Henan accent, or a person from Henan pretending to be from Pakistan?" another pondered. "Their Henan dialect is even more authentic than mine!”
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