appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Fran Lu

A seven-year-old boy has become China’s youngest professional rally car driver after being certified at the age of five.
Shao Ziyan, from Wenzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, has amazed mainland social media with his professionalism and passion for the sport despite his young age.
According to his father, the boy became obsessed with car racing when he was a toddler.

He began using a racing simulator at home when he was one.
Noticing that his son had a “particularly great sense” for driving, Shao senior made a smaller simulator for him to practise.
He then bought an electric go-kart for his son, and soon Shao junior, a little over two years old, found the electric one too slow.
Shao senior upgraded the go-kart to a fuel-powered vehicle and signed his son up for professional go-kart training.

He said his son also learned from international car racing videos to learn moves from the professionals.
Shao senior said his son had even learned a move from the Japanese street racing animation Initial D.
At the age of four, Shao Ziyan already ranked 30th in the simulation game’s world rankings.
By comparison, his father, a much more experienced simulator player, did his best and only ranked outside 3,000.

Around the same time, Shao junior began driving a rally car, and could drive on an ice surface for 40 days.
When he was five, he also acquired a certificate validated by the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of China and became a professional rally racer.
His father had a second-hand rally vehicle, a Suzuki Swift, custom-made for him, which cost over 200,000 yuan (US$30,000).

Shao senior said his family was ordinary. He was a freelance photographer based in Beijing and his work was relevant to automobiles.
The money they spent on the car’s adaptation came mostly from Shao senior’s savings and from tips received on Shao Ziyan’s social media accounts.
Shao is now also an influencer with over a million followers on one platform.
Recently, Shao won a national rally race, reportedly becoming the world’s youngest rally race winner.
His father also became a professional rally racer to accompany him on his journey.
While some questioned how a minor could do car racing, Shao senior said what they did was completely legal.
They had to tow his car to the races because minors are not allowed to drive on public roads. The total cost of the vehicle’s modification and transport has exceeded 800,000 yuan (US$116,000).

Shao senior also believes that his son’s safety is guaranteed due to the design of racing cars and racing tracks.
He said his dream is to become China’s first World Rally Championship winner.
“We are witnessing the birth of a genius car racer,” said one online observer.
“Did he grow up drinking fuel?” joked another.
Rally racing, a sport that originated in Europe in the early 20th century, officially entered China in the 1980s.
The best achievement by a Chinese rally racer was made by 53-year-old Han Wei, who finished eighth overall in the 2023 Dakar Rally.


China ‘Superdad’ uses salary, loans to build ‘marathon Dream Home’ for 300 deprived kids

China influencer builds house for girl who claims to be raising sisters alone amid family drama

China woman returns to hometown to raise 60,000 venomous snakes, earns US$146,000 annually

Tibetan ‘Bathing Festival’ sees people bathe in natural waters, socialise, seek romantic partners

Trending in China

Boy, 7, is youngest professional rally car driver in China, starting race journey at age 1

At just seven years old, a Chinese boy is China’s youngest professional rally car driver, certified by age five and dreams of becoming a World Rally Car champion. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Shao Ziyan’s feet only just reach the pedals on the simulator where he began his journey. Photo: Douyin

Shao’s father, who has been with him throughout his racing adventure, fixes his son’s helmet. Photo: Douyin

Ready to go: Shao looking confident behind the wheel of a real vehicle. Photo: Douyin

Father and son getting ready to set off on a racing car training mission. Photo: Douyin

Shao holding hands with his father. The boy aims to become China’s first world champion. Photo:  Douyin

‘Be careful or I’ll kill your family’: China mini-dramas featuring kids raise concerns

Chinese mini-dramas featuring children have caused concern due to their mature themes and content; one mother was alarmed by her son’s use of adult language after acting in such a show. Photo: SCMP composite/RedNote/iqiyi

One of the controversial series depicts intimate relations between a child actor and an adult. Photo: ettoday

Child actors, such as the girl above, are often cast in adult roles. Photo: ettoday

Another child actor, above. Experts fear the “adultification” trend could be psychologically harmful to children. Photo: ettoday

Two child actors in a miniseries were asked to play out a scene perched high on a roof. Photo: ettoday

A crew film a miniseries scene with a child actor lying in bed, above. Photo: Reuters

China coach goes above and beyond, trains clients at own cost of US$28,000 after gym shuts

When a gym in China closed suddenly, a coach continued training his clients at a cost of over US$28,000, emphasising trust over financial loss, even selling his car. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/jiupainews

When the gym closed in October 2024, Zhang was training 29 clients with 877 affected classes. Photo: Baidu

Despite financial challenges, Zhang took responsibility for his clients’ training without defaulting on them. Photo: Baidu

A gym features an interior with weight machines and wooden flooring focused on strength training. Photo: Shutterstock

Japan food company rebrands ‘boring’ tofu, making it ‘manly’ to appeal to young customers

A Japanese food company earns US$38 million annually by rebranding tofu as a masculine food item, calling it “manly tofu” to appeal to young consumers. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Sina

Tofu production in Japan has been refined over centuries through traditional methods that blend craftsmanship, pure water, and high-quality domestic soybeans. Photo: Japan Tofu Association

Shingo Ito, above, an accountant turned entrepreneur, took the helm of his father’s tofu business with the vision of transforming it into an iconic product that transcends borders, now exporting successfully to the US. Photo: meiji.ac.jp

Tofu with a twist: the manly revolution of Otokomae Tofu has captured the taste buds of young consumers in Japan. Photo: Handout

Branding his products as “Otokomae Tofu,” which translates to “manly tofu,” Ito boldly features the character “man” on the packaging, reinforcing the brand’s identity. Photo: Handout

Tofu, originally introduced to Japan from China during the Tang dynasty (618–907), has a rich historical lineage and is now a staple in numerous Chinese and Japanese dishes. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese man, 82, travels 12 hours daily for 105 days to visit wife in ICU; devotion touches hearts

An 82-year-old man spent 105 days making a 12-hour daily journey to visit his wife in the ICU, using his savings for her treatment. Photo: SCMP composite/CCTV/Douyin

Touching: Chen Achong kisses his wife’s hand as she lies in her hospital bed. Photo: CCTV

The 82-year-old farmer Chen spent hours at the bedside of his beloved wife. Photo: CCTV

Chen holds his sick wife’s hand tightly as she lies in bed in the hospital. Photo: CCTV

Chen and his son pose for a photograph with Xue in the hospital. Photo: CCTV

Loving couple: Chen and Xue pictured together in their younger years. Photo: CCTV

Chen, above, woke up at 4.30am every day to make the lonely journey to be by his wife’s side in the hospital. Photo: CCTV

Chinese man modifies electric bike, uses dog as power source, draws animal abuse criticism

A Chinese man modified his electric bicycle by removing its battery and using his golden retriever to power it, drawing criticism for potential animal abuse. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Another road user filmed the dog in action under the seat of the man’s electric bicycle. Photo: sohu.com

Accusations of animal abuse were made against the man after the story was reported by a local television station. Photo: sohu.com

The dog involved was a golden retriever, like the one pictured above in Beijing. Photo: Shutterstock

A busy crossing with waiting motorbikes in China’s Jiangsu province where the incident took place. Photo: Shutterstock

News

People & Culture

China Personalities

‘Obsessed’ youngster who started racing on a simulator as a toddler graduates to fuel-powered vehicles, aims to become world champion


‘Obsessed’ youngster who started racing on a simulator as a toddler graduates to fuel-powered vehicles, aims to become world champion.


Social media

Children in China

Boy, 7, is youngest professional rally car driver in China, starting race journey at age 1

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}‘Obsessed’ youngster who started racing on a simulator as a toddler graduates to fuel-powered vehicles, aims to become world champion

‘Obsessed’ youngster who started racing on a simulator as a toddler graduates to fuel-powered vehicles, aims to become world champion