China's New Susan Boyle - Zhu Zhiwen

I am not a big fan of neither Pop Idol from UK nor American Idol, or any other spin-off from the UK's Pop Idol around the world.  However, Susan Boyle's name came to my horizon the next morning after she sang "I Dreamed  a Dream" in a such reality show in UK.   Indeed, the media have demonstrated their power again.  This time, they made a seemly ordinary person well known around the world overnight.  The days followed, virtually everyone talked about Susan Boyle.  Her performance had been shown again and again on our TV and radio.  Her anecdotes were even mentioned in one of my local minority community radio show.  In a particular episode of Money  Radio, a family financial advisory show, the host, Mr. Sau-Wing Lam(林修榮, or 林修荣), talked about her and the inspiration of ordinary people having potential of being successful in their life.

 Looking back now, after I watched the performance of a contestant regarded as China's new Susan Boyle in a Chinese Idol show,  I began to think deeply about this phenomenon, not because of my doubt of ordinary people being able to be successful in real life, but rather, the different treatments received between the two "Susan Boyle" by the our media here.  Susan Boyle in UK has well received in the world, and yet this "Susan Boyle", who has the similar background and most importantly also has spectacular voice as Ms Boyle,  has got virtually no intentions in the media here despite the fact that almost everyone in China knows him.  I am talking about 1.3 billions or more people in the other part of the world.  This drives me think that,  as an ordinary resident here living in the US, I really wonder now what else we could have missed from the rest of the world!

 Frankly, I didn't know this ordinary farmer named Zhu Zhiwen(朱之文), his amazing voice and his singing talent despite he's become well known in China since the beginning of this year.  I discovered him by chance here from the Internet when I tried to go over some versions of my favorite song, "Love in Vain(枉凝眉)", the theme song of "Hong Lou Meng" or "Dream of Red Chamber".  One singer's voice caught my attention.  Although I am not an artist, his distinct voice attracted me.  Searching him revealed that he is China's new Susan Boyle!  He is a farmer who loves to sing but without any formal musical education. He's taught himself music and kept practicing singing for more than twenty years.  He took part in Chinese Idol in the begining of this year, and his singing surprised everyone immediately.  Some say that his singing is even better than some professional singers in China.   He suddenly became China's new Susan Boyle!

 Zhu Zhiwen in Chinese Idol

 Although Mr. Zhu became famous in China, little is known about him here, even within the Chinese community.  Obviously, Mr. Zhu is not the real Susan Boyle well known in this part of the world.  I think that Susan Boyle really owes our mainstream media a big thanks for being today's her.  For China's new Susan Boyle, I just hope that this honest farmer wouldn't become jealous about the real Susan Boyle.  At the same time, I hope people here like myself won't continue to become too ignorant about things happening in other parts of our world.  However, I know it will be very challenging for our media are only interested in our own stories, the stories in our Western world to be precise.  Yours aren't our business, and we have absolute controlling power over what our people should know.

Love in Vain - with Yu Wenhua, who led him to CCTV's stage