Editor's note: Brother Sharp, eat you heart out – there's a new beggar sensation in China and his name is Zhou Fei (周飞). Over the last month or so, Zhou Fei, the self described "most niu beggar in China" (henceforth referred to in this article as the "Badass Beggar") has been causing quite a stir online, with netizens claiming that he begs in designer suits, that he's been flying from city to city during his "begging tour" and even that his family owns a BMW. On March 14th, the Badass Beggar arrived in Xi'an, where he is presently "working". The following article was first published in the Xi'an Evening Paper, and introduces the Badass beggar, his backstory, and the controversy surrounding his unique begging methodology.

In the afternoon of March 19th, Zhou Fei (the Badass Beggar) was spotted in front of the entrance of the West Passenger Station in Xi'an. He was dressed in a Western-style suit, wearing sunglasses, and his hair was combed up into a dyed-red mohawk. In one hand, he was holding a Da Goubang (打狗棒) – literally a "stick you beat a dog with" – and in his other hand, he was pulling a piece of luggage covered with airplane baggage stickers. The Badass Beggar's primary source of begging income is charging people to have their photograph taken with him. His asking price is 1 RMB for a single person photo with him or 100 RMB for a group photo, although when asked about the pricing, he was quick to point out that "if you want to give me a little bit more than that, I won't stop you."

However, in this line of work, he's become used to people coming up to snap a photo of him and then running away without paying. When the Badass Beggar first showed up at the station, a crowd quickly gathered around him (he is an internet sensation after all), one after another getting out their phones or cameras to snap a quick photo. Showman that he is, Zhou Fei was more than willing to cooperate with them, immediately busting out a series of Badass Beggar poses. However, despite the huge gathering of people that flocked over to see him and to take his picture, most of them didn't pay, and not a single person had their picture taken with him. During the half hour that Zhou Fei spent posing, he earned a little over 60 RMB.

The Badass Beggar's "2012 Nationwide Begging Tour"

According to what Zhou Fei told reporters, he's originally from Xiaogan in Hubei Province, and has been wandering around China since he was 14 years old – 20+ years ago. During that time, he said his only source of income was what he made playing Chinese chess (象棋) on the street. But even then, his life was a bit of a crapshoot; sometimes earning several hundred RMB in a single day, and sometimes loosing everything he owned. Zhou Fei says that he only ever finished elementary school, but that he wasn't willing to resign himself to a life of manual labour, so last year he finally made the decision to become a "professional beggar".

Addressing netizens' accusations about his jetsetter lifestyle and his family owning a BMW, Zhou Fei readily admits that it's true that he normally flies between cities, but denies that he has any savings or that his family owns a luxury car: "Right now, on my person and in my bank account, I have about 200 RMB give or take, and a majority of what I earn begging is spent on the road."

In Xi'an, the 9th stop on the Badass Beggar's "nationwide begging tour", he told reporters that to date, the most money he has earned begging in a single day was in Wenzhou where he made over 1,000 RMB in just two hours. In addition to Xi'an, Zhou Fan has also stopped over in Wuhan, Chongqing, Sanya and Chengdu among other cities. The Badass Beggar's goal is to travel all over China, and maybe even become the world's "No.1 beggar" some day.

Sincere or scheming? Opinions vary on the Badass Beggar's motives

It should come as no surprise that Zhou Fei's unique approach to begging has stirred up a lot of emotions across China. Many people think that he is simply putting on a show; something which Zhou Fei adamantly denies, insisting that it's not an act and that he's simply marching to the beat of his own drum, trying to get by one step at a time.

In recent days, locals around Xi'an have been quick to voice their own opinions on the arrival of the Badass Beggar in their city. One resident, Mr Hu, believes that Zhou Fei's behaviour is purely sensationalist: "He touts himself as China's most famous beggar, walking around using the act of begging as some sort of artistic performance piece, but besides his fashionable appearance I don't think there's anything artistic about what he's doing." Mr Hu went on to say that if Zhou Fei really wanted to do some good for the public, he wouldn't be flying city to city; he'd travel by train or by bus and he'd donate the money that he saved to people in need. But until that happens, Mr Hu will continue to believe that Zhou Fei is doing this for his own amusement, and that he is simply capitalising on a begging method that no one has ever seen before.

But not everyone is so spiteful towards the Badass Beggar. One local university student told the reporter that what Zhou Fei is doing doesn't really go against any regulations, and that should be seen as an example of self-reliance. And after all, "Real or not, what he is doing is ultimately entertaining, which is more than can be said for all the other 'professional beggars' out there who rely on nagging and guilt-tripping to get your money."
 

Source: ifeng.com
 

Related links
Surprise! "Professional Beggars" May be Making More Money Than You
Charity in China: The Low Down on Street Begging
Chinese Netizens Vote "The Top 10 Male Web Sensations of 2010"

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Keywords: Zhoufei Chinese beggar sensation Most niu beggar in China Chinese netizens beggar reaction China flying suit wearing beggar