News

Viral Chinese Olympic medalist helps at parents’ restaurant upon return

Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin was seen helping her family's restaurant in Hengyang, Hunan province, China, after returning home with a silver medal from the Paris Olympics. The 18-year-old first-time Olympian gained online fame for her adorable reaction during the medal ceremony for the women’s gymnastics balance beam event on Aug. 5.

Serving diners: The video, originally uploaded to Douyin and later re-shared on X, shows Zhou busy serving a bowl of food to diners while wearing her Olympic uniform. On Aug. 11, Zhou promoted her family’s business on Weibo, inviting her followers and fans to come for a meal.

What they’re saying: One Douyin user praised Zhou’s hardworking nature in their comment under Hengyang Daily’s post, writing, “We people from Hunan are diligent and hardworking.” Meanwhile, X users were thrilled by the thought that they could meet an Olympic medalist in China on any given day, as one person exclaimed, “So what ur(sic) saying is I can meet her if I go to her restaurant rn (right now)?”

News

Check out China’s “Orange County”

Did you know that China has its own version of California’s Orange County? Just an hour’s drive from Beijing, a meticulously designed suburban community developed in the early 2000s has captured attention on social media over its sprawling palm trees, landscaped yards and even a man-made lake.

About the community: China’s Orange County, developed by Beijing real estate mogul Zhang Bo in collaboration with Newport Beach architects and Orange County designers, is a gated community that mirrors Southern California’s suburban lifestyle. Locally known as “Ju Jun,” it was designed to cater to China’s new upwardly mobile class, embracing Western aspirations with an American-style layout, including amenities like central heating systems, basement recreation rooms and high-tech kitchens. Despite the cultural divide, the project’s first phase sold out rapidly, dubbed the “Orange Storm” by local media.

What people are saying: Residents and buyers were thrilled by glimpse of the American lifestyle the community offers. Documentary filmmaker Xiao Qingchun, who purchased a $300,000 model home in 2001, told the Los Angeles Times it was “very American.” Still, developers paid attention to local preoccupations, including feng shui. “In appearances, it's totally unlike other Chinese compounds, but more than that, we have the river to the south and the mountains to the north. The feng shui is excellent — it gives you the feeling of coming home,” lawyer and homeowner 'Liang Haijing told the New York Times in 2003.

Crime

Two arrested in home invasion ring linked to murder of Asian photographer

On Thursday, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests of two suspects, Kevin Thissel, 28, and Chris Johnson, 23, in connection with a home invasion ring in western Washington, believed to be responsible for the 2022 murder of Irah Sok during a break-in in South Everett. 

Catch up: Sok, a Filipino photographer in her 30s, was tragically killed on Aug. 19, 2022, after three masked men broke into her home, shot her while she was in bed with her son and injured her husband. The suspects also ransacked the residence, stealing luxury items before fleeing the scene. The family and their community, deeply affected by the loss, previously held a vigil to honor Sok's life. 

Charges: The suspects, charged with multiple felonies including first-degree murder and kidnapping, are part of a larger criminal group targeting Asian families in King, Snohomish and Skagit Counties. The crimes, carried out by masked men impersonating police officers, included several armed robberies and the kidnapping of victims. The suspects face potential life sentences, and the investigation continues as authorities seek additional suspects. The community is urged to assist in the ongoing investigation.

Crime

Seattle man confesses to killing girlfriend days before her 26th birthday

Seattle Police detectives are investigating a homicide in a flooded townhome in the Olympic Hills neighborhood of North Seattle. Court documents reveal disturbing details about the death of Zoey He, a 25-year-old woman who was visiting from Hawaii and was the girlfriend of the suspect Andy Chu, who has admitted to possibly being responsible for her death.

What happened: On Aug. 10, police responded to a welfare check on Northeast 133rd Street, where they found a bathtub full of water, a running sink and the victim lying on her back with a throat laceration and an ice pack on her neck. Security footage shows the couple entering the home the evening before, but Chu was seen leaving alone the next morning. Neighbors discovered the woman’s body after noticing water leaking from the home just two days before her 26th birthday.

Suspect arrested: Chu was later arrested at a hospital after allegedly assaulting a nurse. He was reportedly taken to the hospital by friends due to “psychotic behavior.” He later confessed to police that he had a "crisis condition," and recalled “choking [Zoey], twisting her neck, holding her down underwater in the tub,” before trying to revive her by “sprinkling Acai powder all over her” and “placing a ball similar to a golf ball in her mouth to fix her jaw.” Chu also admitted to taking two doses of the drug molly and expressed uncertainty about the reality of his memories. He was booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Assault and Homicide. Chu's bail is set at $5 million, with his next court date scheduled for Aug. 28.

Crime

Search continues for Virginia mom missing for 2 weeks

Search efforts continue for Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a 28-year-old Nepalese mother and nurse who was last seen in Manassas Park, Virginia, on July 31. On Thursday, police released a timeline of events surrounding the case and listed Bhatt as an  “Involuntary/Critical Missing Person.”

The details: Bhatt was last seen at her workplace, UVA Health Prince William Medical Center, on July 27. She was last seen by her husband on July 31. Her co-workers requested a welfare check on Aug. 2, and while police say her husband initially “did not want to report her as missing” during the check, he eventually contacted them on Aug. 5 to report her disappearance. Nadia Navarro, Bhatt’s friend who created a Facebook page and launched a GoFundMe campaign to aid her search, told Inside Nova that she received a call from Bhatt on July 28 but was unable to return it. 

What they’re saying: Bhatt has lived in the U.S. since 2021. Friends and members of the Nepalese community attended a rally on Aug. 12 in support of the missing mother, who has a 10-month-old daughter. “This is unlike her. So, you know, I'm so much worried and it's been many days,” her friend Sunita Basnet Thapa told NBC 4 Washington. Meanwhile, Bhatt’s husband, who could not attend the rally as he was caring for their daughter, said, “I need to find her as soon as possible, using all the tools, community, society, police.”

News

Chinese woman loses final appeal in landmark egg-freezing case

Teresa Xu, a 36-year-old women’s rights activist, lost her final appeal to freeze her eggs earlier this month, concluding a five-year legal battle against a Beijing hospital. On Aug. 6, the Beijing No. 3 Intermediate People's Court upheld a prior ruling that denied her the right to preserve her eggs due to her unmarried status.

Years-long battle: Xu first sought to freeze her eggs in 2018 but was denied treatment by the Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital. The hospital argued that assisted reproductive technology is only available to married couples with fertility issues, citing legal and health concerns. In response, Xu filed a lawsuit in 2019, asserting that the refusal infringed on her rights.

Xu’s fight continues: Xu's case, the first of its kind in China, has garnered significant attention to the restrictive reproductive policies that disproportionately affect single women. Despite the unfavorable court ruling, Xu vowed to continue advocating for single women's reproductive rights. "Regardless of the outcome, I am proud of what we have been doing together," she stated in a video uploaded to social media.

Final Bites

Activists rally for justice in Fort Lee shooting of Victoria Lee: Community leaders and activists rallied outside the Fort Lee Community Center to demand justice for Victoria Lee, a 26-year-old Korean American fatally shot by police during a mental health crisis. The rally, which included representatives from AAPI, the People’s Organization for Progress and Black Lives Matter, called for accountability for the officers involved and emphasized the need for mental health professionals rather than police in such situations. The United Black Agenda also expressed solidarity with the Asian community, acknowledging the widespread pain and outrage this incident has caused. “We share in the grief over the loss of another person of color under circumstances that demand serious scrutiny, accountability and policy change…We are in this together — and together, we will continue to push for the changes necessary to protect and uplift all,” the coalition said in a statement.

“Destiny’s Child” graduates with honors in the Philippines: A photo of a banner congratulating a college student named Kelandria Michelle Beyonce A. Cruz for earning her degree and graduating cum laude in the Philippines has gone viral on social media. “She’s literally Destiny’s CHILD,” an X user wrote, referencing her first name that includes all three final members of the iconic R&B group (albeit with a slight spelling difference with Kelendria “Kelly” Rowland). Cruz, a food and service management major, humorously acknowledged her now-viral status and revealed that her father was a Destiny’s Child fan. “Hope this gets noticed by Destiny’s Child, especially idol Beyonce,” she jokingly added, tagging the “Cowboy Carter” singer.

China’s “most handsome Shaolin monk” dies in car accident: Qiu Feng, dubbed as China’s “most handsome Shaolin monk,” died at the age of 21 on Aug. 8. Qiu was en route to a charity performance in Zhejiang province when his private hire car collided with a truck on the Zhejiang Zhuyong Highway on Aug. 7. The car’s driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while Qiu, who suffered “multiple impacts” to his head, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital the following evening. Qiu’s temple mourned the loss of one of its monks, with a senior staff telling Chinese media, “He was a positive and motivated person, still very young, with an outgoing personality. He was always respectful to everyone.”

“Super Rich in Korea” star David Yong granted $759K bail amid fraud charges: David Yong, the 37-year-old star of Netflix's "Super Rich in Korea" and CEO of Evergreen Group Holdings, was granted bail in Singapore for 1 million Singaporean dollars ($759,400) after being charged with fraud. Yong is accused of falsifying tax claims, leading to a reported profit of 7,984,266 Singaporean dollars ($6 million) for Evergreen GH, a subsidiary of his company. Authorities set the high bail due to his overseas connections and concerns about unaccounted funds. Yong, whose next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 27, faces a potential sentence of up to 10 years in jail and a fine if found guilty.

Japan becomes “hotspot” for UFO activity: A report on the U.S. Defense Department’s new website, which provides information about unidentified flying objects (UFOs), now referred to as unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), classified Japan as a “hot spot” for UAP sightings in late August 2023. In response to this designation, the Japanese government launched an 80-member non-partisan group, including former defense ministers, to enhance the country’s capabilities in detecting and analyzing UAP sightings in June 2024. Japan has recorded many UAP incidents over the past decades, with the most notable being the 1972 Kochi Prefecture case, where a miniature UAP was allegedly captured; the 1974 sightings of multiple UAP in Hokkaido Prefecture and the 1975 UAP incident in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, in which two boys claim to have encountered an alien. These three incidents are often referred to as the “big three” UAP phenomena in Japan.