BOBO

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In the summer of 2007, two youths, one from Xi'an and one from Shenyang, two cities 1735 km away, joined a competition called Jia You! Hao Nan Er (My Hero), a talent competition for males

It was there, in Shanghai, that the story began.

He was Fu Xinbo, 20, nicknamed Bao Zi (little meat bun) for his puffy cheeks.
He was Jing Boran, 18, nicknamed Jing Bao (Honey/Baby Jing) because people wanted to protect him, as if he were their honey/baby.

They were from different competition zones, but somehow, they always got paired together for variety shows and events. Slowly, they became best of friends.

Late May, they wrote in their respective websites that they had already agreed, when the competition's over, to go to Xi'an and then Shenyang together.

Fu Xinbo said, "Jing Bao is two years younger than me. I'll always take care him, I'll make sure he gets on the right path."

Some time during the competition, fans dubbed them the BOBO group, because both of their names have "Bo" in them.

The two adopted the name. They expressed the wish that when the competition was over, they could be signed as a group.

The top 10 of the contestants all moved in to one, long, room. Their beds were next to each other.

During an interview, everyone was asked who they don't want to PK with. (PK is when the audience votes on one of two competitors, the loser eliminated from the competition. During it, the two competitors try to show their best talents to gain more votes)

Fu Xinbo said, "Jing Bao. If we had to PK, I would choose to leave. "
Jing Boran said, "Bao zi. If we had to PK... we wouldn't PK."

Fu Xinbo said, "There are two things I don't want to happen. The first is to PK with Jing Bao. The second is to watch him leave before me."

During the 5 to 4 competition, Fu Xinbo faced his first PK.

Host: What do you want to say, Jing Boran?
Jing Boran and Fu Xinbo turned back at the same time, trying to hid their tears.
No words would come out.
The host remembered Fu Xinbo's promise to take care of Jing Boran and asked him if he's worried that no one would take care of Jing Boran when he's gone?
Fu Xinbo said, I'm not worried. He's a man now.
Together, they sang a song, "Today I will marry you."

Fu Xinbo won that PK.

Later, Jing Boran said, " I know I shouldn't have cried...When Bao zi stepped on the PK stage, I was so scared...I couldn't control myself."

That night, Jing Boran wrote on his blog, "BOBO forever."
That night, Fu Xinbo said, "I only have one sentence, if you support me, you'll supoort Jing Bao. I don't want to see him leave before me."


It was the last episode of the competition.
July 21st
721
Only Jing Boran, Fu Xinbo, and Kimi Ren were left.

At last, Jing Boran and Fu Xinbo had to face each other in a PK.
The host asked,"what would you like to say before the PK?"

Jing Boran said, "BOBO forever."
Fu Xinbo said, "Forever BOBO."

The PK ended, but who won didn't matter. The CEO of Huayi Bros. came up and granted their wish.

That night, BOBO was officially formed.
That night, Jing Boran's fans, bbf, Fu Xinbo's fans, bbt, and BOBO's fans, bbs joined to form Bohe (peppermint).
In Chinese, "he" means together and peace. It was a wish that together, bbt, bbf, and bbs could be one family, BOBO's family.


Together, they moved to Huayi's headquarters, Beijing, knowing no one but each other.

In October of 2008, they released their first EP, Glory.

"Thank you for giving me my glory.
I was once a common youth, it's you who helped me reach the top of my dreams.
This is a glory that belongs to us.
Every one of you is a hero of mine."

That year, they sweeped the awards.

In May of 2008, they released their first album, "The Big World."

In August of 2008, they stood on the stage of the Birds Nest, and sang their "Glory" to the world during the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympics.

In January of 2009, they're set for their first concert in Shanghai, where it all began.


In November of 2008, Fu Xinbo's first drama came out. Directed and written by the legendary Ning Caisheng, I am Veeker is an internet comedy with 6 episodes of 20 minutes each, released on ku6.com.
That same month, Jing Boran began filming his first drama, A Tribute to Stephen Chow


Fu Xinbo's fans are called bbt, for bo ban tang, or lollipop.
Jing Boran's fans are called bbf, for babyface.
BOBO fans are called bbs, for BOBO's fans.
Together, they make up Bohe, pepperming, Bo + together peacefully, happily.

Except they weren't together, or peaceful, or happy.
Even during the competition, some bbf and bbt were mad because they thought Jing Boran and Fu Xinbo were helping each other too much.
At performance, bbt and bbf would try to yell over each other.
On websites, they would bash each other.

Everytime one of BOBO's friends stood out and condemned bbt and bbf's war or even praised BOBO's friendship, their blogs were flooded with hate message.

Late 2008, bbt and bbf refused to vote for BOBO as a group on polls, leaving only bbs, the smallest of the three groups of Bohe.
Those days, BOBO lost everything.

Yet BOBO's signed as a group for 7 long years.

And that's where the story ends.