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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Helen Davidson in Taipei and Chi Hui Lin

Chinese trend for using photo of film star to get better service sweeps social media

Ma Dong-seok, also. known as Don Lee, at the Cannes film festival in 2019.
Ma Dong-seok, also known as Don Lee, at the Cannes film festival in 2019. Photograph: Julien Warnand/EPA

Chinese social media users are turning to a Korean American action star for help in their daily lives, with a growing trend of swapping out their online avatar for Ma Dong-seok’s photo to get better responses from landlords and customer service agents.

In recent weeks a growing number of Chinese people have changed their profile photos to shots of Ma, who also goes by the name Don Lee and has starred in horror-action film Train to Busan and Marvel’s The Eternals, saying “it makes life easier”.

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