Numerous Chinese idols travel far from their home country to make their debut as K-pop stars. May it be because they wanted to promote themselves back in China or for more personal reasons, many have decided to compete on Chinese survival shows to earn them a chance to debut in a Chinese group.
Here are Chinese K-pop idols who successfully made their debut on Chinese survival shows.
1. Jung Jung (Zhu Zheng Ting)
Zhu Zheng Ting was first introduced to the public when he appeared on Mnet's "Produce 101 Season 2" as a trainee under Yuehua Entertainment. In Korea, he promoted under the name Jung Jung. He impressed viewers with his impressive dance skills and acrobatics but was sadly eliminated during the show's second round of eliminations.
He then went on to compete on iQiyi's "Idol Producer," again as a Yuehua Entertainment trainee. He ranked 6th overall in the show, garnering 12 million votes. He debuted as the main dancer of NINE PERCENT. Following his debut with the winning members of the show, he also made his debut with his fellow Yuehua members in the group NEX7.
2. Justin
Like Jung Jung, Justin was first introduced to the public when he appeared on Mnet's "Produce 101 Season 2" as a Yuehua Entertainment trainee. Fans fell in love with his refreshing and adorable visuals, and he was able to showcase his dance skills on the show. However, he was also eliminated during the show's second round of eliminations.
He competed on iQiyi's "Idol Producer" as Yuehua Entertainment trainee and ranked 4th overall, garnering 14 million votes.
3. Meiqi
Meiqi was first introduced to the Korean public in 2016 when she made her debut with WJSN (Cosmic Girls), a group formed by Starship Entertainment and Yuehua Entertainment. Starship had the Korean members, while Yuehua had the Chinese members. After promoting with the group for two years, she decided to appear on Tencent's "Produce 101 China."
Starting off at 16th place, she was able to take first place overall with 185 million votes. She debuted as the center of Rocket Girls.
4. Xuanyi
Like Meiqi, Xuanyi was introduced to the Korean public when she made her debut with WJSN in 2016. She appeared on iQiyi's "Produce 101 China" alongside Meiqi and other Yuehua Entertainment trainees. Starting at 5th place, Xuanyi would rank 2nd place in the final round and made her debut with Rocket Girls.
5. Li Wenhan
Wenhan was first introduced to the Korean public when he debuted as a member of UNIQ in 2014. UNIQ is a South Korean-Chinese boy group under Yuehua Entertainment. With his career as a member of the group as well a career in acting, Li Wenhan already had a following before he appeared on iQiyi's "Qing Chun You Ni," also known as "Youth With You Season 1" or "Idol Producer Season 2," back in 2019.
He consistently ranked number one throughout his time on the show and debuted as the center of the group UNINE, garnering over eight million votes.
6. Yao Mingming
K-pop fans know Yao Mingming as one of SEVENTEEN's pre-debut members. Originally signed under Pledis Entertainment, Mingming appeared in some pre-debut videos of the group but ultimately left the company and did not make his debut with SEVENTEEN. In 2017, he made his debut in the group BLK. It was revealed in 2018 by member Taebin that the group was forced to disband.
In 2017, Yao Mingming appeared on the YG Entertainment and JTBC survival show "Mix Nine" and ranked at 10th place, just one spot shy of the debut lineup. In 2019, he appeared on iQiyi's "Qing Chun You Ni," ranking third place with over four million votes.
7. Fanxy Red's K
K, also known as Lu Keran, is part of the androgynous girl group. Despite all the members being Chinese, the group actively promotes in Korea. She made her debut in 2017. Prior to being Fanxy Red, the group debuted in China under the name FFC-Acrush.
K appeared on iQiyi's "Youth With You Season 2" in 2020 and is considered a dark horse in the series, as she had not ranked within the top nine until the finals. She ended up ranking at 9th place in the end, garnering over three million views. She will be making her debut with THE9.
8. Gugudan's Sally
Sally was first introduced to the Korean public when she made her debut with the group Gugudan in 2016 under Jellyfish Entertainment. The group has been on a hiatus since November of 2018.
In 2020, Gugudan's Sally participated in Tencent's "Produce Camp 2020." With over 93 million votes, she ranked 6th place in the finale and will be making her debut with the group BonBon Girls 303.
She previously made headlines for revealing the company had sent the Gugudan members home, making them vacate their dorm, and told them that they will be called when needed.
