Millions of people under lockdown in China are now sharing a common routine: a fitness session with their new superstar personal trainer Liu Genghong.
The newly unknown Taiwan-born singer, actor, and personal trainer has become a sensation over the past weeks, as his physique has garnered fans from across the country. Many of them have been locked indoors for weeks as part of the government’s response to stem the rise in COVID-19 cases.
The 49-year-old was also in lockdown with his family in Shanghai, currently in its third week of citywide lockdown. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, Liu appears on short video platform Douyin – the Chinese version of TikTok – with his wife Wang Wanfei at 7:30 p.m., though he makes his followers wake up early at 9 a.m. Saturday for a 90-minute session .
The pair are often seen rehearsing the fast paced tune by pop singer Jay Choo’s “Materia Medica Compendium” and others. Excerpts from the exercise in which Liu appeared in a red shirt and black pants with his wife went viral on social media, with people imitating the exercise routine in schools and quarantine centers, and even as they queued for DNA tests.
Leo’s workout sessions have been so popular during the lockdown that they’ve broken Dwayne’s 2022 live record so far, according to data analytics platform Chanmama. Within a month, his livestream was watched nearly 40 million times in total, with his most popular session attracting over a million live views.
Leo’s followers also increased from 5 million to 33 million in just 10 weeks.
His popularity especially soared after the April 9 rehearsal where the pair were seen wearing a down jacket, presumably after the live broadcast was disrupted for unspecified reasons.
“It was really hot,” Liu told local China News, recalling the experience. “But at the time, we couldn’t figure out why the live broadcast was cut off. So we thought it was a clothing issue, and we wrapped our entire bodies in jackets to amuse our audience.”
Douyin did not immediately respond to Sixth Tone’s request for comment by press time.
Left: Screenshot showing Liu Jinghong and his wife in Doyen before their session gets disrupted; Right: After an unspecified warning from the catwalk, the couple goes live, wearing their down coats. from Weibo
Liu Shishi, a 27-year-old resident of Shanghai who works in the medical sector, told Sixth Tone that she has been following Liu Genghong’s live broadcast for a week now. She said the pair are fun to watch, especially for those looking for different ways to exercise while indoors.
“I have been in quarantine for nearly a month,” she said. “Working every day makes me feel happy during the stressful time. It is healthy for our body too.”
The online fitness business has experienced a huge boom in China since the epidemic began in 2020. According to a March report by Douyin, the number of fitness videos in 2021 increased by 134% while the followers of this content increased by 208% compared to the previous year.
Liu Genghong isn’t the only icon who has managed to catch the attention of fitness enthusiasts lately. Through her workout videos, German model Pamela Reeve has also built a huge fan base of more than 8.3 million followers on social platform Xiaohongshu.
Liu Genghong’s meteoric rise to fame made him a household name, as well as one of the country’s lucrative live broadcasting stars. He is said to earn about 240,000 yuan a day through his live broadcast session as fans shower him with virtual gifts that can be converted into cash, according to Chinese businessmen in local media.
Many on the Internet even joked that the fitness trainer is now facing a fierce popularity competition with Li Jiaqi, the “Live King” known for his selling tactics.
“Li Jiaqi emptying our wallet, Liu Genghong emptying our bodies” has become one of the most popular comments on Weibo microblogging platform recently.
Editor: Bibek Bhandari.
(Banner photo: Photos show Liu Genghong and his wife Wang Wanfei broadcasting fitness sessions from their home. From Weibo)
