Go player Zhan Ying wins ‘Goddess’ beauty competition

When you think of the most popular Chinese female celebrity, who comes to mind? Earlier this month, Chinese internet users provided an unexpected answer: Zhàn Yīng 战鹰, a 28-year-old Chinese professional Go player turned livestreamer.

Go (围棋 wéiqí) is a checkers-like board game usually played on a 19 x 19 square grid with black and white circular pieces. It has been played in China for several thousand years, and is still very popular as a TV spectator sport. In recent years, internet livestreamers commenting on Go matches, including Zhan Ying’s, have grown the youth audience for the game.   

On September 6, Zhan was crowned the winner at the 2023 “Goddess Competition” (女神大赛 nǚshén dàsài) hosted by Chinese sports news app and online forum Hǔpū (虎扑), which is similar to Bleacher Report in the U.S. 

Since 2016, Hupu’s annual contest has allowed users to vote for their favorite female celebrity or fictional character. Previous champions include Liú Yìfēi 刘亦菲, the star of Disney’s live-action iteration of Mulan, and retired Hong Kong actress Chingmy Yau (Qiū Shūzhēn 邱淑贞). But this year, the choice was less conventional: Zhan triumphed over Chinese actress and model Gāo Yuányuán 高圆圆 with a staggering 342,059 votes, which accounted for 91% of all votes cast, compared with Gao’s 9%.

Given Zhan’s relatively low profile before the competition, many observers were taken aback by her victory. But her quirky, down-to-earth personality and sense of humor had gained her a devoted following on livestreaming platforms, and many of her fans turned out to vote. 

A hardworking Go player, but a born-to-be livestreamer

Zhan began playing Go at the age of six. In 2014, when she was 19, she started competing in professional competitions. She was good, but not quite good enough for the big leagues. By 2019, she had only climbed up to two dan (两段 liǎngduàn), an unimpressive position in the 10-level ranking system for professional Go players. According to Hongtong Go Network, a website tracking players and games, Zhan won only 27 out of the 92 professional matches she has ever played.

In 2020, looking for an alternative career, Zhan joined leading Chinese livestreaming platform Huya Live, where she comments on and participates in Go matches. A year later, she moved to popular video-sharing site Bilibili. 

But Zhan’s livestreams didn’t garner much attention until October 2022, when she burst into tears while reading negative social media comments about herself during a livestream. 

Most of the criticism challenged her Go skills and achievements, with some comparing her with male players, highlighting the gender disparity in predominantly male-dominated professional Go, where virtually all of the world’s highest-ranked players are male, and there are few competitions specifically for women.

Zhan’s tearful video went viral. Her drastic mental transition in the clip — from addressing the critics confidently at first to having an emotional breakdown — created a powerful comedic effect of the kind described as chōuxiàng 抽象, which literally means “abstract” in English, but has become a Chinese internet buzzword denoting the humor of awkward situations.

The Chinese internet culture of being “abstract” particularly thrives in the country’s highly competitive livestreaming market, where streamers need something uncommon or unexpected to captivate their audiences.

One notable example involves Zhan sporting a double-bun hairstyle and playfully asking, “Zhan Ying, Zhan Ying, how old are you?” in a cute and childish voice, while another shows her playing with a crocodile toy.

By the end of December 2022, her fan base on Bilibili had grown tenfold and reached 500,000. Accounts dedicated to compiling short videos from her livestreams began to surface, further boosting her popularity.

“She’s a born livestreamer,” said Xu Hongzhe, a graduate student studying marketing management in Canada. 

Xu, whose favorite pastimes include Go and chess, has tuned into Zhan’s livestreams a few times. “Just look at her name, who would have guessed that Zhan Ying is her real name?” he told The China Project.

Zhan Ying can be literally translated into “War Eagle” in English, an unusual name for a girl by traditional standards. According to her online biography, her father was a J-6 fighter jet pilot in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, which may explain the origin of her name.

“It’s entertaining and hilarious to witness the contrast, much like watching clowns in a circus,” Xu said, explaining that when Zhan inadvertently acts foolish during livestreams, it adds to her appeal as a professional Go player. “Netizens enjoy seeing individuals of high status doing things that defy their status,” he added. 

“She’s a professional Go player yet with a less-than-stellar match record, and she always responds to her viewers’ requests and challenges,” Xu noted. “She may get upset but never resorts to cursing or anger, unlike some other livestreamers.”

“It’s like watching a reality TV show. I feel a sense of fulfillment when the livestreamer responds to my comment and does something funny live,” Liu Chengwei, who often watches short videos of Zhan because he doesn’t have time for livestreams, told The China Project. “It’s like a positive feedback loop, where viewers challenge Zhan to do things, she reacts, and hilarity ensues. These moments are captured in short videos created by other Bilibili content creators, which help attract more followers for Zhan.”

Abandoning celebrities and welcoming the girl next door

Zhan was initially confused and embarrassed when she learned of her nomination for Hupu’s Goddess Competition, and she even discouraged her fans from voting for her. But they didn’t listen, and her victory in the Goddess Competition has boosted her livestreams. As of now, Zhan boasts over 1.3 million fans on Bilibili.

Zhan hopes her victory will further popularize the game that originally got her into the world of livestreaming: “I think my going viral is a way to introduce people to the world of Go,” Zhan commented in late September, responding to a fan’s question. “I know I haven’t won a certain number of world championships or become a Go master and role model, but I want to share the cultural significance of Go through my livestreams.”

Aside from attracting new views to Go competitions, Zhan’s victory may also indicate a shift in the culture of Hupu, which has previously been criticized for being chauvinistic, and whose Goddess Competition has until now only rewarded conventionally attractive women.  

“I feel that some men are becoming less interested in idolizing and chasing after women,” reads a comment on Hupu. “Zhan Ying represents a down-to-earth and charming image that internet users can relate to and engage with. She is Hupu’s first anti-goddess goddess, and that’s highly significant.”