Career
She was known by this nickname in her youth due to her androgynous appearance and personal traits. After winning first prize in a singing contest, Super Girl, in 2005, her nickname, Chun Ge, was widely used by Chinese mass media. Chun Ge culture peaked in 2009, according to statistics by Google Trends.
Chun Ge was frequently mentioned as an endorsement and treated as a religious idol due to her instant popularity and familiarity, which gave rise to "Chun Ge Jiao" (simplified Chinese: 春哥教) meaning "Chun Ge religion." This Chun Ge religion simply refers to the transient fad and fandom of Chun Ge culture on the internet, rather than any specific set of beliefs.
The nickname literally translates to "Brother Chun" and is usually used in the popular catchphrase "chūn gē chún yé men （春哥纯爷们）", which means "Brother Chun is a real man". The catchphrase "chūn gē chún yé men" later evolved to a general phrase, "(person"s name) is a real man".
This catchphrase is used not only to mock a group of females who has an androgynous appearance like Li Yuchun, but as an endorsement similar to saying someone can "hang with the boys". "Ye Men" (爷们) in Chinese is used in a way comparable to "bro" in the United States.
爷, meaning "grandfather", can also be read as "masculine" (young males in Northeast China use the slang term 爷 as a personal pronoun in an impolite context).
"Chun" is Li Yuchun"s first name. Originally, there was the saying "Made of iron and blood, Chun Ge is a pure male". (simplified Chinese: 铁血真汉子，春哥纯爷们).
Later, there came the popular slogan "Believe in Chun Ge, Get eternal life" (simplified Chinese: 信春哥，得永生), along with other versions of "Believe in Chun Ge, get.." that became the foundation of the so-called "Chun Ge religion", such as "if you Believe in Chun Ge, you won"t fail school exams", "Believe in Chun Ge, house won"t get demolished by government", and "Believe in Chun Ge, Reborn with Full Health".
Most of the phrases were created by undergraduate students and spread quickly among their peers. Some online game publishers also took advantage of this cultural trend, and used "Chun Ge" to promote their products.
Baidu Tieba has used pictures of Chun Ge"s head superimposed over that of a male bodybuilder, or Yao Ming"s head on Li Yuchun"s body. Li"s photos are also used by Lonza town, Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County to make a poster for family planning.
Though Li"s agency announced its intention "to condemn every one who maliciously crafted her image", Li said she does not mind being called Chun Ge, as it amuses her.
Her positive attitude toward this spoof may have boosted her popularity and raised her reputation regarding this nickname.
