POURING a bucket of freezing water on one’s head has become the social media trend du jour across much of the United States, and now, Chinese celebrities want in.

    Part of a charity campaign to fight Lou Gehrig’s disease, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which began a month ago, has seen high-profile figures from former U.S. president George Bush to Apple CEO Tim Cook douse themselves for the cause.

    Wanting to get in on the frosty fight, Chinese celebrities have passed the torch, or bucket, with more than 910 million discussion posts on Sina Weibo issuing ice bucket challenges since Aug. 17.

    “The campaign has had an unexpected effect,” said Bei Xiaochao, director of the social responsibility department of Sina Weibo, who helped bring the challenge to China.

    ALS attacks the nervous system and gradually leaves the patients paralyzed.

    “It’s a fantastic way to publicize this rare disease. Very meaningful!” said Gu Yongqiang, chairman and CEO of Youku.com and Tudou.com, the country’s top two video websites.

    Gu responded to the challenge, pouring two pots of ice water over his head during the Tudou Video Festival in Shanghai on Aug. 17, when the headline of the day on Youku was Bill Gates’ ice bath. He later challenged the chairperson of Alibaba Group, Ma Yun.

    Explosive actions

    The Ice bucket Challenge went global as scores of prominent figures such as Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Mark Zuckerberg jumped on the charity bandwagon.

    Thousands of people worldwide have since recorded the challenge and posted videos online with Australia and New Zealand becoming the second and third most popular countries, respectively, to join in.

    “We noticed and analyzed the phenomenon, trying to make it more practical for Chinese audiences,” said Bei.

    He did so by bringing the challenge to Sina Weibo and Wechat.

    On Aug. 17 evening, the Sina Weibo and China-Dolls Center for Rare Disorders (CCRD) and Support Association jointly introduced the basic tenets of China’s “Ice Bucket Challenge.”

    “Prepare a bucket of ice water. Speak your name and three others whom you are challenging to the camera. Please donate 100 yuan (US$16) to CCRD if you do not want to participate,” the initial proposal read.

    It instantly caught the attention of a few high-profile Internet personalities and began spreading.

    “I accepted the challenge from a professor in Taiwan without hesitation. It’s a good way to gain public attention and donations for ALS,” said Ji Shisan, founder of science club Scientific Squirrel and popular science website Guokr.com.

    He fulfilled the challenge Aug. 18, posting the video online. He then challenged three others, including Wang Sicong, who is the son of real estate tycoon Wang Jianlin, China’s richest man on the 2013 Hurun Rich List.

    Wang responded quickly by pouring a bucket of water on his head and promised to donate on his Sina Weibo account.

    As of Aug. 20, donations from China had reached more than 1.4 million yuan, including 1 million from Wang, according to the CCRD.

    As with many things, the global challenge took on Chinese characteristics when breaching the country’s social sphere. Many Chinese celebrities seek prior approval before challenging friends.

    “It is not only because of the country’s face-saving culture, but also to avoid morally hijacking those challenged,” said Ji. He says he spoke with all his friends before challenging them online.

    (Xinhua)