Community fitness center's viral ascent to fame as 'Chengdu Disney'
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 Yu Lin Seventh Alley, a modest community fitness area in Chengdu's Wuhou District that became a viral phenomenon courtesy of a music video by rapper Nuomi.
Youngsters flock to the fitness area to imitate Nuomi's moves while rapping to his diss track.
A netizen posted a video of people gathered around the fitness equipment, taking turns posing and snapping photos.
Some even replicated 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." Phonetically, it is similar to "Xie Di, I want Disney."
The region gained the nickname "Chengdu Disney" as a result of this humorous misunderstanding, drawing hundreds of visitors eager to capture the moment.
Nuomi's original MV of the song.
Young people take turns riding the see-saw fitness machine and singing the rap song.
However, the influx of young visitors perplexed the community's elderly residents. They find it unusual and annoying that so many people would line up to ride a see-saw machine.
Last Saturday, the local community management posted signs beside the equipment advising guests to line up in order, reduce noise to a minimum, and limit their visits to 10 minutes.
Police officials from the Yu Lin station sent staff to regulate the crowd and limit admission to the area, according to a Jiupai News article.
A sign that says "Chengdu Disney" is close to the fitness area.
The officers said that they had received dozens of complaints from locals and planned to continue restricting entry to maintain community peace.
Despite crowd control measures such as fences and signage, volunteers organized small groups for access to the site.
Many visitors stated that the viral videos and novelty factor drew them to the area. Some visitors made special trips before leaving Chengdu, anxious to share their experience on social media and stay current with the trendy topic.
They also remarked on Chengdu's inclusiveness, pointing out the different visitors of various ages and professions who were all enjoying the moment.
Wang told thepaper.cn that authorities had erected barriers at the community entrances and hired people to monitor access to the workout equipment, allowing for orderly photography but barring loud singing.
On April 5, Nuomi appealed to his supporters on social media to be respectful and not disturb the residents. He added that this is only where he shot the video; Xie Di doesn't even live there.
The area has been barricaded, and volunteers keep an eye on visitors.
