If you've been to Jinli recently, you might have noticed a Golden Retriever toting a basket around.



The three-year-old dog, named Niuniu, was trained by its owner, a retired Chengdu citizen who lives near Jinli, to pick up litter and deposit in the basket it carries in its mouth.

Once Niuniu appeared on the 'net, Chengdu netizens voted the dog "Most Environmentally Friendly Dog."

See more photos of Niuniu in action here.

Chengdu Commercial Daily

After last week's "most handsome trash picker" Suining fights back with its very own "Hotcakes Heartthrob" and ups the ante with a side story of a quest for love. While the "trashanova" might be easy on the eyes, in the end, his wanderlust makes him less of a candidate for conquering hearts than Mr. Gong, with his romantic red, heart-emblazoned billboard. Suining is a prefecture-level city of about 4 million in the eastern part of Sichuan.

Evidently, sexy snack sellers are great fodder for local media. In the past year, Suining's Smelly Tofu Beauty, the leg-baring Jiuyan Qiao Pineapple Lady, and the Hunan Hotcakes Hottie have all made headlines. The latter, perhaps the most sensational of the stories, went from greasy stand to full-on shop in a matter of months, after the media reported about the mysterious hunky snack vendor in Changsha.

The media's latest Rico Suave-in-rags is a 23-year-old Suining shuaige looking for love via his Shandong-pancake stand. Here's our rough translation and compilation of the Sichuan Sina and later Sichuan News reports.

The scene: A young Suining man who's set up his own Shandong pancake business. Standing next to him is his "Pancake Beauty" wife. What would you think? "Great! Support this kind of brave young man in his pursuit of love" or "No, that's suspicious; he's just trying to boost business by imitating the Hunan Hotcakes Hottie?" or "Whatever, to each his own."

A 23-year-old Suining man makes "Shandong Pancakes" and hopes that meanwhile he finds his other half

"I come from a village, I'm 1.79 meters tall ... I'm looking for a girlfriend who shares the same hopes and dreams to sell pancakes and start a new life with!" On the evening of the 6th, beside the "Shandong Pancakes" stand on Suining's Little East Street, a very good-looking young man spreads out his pancake-making implements and then rests a red marriage advertisement that reads "Sincerely seeking girlfriend" next to his stand. This sign beside his stand immediately invited controversy among the city residents. This young man has been called by quite a few residents "the best-looking, coolest pancake brother."

An ongoing experiment

This Shandong pancake-selling young man is named Gong Hong. He's 23 this year, and he's from Suining city's Baima Town in the Anju District. Although he won't admit it, he's very good-looking, standing no less than 1.79 meters tall. In 2005, after Gong Hong finished military service, he went to Guangdong, Shandong, and other places in search of work. At the peak of his labor career, Gong Hong had had his share of life's hardships, but at the same time, his will had strengthened and his knowledge and experience increased.

Last October, Gong Hong returned to Suining to prepare a new undertaking. Every day Gong Hong roamed the big streets and small alleys of the city in search of business opportunities. One day, walking down the street, his stomach rumbling with hunger, he saw, right in front of his eyes at the side of the road a pancake stand. He bought one of the cakes to satisfy his hunger.

As soon as he bit into this very ordinary-tasting pancake, he was instantly inspired: Three years prior, when he had been working in Shandong, he'd eaten a most delicious fried pancake. "In Suining, I'll open a pancake shop. If the cakes taste as good as those in Shandong, business will certainly be popping."

Gong Hong immediately went online to check ingredients for the pancakes. It was an ongoing experiment with repeated revisions to find a taste that suited the local Sichuanese. Finally he came up with a flaky, crisp, fragrant, tender pancake--the "Shandong Pancake." On January 20 of this year, Gong Hong's Shandong Pancake Stand was formally open for business.

Going Public

Seeking the heart's true "Pancake Beauty"

Tall, handsome Gong Hong, who had spent the last few years wandering north and south, east and west, at 23 still has never had a girlfriend. Gong Hong said by selling pancakes he'd like to buy a house and a car and find a wife.

"I come from the village, I'm 1.79 meters tall, I have a village hukou, my will is not yet exhausted and I'm facing a new tomorrow. I've chosen to set up my own business and am looking for a girlfriend who can share my hopes and dreams to sell pancakes with me and start a new life with. You: At least 1.6 meters tall, high-school or better education, good personality ... ." At 6:30 on the evening of the 6th, Gong Hong laid this "Sincerely Seeking Business-Partner/Girlfriend" notice on red board next to his pancakes stand.

"I've had the idea to put up a sign saying I'm looking for marriage for a long time," he said. He hopes to find a girlfriend with the same ambitions as him to do business with and share a future with. On July 15, he made a sign on a piece of white paper, but his friends who saw it said that white paper wasn't visible enough, and so he spent 20 yuan for a professionally made red sign. From then on, girls one after the other would send him text messages, looking to make friends.

"I came to your pancake stand today to eat a pancake and saw you. You're hot!" Every day, girls send him text messages like this. More than 20 girls have sent him messages, and seven regularly contact him.

Most of the females who contact Hong Gong are around 22 years old. Among them are a nurse, a fresh university graduate, a sales clerk, etc., and they're all happy to openly tell him their state of affairs. And whenever Hong Gong receives a text message, he eagerly replies.

Why does he want to find a girl who's willing to sell pancakes with him? Gong Hong described his life: At 4:30 he pushes his cart down the street, calling out to passersby; by nightfall he's standing with his cart at the door of the local KTV bar. Usually it'll be 2 in the morning before he can pack up his stand and go home. "I go about all of my business affairs by myself, of course it's tough and tiring. If there were another person with me, a girl to share both the bitter and the sweet times, it would just make all the rough and tiring times less difficult." Gong Hong smiled and said his future girlfriend will become the "Pancake Beauty." But it's not certain that a family-run shop can be turned into a successful chain store.

The people speak

Next to the "Sincerely Seeking Business-Partner/Girlfriend" sign an outcry of criticism arose from citizens huddled around. "Are you looking for a business partner or a life companion? Is this a commercial advertisement or a personals notification?" Some of the city folk think the young man's means of looking for a wife is lacking in soundness. "Contaminating the purity of love with the stench of business like this won't help him in finding the life companion he hopes for."

Ambassador for greening China's culinary arts and renowned Sichuan chef Xie Junxian seems to affirm Gong Hong's actions. It was Xie Junxian who said, how is it possible for work (business) partners not to become life partners? The sublime emotions during struggling to start something new, this kind of love has a strong foundation. Most of the city residents feel that Gong Hong certainly has courage and give him their support.

Even in light of the naysayers, Gong Hong appears unfazed. He said, "I'm just looking for my other half. I'm going my own way. People can say what they want." Since putting up his "seeking a wife" sign, Gong Hong has already received more than 10 phone calls. "There was even an elderly woman who called me to say that she'll introduce me to her niece." On top of that, even more people have sent him text messages to show Gong Hong their support and encouragement.

Although the nature of his business is rough, his income now is higher than that of all the jobs he had working for others. Also, with all the encouragement, he is sure he'll press on and turn his little business into a big one. And to himself he says that love is within reach, he'll find a girl who shares his hopes and dreams.

As of this post, 218 QQ readers voted that this story was "funny." Another 77 were "happy" after reading it; 61 were "bored"; 35 felt "confused," and 32 were "moved."

In a separate poll asking readers' opinions about the story, 42.5 percent voted "Fantastic! I support this brave young man seeking love!" while 26.76 percent voted "I'm suspicious. This is a stunt to boost his own business" and 18.76 percent voted "Whatever, to each his own." Finally, 11.98 percent voted "He sure is handsome; isn't he just imitating the Hunan Hotcakes Hottie?"

Image: Sina

With "Chinese Valentine's Day" in the air, here comes the story of "The Most Handsome Trash-digger." The story, widely reproduced on Chinese websites, seems to have been first published in the Chengdu Shangbao. Our rough translation is below:

"The most handsome trash-digger seems as cool as a movie star; by scavenging, he's been able to travel to over 10 cities"

With an elegant way of speaking, standing around 1.8 meters tall, a figure resembling that of movie star Tong Chun-Chung (汤镇宗) ...

Recently, the area around Moziqiao at Shenxianshu has been haunted by a young trash-picker, attracting a lot of double-takes from passersby. After his photo appeared on online discussion forums, netizens bestowed upon him an unparalleled nickname: "The Most Handsome Scavenger of All Time."

After some minor setbacks, this reporter finally tracked down this handsome "post-80s" master of the bin. By this time, he had already traveled to more than 10 cities all over the country, just by scavenging recyclables out of the trash. He deftly collects bottles and scraps and when he amasses some money he'll go off to another city for more travels.

Posted online, his photo calls for close scrutiny

"This person is often around Shenxiansu, with an air of refinement, big eyes, hair in tight curls, quite handsome...," "From the back he looks like Tony Leung, from the side he looks like Hu Jun, from the front he looks like Tong Chun-Chung." On August 20, a post titled "The Most Handsome Trash-Picker of All Time" appeared on the Tianya Chengdu forums. The poster, "Qing Qian," related that on the street he had seen a handsome trash digger and used his mobile phone to take two photos of the scavenger. The post immediately caused a stir among netizens: "He's even wearing gloves, how professional!" "Hello! Handsome!" and even that classic line from Stephen Chow's movie was used by netizens to describe his appearance: "A man man like you, just like fireflies in the dark, as bright as that, as numerous as that, you with your eyes so sullen, with the air of one breath you betray yourself."

One moment, the netizens were discussing the authenticity of the post; the next, they were commenting on the identity of the trash-digger. Some believed this "handsome brother" is really living life, others believe it's completely disgusting, but most said that if this person is really a scavenger depending on his own two hands to make money, he can't be faulted. "Labor is honorable, just because one is handsome he cannot scavenge?!"

His life: walking and scavenging is OK"

Right around the same time the "Most Handsome Trash-Picker of All Time" post exploded, coincidentally a woman in the city had announced to this reporter that she too had spotted a "handsome and elegant trash digger" on the street. The morning before yesterday, with the woman leading the way to Mozi Qiao, this reporter finally spotted this handsome trash picker. Height, about 1.8 meters, wearing a khaki fisherman's hat, grey short-sleeved shirt, and a pair of ankle-length trousers he cut himself. At this moment, his hands covered in white gloves, he was picking empty bottles out of a trash bin. Occasionally, when a piece of trash would fall outside the bin, he would bend over and return it to the bin. The brim of his hat was angled low, at the moment he straightened back up his face was revealed and the reporter couldn't help but exclaim, "He really looks like Tong Chun-Chung!"

As far as the reporter's visit, the young man seemed completely caught off guard, his clean face instantly turning red. He said, my family name is Liu, I'm from Ningxia, and I was born in 1984. When he heard that netizens had dubbed him "The Most Handsome Trash Digger of All Time," he said with a smile, "People have told me I'm good-looking, but I'm just a trash digger, how embarrassing!" Liu said he depends on his own two hands to make a living, he does what he wants to do, it's a lot better than depending on his family.

Li said his mother has passed away and his father and younger brother tend to the family farm. After finishing middle school, he started venturing from home. At that time his dream was "to see and walk in every place in the country." Two years before, he arrived in the famous "land of abundance" Chengdu, sat in teahouses, strolled on Chunxi Lu, and fully enjoyed the slow-paced lifestyle. But he's still never told his relatives that he's digging through rubbish bins. "Actually, I could look for work, but I quite like this kind of wandering lifestyle, I don't think it's so difficult!"

Every day, Liu spends most of his time walking the streets, from 8 in the morning until 10 at night, from Yihuan Lu to the south of the city, learning which bottles and recyclable scraps to pick out of the trash bins along the side of the road, eating the cheapest food he can find for his three meals. Picking up bottles, Liu wears headphones so he can listen to news and music on the radio, and sometimes he goes to watch the Xinhua broadcasts on the big screen on Zongfu Lu's Shudu Tower.

His path, traveling by scavenging

The market price of an old crumpled bottle is about the same everywhere, usually not more than 2 kuai. Yet by picking up these crumpled bottles one by one, Liu has already been to more than 10 of the country's cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Accompanying him on his travels are some of his most treasured possessions: a train or bus ticket from each city he's been to. The next destination Liu has set his eye on is the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau; to get there, he plans to save up 10,000 kuai in Chengdu, bottle by bottle. When he's saved enough to buy some simple equipment to prepare for his trip, he'll set off, "I'm not far from my goal."

Liu's biggest dream is to go to Hong Kong to see the nightlife. "A few years ago, when I was picking up bottles in Shenzhen, I went to the port of Luohu just to gaze across the bay at Hong Kong. Looking at it only made me yearn for it; I hope to get there one day when I've saved enough money." Liu said if he starts to dread this kind of lifestyle, he'll stop, and try out the lifestyle of the rest of the post-80s generation.

Those who know him said with some envy that the fact that he's so good-looking might have to do with the fact that people sometimes stop Liu on the street to offer him some money, but this upright young man always declines. In the eyes of the other scavengers, Liu is not the same, he just likes this kind of lifestyle. They said, Liu is very concerned with his personal hygiene and spends some time every day to wash his hair and clean his fingernails. "Although his face he's a rubbish picker, he doesn't litter."

Results of Chengdu QQ's online poll (as of August 26, 2009)

Do you approve of this kind of traveling and scavenging lifestyle?
I approve. Unrestrained freedom (24.55%)
I disagree. What a waste of ability and social resources (2.53%)
I understand, after all, everyone has his/her own way of living (66.79%)
What a lot of fuss about nothing (6.14%)

The story is attributed to reporter Li Tianxiao and trainee Wei Hui.
Image: Chengdu QQ