Bappi Lahiri's 'Jimmy Jimmy' fever in China as lockdown-hit people protest COVID curbs

'Jimmy Jimmy', a Bappi Lahiri-hit, has become a protest anthem in China, as videos from several users on Tuesday displayed them swapping the catchy line with 'Jie mi' (give me rice) to highlight the rise in essential commodity crunch due to prolonged lockdowns.

Hyderabad: Protesting Chinese citizens appear to have found a unique weapon in their arsenal: an iconic Bollywood number from late singer-composer Bappi Lahiri. Amid strict enforcement of 'Zero COVID-19' measures in China, the song has carved its place as a soft-protest anthem in the country, as users on 'Douyin' - the Chinese version of TikTok - in recent days released several reels displaying them carrying empty rice containers.

• Locked down Chinese signing Jie Mi (give me rice)!#JieMi #CovidIsNotOver #GiveMeRice #JimmyJimmy#China #Lockdown #COVID19 #DiscoDancer pic.twitter.com/IFSM7LsmhV

  — Durgesh Dwivedi ✍🏼 🧲🇮🇳🇺🇸🎻 (@durgeshdwivedi) October 31, 2022 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Locked down Chinese signing Jie Mi (give me rice)!#JieMi #CovidIsNotOver #GiveMeRice #JimmyJimmy#China #Lockdown #COVID19 #DiscoDancer pic.twitter.com/IFSM7LsmhV

  — Durgesh Dwivedi ✍🏼 🧲🇮🇳🇺🇸🎻 (@durgeshdwivedi) October 31, 2022

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  Locked down Chinese signing Jie Mi (give me rice)!#JieMi #CovidIsNotOver #GiveMeRice #JimmyJimmy#China #Lockdown #COVID19 #DiscoDancer pic.twitter.com/IFSM7LsmhV

  — Durgesh Dwivedi ✍🏼 🧲🇮🇳🇺🇸🎻 (@durgeshdwivedi) October 31, 2022

The lone difference from the original appears to be the words 'Jimmy Jimmy' having been replaced by 'Jie mi'('give me rice' in Mandarin). The clips, according to reports, hint at tanking supplies of essential commodities such as food items in the country. Interestingly, the videos have been able to skip the censorship hammer by authorities, known largely to take down online content critical of the ruling establishment.

Several major cities in China, including Shanghai which has a population of 25 million, have borne the brunt of COVID lockdowns, with citizens confined to their homes. Meanwhile, reports on Monday said Disneyland, owned by Walt Disney Co. in Shanghai, had closed its gates with visitors still inside. All guests were requested to stay inside until further notice or until they could display a COVID-negative report, it further mentioned.

The latest protests saw workers in Apple's largest plant, located in Central China's Zhengzhou, stage a walkout complaining of unsafe working conditions. On Sunday, the country recorded 2,675 cases, a marked increase from 802 the previous day.