Overview

Qian Zhijun was 16 when a photo of him at a road safety class was posted on the internet by one of his teachers in 2002. Soon after, the pic began showing up in internet forums.

People throughout China were photoshopping his face onto movie posters and famous portraits. In no time, he became known throughout China as Xiao Ping, or "Little Fatty."

Viral Spread

By early 2003, the trend of photoshopping Little Fatty had reached the US's popular forums, like Fark, Something Awful, Worth1000, and eBaum's World

Although Qian was initially mortified by being known internationally as "Little Fatty," he eventually learned to embrace his fame. In 2006, the Times Online called him "one of the most famous faces in China", Reuters proclaimed "Little Fatty Rules Chinese Web" and many other publications had similar praises.

In 2007, he began hosting a cooking show for China FoodTV!

The same year he went on to have a role as Liu Chan, the last emporer of the Shu Kingdom, in the blockbuster film Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon starring Maggie Q, Andy Lau, and Sammo Hung.

Followup

Qian has used his fame to become a spokesman for awareness of Chinese obesity.

"Now my feeling has changed. If you always feel depressed, then you feel uncomfortable. Now I can view this event with a calm mind, and I feel released," said Qian.

His official web site www.xiaopang.cn features a forum for overweight people and offers dieting advice and support.