Jimu News Reporter Shen Wai Li Ying
Because his profile looks like the famous singer Jay Chou when he lowers his head to make egg-filled pancakes, Bai Xianying became the "Porridge Cake Lun". At the end of 2020, he became popular on the Internet for a video.
His cake stall has become a check-in place. Some people didn't get tickets to Jay Chou's concert and drove 40 to 50 kilometers from the neighboring county. Others came all the way from Hong Kong and South Korea just to see with their own eyes the "Porridge Cake Lun" selling egg-filled cakes in this county. How similar is he to Jay Chou? Before
became popular, Bai Xianying was just an ordinary vendor selling egg-filled cakes in Rongcheng County, Baoding City, Hebei Province. Her parents were ordinary farmers. He sold vegetables, made breakfast, and sold toys. In 2015, he bought a tricycle and sold egg-filled cakes at the entrance of the Textile City in Rongcheng County's Rongmatai Town. After
became popular, he did not shoot imitation videos or live broadcast to sell goods. The only thing he did was the "National Cake Tour" - traveling to many cities across the country to sell egg-filled cakes. The popularity of
has brought changes to his destiny, but he does not believe in the Internet, nor does he believe that people can remain popular for a long time. "I can't sing, I just sell cakes outside." He said.
"The gears of fate begin to turn"
The cake stall of "Porridge Cake Lun" is rarely clean.
On the street directly opposite the Textile City in Rongcheng County’s Rongmatai Town, the egg-filled cake stall of “Porridge Cake Lun” has become a small popular attraction. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., there are always Customers line up. At its hottest time, the queue stretched from the stall to the roadside, stretching nearly a hundred meters.
Among the customers who come to "check in", there are nearby residents, and some who drive 40 to 50 kilometers from the next county or city. Even further away, some people come from Hong Kong and South Korea just to see this egg seller with their own eyes. How similar is the cake-making "Porridge Cake Lun" to Jay Chou?
Next to the tricycle, "Porridge Bing Lun" set up two sheds, set up two low tables and a dozen simple benches. There are customers who come from afar to "check in". After buying the cakes, they will sit on the bench, finish a portion of stuffed egg-filled cakes larger than two palms, and wait to come up while "Porridge Pancake Lun" is making cakes. Take a photo with him.
Someone took a photo with "Porridge Cake Lun" (photo by Jimu News reporter Li Ying)
"Porridge Cake Lun" did not refuse the request for a photo. When someone took a photo with him, he temporarily put down the small spatula used to make pancakes and made a backhand "yeah" gesture toward the camera. People who came to buy cakes gathered in front of his tricycle to watch. Some people held up their mobile phones to take pictures of him lowering his head to make a burrito. While taking pictures, they exclaimed, "It really looks like him."
"Porridge Cake Lun" first became popular on the Internet at the end of 2020. Because his profile when he lowered his head to make cakes resembled the star Jay Chou, a local young man posted a video of him making cakes on the Internet with a text "Jaylen filling cakes". On the night when the
video was released, his cousin called Bai Xianying and told him that the video was popular. The next day, a nearby elder sister passed by his stall and told him, "You are popular." He didn't pay attention and replied, "I'm angry, I feel like I'm angry." On the third day, there were more and more people in front of the cake stall, and a large crowd slowly gathered. Only then did "Porridge Cake Lun" realize that he was really popular.
Bai Xianying was born in 1982. In 2015, he spent 6,000 yuan to buy a motorized tricycle, set up a cake oven on it, and set up a stall with his wife at the entrance of the Textile City to sell egg-filled cakes. At first, they set up a pergola on a tricycle. Sometimes the weather was bad and the wind was strong, and the pergola was blown to pieces. Later, Bai Xianying welded the iron sheets on the four sides of the tricycle. When leaving the stall, the iron sheets were lifted, and the tricycle turned into a dining car with a cover on the top and ventilation at both ends. When the stall was closed, the iron sheets were closed together, like a closed carriage. Bai Xianying rode it back. To home one kilometer away.
"Porridge Cake Lun" is making egg-filled cakes (Photo by Jimu News reporter Li Ying) Before
became popular, poverty was the background of Bai Xianying's life for the first 38 years. His hometown is in the countryside of Handan, and his parents are ordinary farmers. When he was 15 years old, he went out to work alone. He has sold vegetables, worked in breakfast, and sold toys in the Textile City. In his words, “I can’t count the number of jobs I’ve done on my ten fingers."In 2005, after a blind date in the village, he married his wife who lives in the next village. Because of poverty, his parents borrowed tens of thousands of yuan to build a house for their marriage. After marriage, his living situation has not improved. In the most difficult years, he did not After eating fruit, “Sometimes I buy some for her (my wife) and she lets me eat it, but I say I don’t like it. "
Bai Xianying is not familiar with the Internet and does not understand live broadcasts and short videos. The software he most often reads is WeChat and Tencent News. At the end of 2020, after the first video went viral, he shot a response video. In the video He was wearing a military coat and a red apron. He did not look at the camera, and read a script written by others beforehand at the screen.
In the comment area of his popular video, some netizens said, "Destiny." The gears started turning. "
"Looking is a resource"
"In this era, looks are a resource. " said Lin Feng, a friend of "Porridge Cake Lun".
Lin Feng is 27 years old this year, a thin young man. He is also the "event operator" of "Porridge Cake Lun".
After becoming popular, Bai Xianying became "Porridge Cake Lun" ", the name was also given by netizens. In addition, all the utensils and steps for making cakes have been linked to elements related to Jay Chou by netizens: the cake-making platform is the "Chrysanthemum Platform", and the cakes baked are "Qili Xiang" ", the stainless steel tank for mixing the egg liquid is a "Peninsula Iron Box", the sauce used for making cakes is a "secret that cannot be told", the blue printed sleeves worn are "blue and white porcelain sleeves"...
"Make a picture How long does the cake take? "It takes a song." "Netizens who came to check in deliberately asked these "stalks", and "Porridge Cake Lun" responded in response.
"Porridge Cake Lun"'s tricycle (Photo by Jimu News reporter Li Ying)
In 2023, at the suggestion of netizens, "Porridge Cake Lun" "Porridge Cake" starts a "national cake tour". "Porridge Cake" is usually invited by the event organizer - in order to increase popularity, the event organizer usually invites some Internet celebrities to help out on site, and "Porridge Cake Lun" is invited to the event venue to display The venue and required equipment for making egg-filled cakes are provided by the organizer. Lin Feng is responsible for the contract and process of the "Porridge Cake" activity.
"Porridge Cake" is one of the few porridge cake stalls. After becoming popular, he did not make imitation videos or live stream sales. In the eyes of netizens, he became a clean star among copycat celebrities. According to "Porridge Cake Lun", the reason why he did not participate in these online activities was very clear. Simple - because he can't.
He is not good at words, doesn't like to talk, and can't sing. After becoming popular, he still doesn't understand the Internet. He often broadcasts live broadcasts. Someone asked him to sing a few lines of Jay Chou's songs during the live broadcasts, and he patiently explained. He said he really doesn’t know how. He doesn’t carry goods. He once put up a small yellow cart for viewers to place orders during a live broadcast. The products inside were several brands of premade sausages. Some live broadcast viewers asked him which brand was the best. , he was afraid that he would make the wrong recommendation to others, so he simply stopped selling
. He tried to learn video editing by himself, but after tinkering for an entire night, he still couldn’t do it, so he gave up when no one helped him shoot videos. Take a video and publish it directly.
He is simply wary of things he doesn’t understand. He is afraid of falling into a trap because he doesn’t understand it, and he is also afraid of causing trouble to others. After it becomes popular, media organizations will flock to it. , there are 99+ unread messages every day when I open the backend of Douyin, all of them are looking for cooperation with "Porridge Cake Lun". There are also mcn organizations who directly find the place where he sets up a stall, and want to photograph him and continue this kind of "star-making". Situation.
A media company in Baoding once approached "Porridge Cake Lun" to cooperate. He didn't understand the twists and turns, and signed a contract with the other party. The other party wanted him to live broadcast the goods in the future, and gave him 3,000 yuan a month. Many months later, he felt that he had been cheated, so he ended the cooperation and never signed a contract with the company again. “We have limited academic qualifications and can’t understand. This thing is unreliable. "He said.
From the perspective of "Porridge Cake Lun", everything on the Internet is unreliable and short-lasting. The only thing that is reliable is your own craftsmanship. "I can not only make cakes, but also make breakfast, steamed buns and fried dough sticks. . "He said.
In Lin Feng's view, this is the valuable thing about "Porridge Bing Lun" and what distinguishes him from other "Jay Lun".After "Porridge Cake Lun" became popular, many "Jay Lun" approached Lin Feng one after another and wanted to cooperate with him. "They can't do it." Lin Feng said, "They don't have any skills, they just want to make money on the Internet." Lin Feng said that in order to be closer to Jay Chou, many imitators go to make-up, plastic surgery, and even hair transplants, and have the same style of sideburns as Jay Chou. Find a video on the Internet from a similar angle to Jay Chou and imitate Jay Chou singing.
"But none of them are popular." Lin Feng said, "The more people want to be popular, the more they fail to become popular."
"No one can be popular for a lifetime"
"Porridge Cake Lun" can hardly tell what changes he has made before and after he became popular. In his opinion, the biggest change is that more people are patronizing his business. Whenever the media asks this question, he always says that he is grateful to the Internet and also to Jay Chou.
But the Internet will always bring different voices and doubts. Recently, "Porridge Cake Lun" caused controversy due to his involvement in a commercial performance held by another Jay Chou imitator "Heilun". "Heilun" held a bar tour in many places in June. The ticket price for one of the tours was as high as 6,000 yuan. During the event, "Porridge Cake Lun" and Heilun "combined", which aroused doubts and criticism from Jay Chou fans. resist. Some media issued an article questioning, saying that Zorbing Lun, who has always been called "Qingliu", has also begun to participate in activities that rely on Jay Chou to monetize, which means that it is difficult to keep his true intentions in the era of traffic.
"Porridge Cake Lun" felt aggrieved. He said that he was only invited by the organizer to make egg-filled cakes, and his tickets were confiscated. There was no consumption threshold for selling cakes. During the event, "Porridge Cake Lun" was called on stage by the organizer to deliver cakes. The audience shouted his name and asked him to sing with "Heilun". "I said at that time that I can't sing. This is not my stage. I am just selling cakes outside." "Porridge Cake Lun" explained.
In Lin Feng’s opinion, the biggest change in “Porridge Cake Lun” in the past two years is that “he has become more like an Internet celebrity.” Compared with the restraint three years ago, "Porridge Cake Lun" can now face the camera calmly and introduce himself to the photographer's lens.
But there are some things that have not changed. For example, he still sets out at 8 a.m. and closes the stall at 5 p.m. He has to make more than 300 pie crusts in advance every night, and sometimes he can be busy until 0 a.m. For example, after closing the stall every day, he would still collect the beverage bottles used by customers, put them in plastic bags, and take them home to sell them for some money.
Put away plastic bottles (Photo by Jimu News reporter Li Ying)
He doesn’t care about many things. Some people criticized him for taking advantage of Jay Chou's popularity, but he didn't explain it and didn't care too much. After he became popular, more and more people around him called him "Brother Pan" or "Brother Lun". Few people remembered that his surname was Bai. It doesn't matter, "You can call it whatever you like."
But he is also very serious about some things. Lin Feng said that a media company wanted to make a video for "Porridge Cake Lun", and the other party wanted him to lower the price of egg-filled cakes from 8 yuan to 7 yuan to correspond with Jay Chou's song "Love in the West (7) Yuan B.C." . "Porridge Cake Lun" disagreed. He was unwilling to affect the cake-making business just for the sake of popularity. "But during the pancake tour, he could accept selling each pancake for 7 yuan, because the crust of the pancake during the pancake tour was smaller, and he felt that he could sell it at a lower price." Lin Feng said.
Lin Feng has already helped "Porridge Cake Lun" arrange the next "Cake Tour" activity. He has worked in entertainment operations before and can always see through the traps in contracts at a glance. "Usually when this happens, I just send a voice message on WeChat, 'Are you fooling fools?' Then they don't say anything. They may think that the cake guy is honest and doesn't understand the contract, so they just fool him to death."
Last year, Raymond Lam Invited by a friend who is currently filming videos for "Porridge Cake Lun", I came to Baoding to run the "Porridge Cake Lun" event. He doesn't know how long "Porridge Cake Lun" will be popular. The popularity of the Internet is always fleeting. It may only take three seconds for the next person to be favored by the traffic to appear. Lin Feng is not worried. He met many organizers during the matchmaking event. He feels that if the popularity of "Bake Brother" dissipates one day, these bosses will provide him with a livelihood.
"Porridge Cake Lun" also feels that the traffic and popularity will eventually dissipate. “No one can be famous forever,” he said.He wanted to sell more cakes and make more money while people were still paying attention.
Porridge Cake Lun is cleaning up the stall (Photo by Jimu News reporter Li Ying)
At 5 o'clock in the evening, "Porridge Cake Lun" is preparing to close the stall. From time to time, customers came to the stall and asked if they could make another one. He replied: "Boss, I'm sorry, they are all sold out." In June, the local temperature had reached over 30 degrees Celsius, and he stood in front of the cake oven. One day, when I was closing the stall, I took off my disposable plastic gloves and my hands were white with sweat.
When the weather gets warmer, "Porridge Cake Lun" will not open its stall. He plans to go to Tianjin or Shijiazhuang to see if there are any suitable stores and want to open a small shop of his own. "(The Internet) is always short-lived. As long as I have skills, I will never be unable to make a living." He said.
(To protect the privacy of the interviewee, Lin Feng’s pseudonym is used in this article)
(Source: Jimu News)
