Chinese Idol’s Popularity Literally Breaks Parents’ Boba Tea Shop

July 23, 2019

A boba tea shop owned by the parents of Chinese teen pop star

Wang, leader of mega trio TFBoys, is currently among the most popular teen stars in China, commanding more than 72 million followers on Weibo.

Wang is also one of China’s wealthiest people born after 1990, having a personal net worth of 248 million yuan ($36 million) as of December 2016. The idol group also includes Roy Wang and Jackson Yee.

Riding on his popularity, Wang’s parents opened their boba tea shop, Chaforu, in their home city of Chongqing this month.

Understandably, the news went viral on social media, drawing more than 1,000 customers on the shop’s first day.

The customers — mostly young girls — reportedly queued hours before the shop opened, with some waiting for up to four hours before finally getting their orders.

“I arrived at the shop front at 7:30 a.m. After a long wait, I finally got my milk tea at 11.30 a.m. I even had a chance to have a chat with everyone’s ‘mother-in-law’ [Wang’s mother],” one fan said, according to the South China Morning Post.

Unfortunately, three days after its opening, Chaforu announced in a Weibo post that it will halt operations temporarily, providing no explanation and only thanking customers.

“In just three days of trial operations, Chaforu has received so much support. I would like to express my sincere gratitude,” the post said. “Chaforu will carry out a short break and close the store. We will inform you in advance of the official opening time.”

One fan, however, claimed that the shop had to close because its staff had been overwhelmed and its equipment broke down, according to SCMP.

Meanwhile, another fan urged others to book their orders online so that store operations can run more smoothly.

Chaforu reopened on July 5, much to the excitement of fans. “This is very good news,” one said.

Interestingly, Wang was reportedly spotted loitering outside the shop last week. For obvious reasons, he sent an assistant to get his favorite drink.

Featured Images via Weibo / 王俊凯KarryWang工作室 (Left) and CHAFORU星卡里 (Right)

Share this Article