Former Chinese idol singer sells steamed buns on the street
After a six-month hiatus, Chinese idol singer Xu Bingchao has reappeared on social media, not as a celebrity, but as a steamed bun seller.
Xu took to Weibo on March 8 to confirm rumours that he was working as a street hawker, after an image of him manning a steamed bun stall gained traction on the social media platform.
The 25-year-old is known for reaching the Top 20 of Chinese idol show Youth with You in 2019, and for being part of idol group Desert5. The group released two singles but disbanded in July 2019 after being active for just 100 days.
He then went solo as a singer but without much success.
The last time he posted on Weibo was in August 2022. But after many people showed up to support his unexpected food venture, he returned to the platform to thank them.
He wrote: “I didn’t expect to get discovered by everyone like this, I just closed up for the day and got a shock when I saw the trending topics [on Weibo].”
He added that he did not not come into this business on a whim, stating that he had contemplated selling buns for a long time.
Seeing customers enjoy his buns also gives him a sense of achievement, he said.
“I'm not advertising for my buns or anything, but it’s really very delicious,” Xu quipped.
Pictures circulating on Weibo show snaking queues at Xu’s stall, with many commenting his buns were “indeed delicious”.
To his fans, he wrote: “If you chance upon my stall, you still can approach me for a chat or to hear me sing a song, and try my buns at the same time.”
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