”A star sent from the heavens,” is how 19‑year‑old Zihan Han describes Professor Biao Xiang, a 54‑year‑old anthropologist who has become the secret idol of China’s Gen Z.
Unlike a pop singer, Xiang talks about the everyday battles people face—career anxiety, love pressure and the mental toll of a hyper‑competitive society.
At a recent Singapore lecture, over 500 young people, most from the Chinese diaspora, gathered to hear him speak for an hour in Mandarin. When the talk ended, a line formed for selfies and autograph sign‑ups, turning what critics dubbed an “academic fan‑meeting” into a cultural moment.
Xi…
