Smiling Asian Games greeter becomes sensation overnight

Wu Yi is seen when Sheik Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia delivers speeches at the opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games, and is affectionately called "Sister Smile" by netizens.(photo:Nanfang Daily)

A beautiful greeter named Wu Yi captivated the audience and netizens throughout China with her sunny smile at the opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou.

Wu was seen when Sheik Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia and two other officials delivered speeches, and is affectionately called "Sister Smile" by netizens.

A netizen published a post immediately after the opening ceremony which said, "Thanks to the three officials and the camera operator, people across the nation had an opportunity to see this lucky girl. She was on camera for so long — literally for the duration of the speeches of all three officials. However, it must be a tough experience since she had to hold her smile and stand there with her hands crossed over her lower abdomen for such a long time, so long that she became stiff and almost got a cramp."

At that time, Wu had no idea how great a sensation she would create on the Internet. During an interview on Nov. 13, she confirmed that she is 18 years old and just started her first year at the South China Business College under the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. Her twin sister Wu Yue is also a greeter for the Asian Games and has the honor of presenting the first gold medal at the games.

Wu said she did not know that she was on camera for that long, "I thought the camera only focused on the officials who were making speeches." This means that she did not put on her lovely smile just for the camera.

"Our professional training paid off," she said.