A Chinese scientist ignited a social media frenzy in China by naming 16 newly discovered spider species after songs by Mandopop superstar Jay Chou. According to The Straits Times, the paper detailing these findings went viral after netizens discovered it in 2025. Since then, the dedicated hashtag on Weibo has garnered over 26 million views, with users dubbing Professor Mi Xiaoqi the "Ultimate Fan."
Professor Mi, a researcher at Tongren University in Guizhou Province, published a research paper in December 2023 titled Animal Research: Diversity and Conservation, co-authored with Wang Cheng and Li Shuqiang. The paper lists the new spider species found in China's Yunnan Province, a region renowned for its rich biodiversity.
Among the newly named species are the Rainbow spider, Dragon Fist spider, and Excuse spider, all titles of beloved songs by Jay Chou. The Starry Mood spider, for instance, is named after a hit love song from Chou's debut album Jay, released in 2000. The Starry Mood spider measures just 3.5 millimeters in length, according to DW (Deutsche Welle).
"Naming spiders after Jay Chou's songs brings scientific research closer to the public. I hope more people will pay attention to scientific research and support ecological protection," said Professor Mi in an interview with Xinhua, as reported by The Straits Times. A long-time fan of Jay Chou since his college days, Mi expressed that this approach could bridge the gap between science and popular culture.
Jay Chou, a 45-year-old artist born in Taiwan, is one of the most popular musicians in the Mandarin-speaking world. Known for his romantic ballads and pop beats, Chou has sold over 30 million records and has been a household name on the Chinese mainland and beyond for over two decades.
According to Peoples Daily, the researchers, all fans of Jay Chou, grew up listening to his music and saw this as an opportunity to infuse their scientific work with elements of popular culture. Lead researcher Li Shuqiang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Zoology noted that the team was born between the 1980s and 2000s.
The Excuse spider, a fuzzy brown and white arachnid, shares its name with a track from Jay Chou's 2004 album Common Jasmine Orange, which is recognized by Guinness World Records as the best-selling physical album in China this century. Life magazine reported on this connection, emphasizing the cultural significance of the album.
This is not the first time Jay Chou's name has been associated with scientific discoveries. In 2011, Taiwanese astronomers named an asteroid after him, following a similar event in 2009 when four astronomy enthusiasts who were fans of Chou discovered an asteroid and honored him with its name. DW (Deutsche Welle) covered these instances, highlighting the singer's influence extending beyond music.
"I am familiar with all spider species. With just one look, I can determine which category they belong to and identify if it is a new species," Professor Mi told Peoples Daily. He added that many spider species have fascinating characteristics that are worth exploring.
The newly discovered spiders belong to six genera and were found at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Yunnan Province, known as one of the most spider-diverse places in the world. To date, a total of 920 spider species have been identified within this botanical garden, according to Peoples Daily.
In 2020, a master's degree student from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology discovered a trilobite dating back about 500 million years and named it Fantasy, inspired by Jay Chou's second studio album.
"It has brought our scientific work closer to the public," Mi told Peoples Daily. He hopes that this melding of disciplines will encourage a new generation to take an interest in both the natural world and the arts.