I always thought that "Saints are as common as dogs" was just a logical collapse under power inflation in certain novels. I never imagined that I would actually witness the bizarre spectacle of "Congenital Sacred Bodies" walking everywhere in reality.
The so-called "Congenital Sacred Body" is surely familiar to everyone—on the internet, this usually refers to ordinary people who resemble celebrities, influencers, or famous figures. Whenever they receive "immortal guidance" and undergo a baptism of traffic, whether voluntarily or passively, they become what is known as a "Congenital Sacred Body." Nowadays, not only are these "Congenital Sacred Bodies" everywhere, but they have also gathered together to form their own thematic universes.
First, let us enter the Earth Tycoon Universe. The combined assets of these few individuals are still positive, demonstrating the top-tier financial power of the entire group. They broke foreign monopolies and achieved full localization, making one cannot help but exclaim that the great nation's gene pool is indeed comprehensive.
The one dancing most enthusiastically in the center position is named Mi Jiayin. People often say that such behavior would have led to being used as a human foundation pillar ten years ago, but times have changed. If it were today, this imitator might even be richer than the original. In late August, just as Xu Jiayin was sentenced, amidst the internet's empty fort strategy and friends' toasts, he emerged out of nowhere. With stunning dance moves and a relaxed, carefree smile, he showed everyone what it means to escape like a golden cicada shedding its shell.
Don't let Mi Jiayin's infectious dance moves fool you, nor the implication that the entire Tycoon Universe seems to be filling holes for him. In fact, before he went viral, the Tycoon Universe already had a basic prototype.
The story begins in May this year: At that time, Jensen Huang's trip to Beijing left behind many memorable memes. Meanwhile, a Douyin blogger named Yang Yang seized the opportunity, following the previous "immortal guidance" from netizens. He whitened his hair with flour and put on an RTX ON leather jacket, becoming Jensen Huang's clone, "Huang Yinxun."
In an interview with China Newsweek, he stated, "Nowadays, anyone with a phone can make short videos, and I want to get a share of the pie." He also added, "Imitating others isn't entirely reasonable, but I want to seize this opportunity at least once." These words were quite sincere, openly admitting his desire for fame. True to his word, he subsequently released many imitation videos and attempted to rationalize and sustain this imitation through various positive methods. It was during this exploration that he set his sights on another "tycoon," Kao Sike.
Kao Sike, originally named Ma Jianping, was a partner in a barbecue restaurant in Shaanxi. He went viral in July this year due to his striking resemblance to Elon Musk, attracting countless visitors. As a fellow member of the Ma clan, he naturally benefited from this "Old Ma family" bonus, becoming another tycoon clone.
In an interview, he once said, "Traffic is temporary, but flavor lasts a lifetime. No matter how popular you become, you must stay grounded." Yet, even if he doesn't chase traffic, traffic will come to him—Huang Yinxun noticed Kao Sike, another "tycoon," and planned a meeting.
The two collaborated on many vlogs, and afterwards, their individually declining traffic seemed to be revitalized by the collaboration, with effects comparable to Ant-Man teaming up with Thanos, causing much amusement.
Perhaps having seen the benefits of collaboration, Huang Yinxun soon met with another heavyweight figure. This took place in Yanhui Village, a place of outstanding people and spiritual energy, where one dares not drink water but only alcohol. Fan Xiaoqin, who dreams of developing 5G, met Huang Yinxun, who held 6070MJ. History records this as the Ma-Huang Meeting, marking the official foundation of the Yanhui Quantum Computer.
Thus, the Tycoon Universe was fully assembled. Although many miscellaneous items were added along the way, after the dust settled, only Zhao Gongzi from the movie "Big Shot" remained, with his A9-level Mixue Bingcheng lemonade configuration, becoming the only virtual idol in the Tycoon Universe.
The meeting of these individuals was like the Five Kage Summit, a century-old stew, stumbling into a cellar, combining forces to move the globe, chatting with commoners while avoiding scholars... But regardless, you have to admit: isn't this an iconic moment? Isn't the traffic huge?
After all, except for that virtual idol, everyone else had once dominated the internet, possessing what Andy Warhol called fifteen minutes of fame. Now, they have pieced together their respective unfinished fifteen minutes, much like how wasting forty people's one minute equals wasting one class period, stitching together this bizarre Tycoon Universe.
But this is neither destiny nor uniqueness. Unlike the Tycoon Universe, which gathered after going viral, the neighboring "Fake vs. Fake" Universe continuously recruits talents who have not yet emerged.
The Fake vs. Fake Universe, also known as the Farm Restaurant Universe, is primarily configured around Mahua FunAge, supplemented by various celebrity imitators. Its core figure is known as "Hefei Branch Teng," who became famous for imitating Shen Teng's character Xu Fu from "Welcome to Long Restaurant" while frying rice, forcing one to marvel at the rich talent reserve in the catering industry.
His fried rice stall is like a spawn point for comedy stars, constantly refreshing new heroes who bear a resemblance to well-known figures. Since similar avatars attract each other, the first batch of clones to arrive at the fried rice stall even formed a cast list reminiscent of Mahua FunAge movies.
Subsequently, the hastily assembled team continued to expand in a comedic tone. Guided by netizens' "immortal guidance," they recruited clones such as Jia Ling, Song Dabao, and Brother Crow. Since most characters in this universe are ordinary people who only gained prominence after joining the team, the entire group appears quite mysterious, far beyond what can be summarized by a mere "gene pool."
Of course, if you look closely, most of them don't really resemble their counterparts. They merely pose using their appearance and demeanor without imitating any real talents. However, this enthusiasm is understandable—after all, the clone niche is a shortcut to traffic. Once someone goes viral in this niche, naturally, more people will attempt to replicate it. Furthermore, netizens in the comment sections also enjoy this fun—whether they are critics enjoying the spectacle or strategists full of cunning ideas, everyone gains a significant sense of participation in this context, regardless of how authentic the imitation is.
Actually, for each individual clone, we have seen similar situations many times before, so discussing it now is not particularly fresh. However, if we review past cases, we can discover that this niche has gradually evolved into a situation different from the past.
In the early stages, traditional imitators primarily pursued similarity—the more alike they were, the more attention they attracted from the public, thereby gaining more popularity. This type mainly appeared in TV programs or early internet "imitation shows."
With the development of the internet, imitators have leaned more towards "parody," with fun being the theme of this stage. Therefore, the clones who went viral through "immortal guidance" during this phase basically carry a hint of abstractness—such as Guizhou Kobe imitating Kobe, Sichuan Fenda imitating Yang Kun, and Wang Bian imitating Wang Yuan. To some extent, people watch them due to a psychology of appreciating the ugly—their imitations are more like deconstruction and mockery of celebrities.
At the same time, this parody means that what the clones are imitating is not a specific celebrity, but the impressive symbols left by that celebrity on the internet. The production of these hollow symbols is like what Benjamin called "mechanical reproduction"; it can be easily imitated and easily attract large amounts of coveted traffic. This is precisely why "immortal guidance"—whether giving or receiving it—can spread so widely.
However, as time passes, clones who went viral due to temporary hype, or the lucky ones who received "immortal guidance," will inevitably be forgotten once the hype fades. Of course, some may have already made a fortune, earning millions in one go and retiring, but it is more likely that they will lose popularity before they can capitalize on the traffic.
As Baudrillard said regarding simulacra—the first two orders are counterfeit and production. Counterfeiting relies on the natural law of value; the initial imitators "counterfeited" stars by replicating their skills and appearances, becoming another type of star. Production, however, relies on the commodity law of value. The clones and the netizens providing "immortal guidance" together "produce" the symbols of celebrities, which then transform into traffic on the internet for consumption.
Now, the Clone Alliance of clones has pushed internet simulacra to the final step: simulation. It relies on the structural law of value—these clones establish real-world connections through their online identities, and these connections begin to accumulate material for the next round of creation. They appropriate the cultural symbols of the originals to generate their own traffic. Looking at it this way, I seem to have found the reason why Mi Jiayin dances the most enthusiastically—Prisoner Xu inside can only express that he has no objections.
Although we still cannot determine whether such group collaborations for热度 (heat/traffic) will be effective in the future or how long they will last, one thing is predictable: as long as the clone niche fueled by overnight virality through "immortal guidance" exists, there will always be people joining in. They will learn the latest methods of chasing trends—forming crazy collaborations and teams—leaving a significant mark on the internet and for those original celebrities being imitated.
While collecting information, I discovered something quite interesting: In April this year, "Huang Yinxun" posted a video saying, "Is it possible that my account with 300,000 followers, Yang Yang, suddenly became popular in my hometown, and people across the country know that I am a new farmer who cares about my homeland?"
Perhaps he didn't expect at that time that just a month later, this statement would largely come true—he suddenly became popular, known by people across the country, and demonstrated himself as a new farmer who cares about his homeland.
As for whether the remaining small half is important? I believe everyone should have their own answer.