China woman in Ukraine cares for US$140,000 Bengal tiger, shares daily life online
A pet influencer from China has gone viral for raising a Bengal tiger worth more than one million yuan (US$140,000) and attracting over 4 million followers on mainland social media.
Gong is a young Chinese woman living in Ukraine with her boyfriend. They share a suburban villa with a white tiger, two serval wildcats, a black jaguar, and a Bernese Mountain Dog.
The couple have a 2,000-square-metre garden and a pool for the animals to enjoy.
In her videos, Gong says that because of the value of the big cat, they have named it 'Million Gong'.
She even paid an extra US$9,000 to skip the queue to buy it. Local officials regularly check the animals' papers and living conditions.
Gong said her boyfriend studied in Ukraine and bought property while living there. He also runs a rental business.
The couple now work full-time as content creators so they can spend more time with their animals.
Million Gong, a female born in April last year, now weighs around 70kg and could grow to 150kg as an adult.
She currently lives inside the villa, though Gong plans to build her a special outdoor compound as she gets bigger.
White tigers no longer exist in the wild, and there are only about 200 in captivity. In Chinese culture, they are seen as a sacred symbol of power and justice.
The animal's monthly food bill is about 15,000 yuan (US$2,000). That includes kilograms of beef plus snacks like chicken, rabbit, lamb, and vitamins.
She is toilet trained and goes to a designated spot, with another 1,200 yuan (US$170) spent monthly on disposable mats designed for urination and defecation indoors.
Million Gong often wrecks furniture, adding to the cost of her upkeep. Her owner said she might consider spaying her if no mate turns up.
Also, she once choked on beef from overeating, loves milk and chicken legs, hates baths and nail trims, and always grooms herself before bed.
While Gong studies, Million Gong lies beside her, plays with her pens and gently licks her hand.
Many netizens have fallen for what Gong calls her 'silly but adorable' tiger.
One online observer said: 'My heart is melting because of Million Gong! She is nothing like the king of beasts, just a spoiled little kitty.'
While another warned: 'No matter how cute she is now, be careful! Million Gong is still a carnivore.'
'Trust Gong and her boyfriend. They have the courage, knowledge, and enough money to raise a white tiger,' said a third. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
China woman in Ukraine cares for US$140,000 Bengal tiger, shares daily life online
A pet influencer from China has gone viral for raising a Bengal tiger worth more than one million yuan (US$140,000) and attracting over 4 million followers on mainland social media. Gong is a young Chinese woman living in Ukraine with her boyfriend. They share a suburban villa with a white tiger, two serval wildcats, a black jaguar, and a Bernese Mountain Dog. The couple have a 2,000-square-metre garden and a pool for the animals to enjoy. In her videos, Gong says that because of the value of the big cat, they have named it 'Million Gong'. She even paid an extra US$9,000 to skip the queue to buy it. Local officials regularly check the animals' papers and living conditions. Gong said her boyfriend studied in Ukraine and bought property while living there. He also runs a rental business. The couple now work full-time as content creators so they can spend more time with their animals. Million Gong, a female born in April last year, now weighs around 70kg and could grow to 150kg as an adult. She currently lives inside the villa, though Gong plans to build her a special outdoor compound as she gets bigger. White tigers no longer exist in the wild, and there are only about 200 in captivity. In Chinese culture, they are seen as a sacred symbol of power and justice. The animal's monthly food bill is about 15,000 yuan (US$2,000). That includes kilograms of beef plus snacks like chicken, rabbit, lamb, and vitamins. She is toilet trained and goes to a designated spot, with another 1,200 yuan (US$170) spent monthly on disposable mats designed for urination and defecation indoors. Million Gong often wrecks furniture, adding to the cost of her upkeep. Her owner said she might consider spaying her if no mate turns up. Also, she once choked on beef from overeating, loves milk and chicken legs, hates baths and nail trims, and always grooms herself before bed. While Gong studies, Million Gong lies beside her, plays with her pens and gently licks her hand. Many netizens have fallen for what Gong calls her 'silly but adorable' tiger. One online observer said: 'My heart is melting because of Million Gong! She is nothing like the king of beasts, just a spoiled little kitty.' While another warned: 'No matter how cute she is now, be careful! Million Gong is still a carnivore.' 'Trust Gong and her boyfriend. They have the courage, knowledge, and enough money to raise a white tiger,' said a third. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
Malaysian Reserve
8 hours ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Monsters and memes: Labubu dolls ride China soft-power wave
SHANGHAI – Small, fuzzy and baring sharp teeth, Chinese toymaker Pop Mart's Labubu monster dolls have taken over the world, drawing excited crowds at international stores and adorning the handbags of celebrities such as Rihanna and Cher. Beijing-based Pop Mart is part of a rising tide of Chinese cultural exports gaining traction abroad, furry ambassadors of a 'cool' China even in places associated more with negative public opinion of Beijing such as Europe and North America. Labubus, which typically sell for around $40, are released in limited quantities and sold in 'blind boxes', meaning buyers don't know the exact model they will receive. The dolls are 'a bit quirky and ugly and very inclusive, so people can relate', interior designer Lucy Shitova told AFP at a Pop Mart store in London, where in-person sales of Labubus have been suspended over fears that fans could turn violent in their quest for the toys. 'Now everything goes viral… because of social media. And yes, it's cool. It's different.' While neighbouring East Asian countries South Korea and Japan are globally recognised for their high-end fashion, cinema and pop songs, China's heavily censored film and music industry have struggled to attract international audiences, and the country's best-known clothing exporter is fast-fashion website Shein. There have been few success stories of Chinese companies selling upmarket goods under their own brands, faced with stereotypes of cheap and low-quality products. 'It has been hard for the world's consumers to perceive China as a brand-creating nation,' the University of Maryland's Fan Yang told AFP. Pop Mart has bucked the trend, spawning copycats dubbed by social media users as 'lafufus' and detailed YouTube videos on how to verify a doll's authenticity. Brands such as designer womenswear label Shushu/Tong, Shanghai-based Marchen and Beijing-based handbag maker Songmont have also gained recognition abroad over the past few years. 'It might just be a matter of time before even more Chinese brands become globally recognisable,' Yang said. Through viral exports like Labubu, China is 'undergoing a soft-power shift where its products and image are increasingly cool among young Westerners', said Allison Malmsten, an analyst at China-based Daxue Consulting. Malmsten said she believed social media could boost China's global image 'similar to that of Japan in the 80s to 2010s with Pokemon and Nintendo'. Video app TikTok — designed by China's ByteDance — paved the way for Labubu's ascent when it became the first Chinese-branded product to be indispensable for young people internationally. Joshua Kurlantzick from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) told AFP that 'TikTok probably played a role in changing consumers' minds about China'. TikTok, which is officially blocked within China but still accessible with VPN software, has over one billion users, including what the company says is nearly half of the US population. The app has become a focus of national security fears in the United States, with a proposed ban seeing American TikTok users flock to another Chinese app, Rednote, where they were welcomed as digital 'refugees'. A conduit for Chinese social media memes and fashion trends, TikTok hosts over 1.7 million videos about Labubu. Cultural exports can 'improve the image of China as a place that has companies that can produce globally attractive goods or services', CFR's Kurlantzick told AFP. 'I don't know how much, if at all, this impacts images of China's state or government,' he said, pointing to how South Korea's undeniable soft power has not translated into similar levels of political might. While plush toys alone might not translate into actual power, the United States' chaotic global image under the Trump presidency could benefit perceptions of China, the University of Maryland's Yang said. 'The connection many make between the seeming decline of US soft power and the potential rise in China's global image may reflect how deeply intertwined the two countries are in the minds of people whose lives are impacted by both simultaneously,' she told AFP. At the very least, Labubu's charms appear to be promoting interest in China among the younger generation. 'It's like a virus. Everyone just wants it,' Kazakhstani mother-of-three Anelya Batalova told AFP at Pop Mart's theme park in Beijing. Qatari Maryam Hammadi, 11, posed for photos in front of a giant Labubu statue. 'In our country, they love Labubu,' she said. 'So, when they realise that the origin of Labubu is in China, they'd like to come to see the different types of Labubu in China.' –AFP
The Star
10 hours ago
- The Star
Pixar has its worst box-office opening ever with 'Elio'
Pixar knew that Elio (pic), an original space adventure, would most likely struggle in its first weekend at the box office. Animated movies based on original stories have become harder sells in theatres, even for the once-unstoppable Pixar. At a time when streaming services have proliferated and the broader economy is unsettled, families want assurance that spending the money for tickets will be worth it. But the turnout for Elio was worse – much worse – than even Pixar had expected. The film cost at least US$250mil to make and market. It collected an estimated US$21mil from the evening of June 19 to June 22 at theatres in North America, according to Comscore, which compiles box-office data. It was Pixar's worst opening-weekend result. The previous bottom was Elemental , which arrived to US$30mil in 2023. In May, when the Elio marketing campaign began to hit high gear, Pixar and its corporate owner, Disney, had hoped that it would, in the worst-case scenario, match the Elemental number. Instead, it fell 30% short. In wide release overseas, Elio collected an additional US$14mil, on a par with the initial international results for Elemental . Quality did not appear to be a factor. Reviews for Elio were mostly positive, and ticket buyers gave the movie an A grade in CinemaScore exit polls. The Rotten Tomatoes audience score stood at 91% positive on June 22. On June 22, Disney said it hoped a broader audience would find Elio over the coming weeks. The company pointed to Elemental , which overcame weak initial sales to ultimately collect nearly US$500mil worldwide. – ©2025 The New York Times Company
