By Ning Shuang, Yang Mingzhuo
These years, the TV screen has been largely occupied by “xiao xian rou”(fresh meat), or actors or singers aged 14-25, who are brimming with the vigor of youth but still preserve the innocence of childhood.
The “fresh meat” are good-looking, gentle, in perfect shape and mostly free from various gossips from the entertainment circle, which greatly captured fans’ hearts. Karry Wang, Leo Wu and several other young boys are good examples. Starting from the entertainment industry, the word now spreads to daily life. Apart from praises, “fresh meat” are tagged by some as “prominent in age & appearances only”.
Meanwhile, as the younger generation grows up, some 80’s and 90’s, who are still young, tend to tease themselves as “cured meat”. Thus, the booming “xiao xian rou” represents a new trend of mass beauty appreciation, as well as a kind of self-mockery.
China Report ASEAN 