• Last year there were rumours of Disneyland possibly opening in Chengdu, but meanwhile our fine city has started its own ‘local Disney’ – which has gone viral on Chinese social media this week.
• A modest outdoor community fitness area in Yulin has gained the nickname “Chengdu Disney” as a result of music video by rapper Nuomi, drawing thousands of visitors eager to ride the seesaw and capture the moment. Crowd and noise control measures were taken by officials since last Saturday.
Only in China!
• Chengdu-Expat visited the tiny community fitness ourselves and found good vibes from the community (even though we had to keep our voices down) and happy faces – something that feels like it could only happen in Chengdu. The media has pointed out our very own Disney Playground highlights Chengdu’s happiness and inclusiveness – mentioning how different visitors of various ages and professions who were all enjoying the moment.
YES, Chengdu!
Youngsters flock to the fitness area to imitate Nuomi’s moves while rapping to his diss track.
The hashtag “Chengdu Disney” elicited considerable curiosity and discussion among netizens. Many were perplexed, having only heard of Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneylands, and questioned if Chengdu would be the next city to host the magical kingdom.
However, the talk was not about a new theme park, but rather a surprising turn of events involving Yulin Seventh Alley 玉林七巷三号, a modest community fitness area in Chengdu’s Wuhou District that became a viral phenomenon courtesy of a music video by rapper Nuomi.
The now famous Yulin community fitness area
A netizen posted a video of people gathered around the fitness equipment, taking turns posing and snapping photos. Many replicate the song’s lyrics while using the equipment. The location rose to prominence as the backdrop for Nuomi’s diss track against Xie Di, a judge who denied Nuomi a pass at The Rap of China 2024.
Xie’s decision upset Nuomi, who claimed he misinterpreted the rap song, which was for his grandfather rather than his grandmother. Xie’s suggestion to treat rap as a hobby also drew him away from his dreams of becoming a rapper. Nuomi composed a diss song for Xie with the refrain, “Xie Di, Xie Di, I want to diss you 谢帝谢帝, 我要diss 你.” Phonetically, it is similar to “Xie Di, I want Disney 谢帝谢帝, 我要迪士尼.”
