Chapter 167: Cultural Counter-Export — Sneakers Sold Out, Fans Fighting!
On January 3, Li-Ning seized the momentum of Chen Yan's six straight 40-point games by officially launching his first signature sneaker — the AeroWing 1.
In a clever move, the company chose New York City for the release — just across the river from New Jersey, where Chen had torched the Nets the night before.
"Chen, ready for this?" asked his agent, Bill Duffy, as they rode to the event.
Chen grinned. "Honestly? A little nervous."
He could drop 50 points on Kobe without flinching, but selling shoes was a different kind of pressure. Fans could cheer your game one night and ignore your merch the next — the market decided your real value.
---
The moment Chen walked onto the small court at the venue, the crowd exploded.
New York was the basketball capital of the world, and tonight it was his.
"Chen! I love you!"
"My whole family wears Li-Ning now!"
"MVP! MVP!"
The cheers echoed through the room as fans rushed forward to high-five him. Chen smiled and greeted everyone, even laughing when a young Black fan shouted in clumsy Chinese, "Chen! Wo ai ni!"
Chen blinked, then laughed. "Hey, man, you speak Chinese?"
The guy nodded proudly. "A little bit. I learned it… just for you."
Chen gave him a thumbs-up. "Respect!"
Moments like that made him realize how much his success was doing beyond basketball. American fans were learning Chinese phrases, wearing Li-Ning gear, even giving themselves fake Chinese nicknames. Some got overzealous, tattooing random characters like "責," "鸡汤面," and "脑白金."
Chen almost burst out laughing the first time he saw those—cultural export at its weirdest. But in truth, he was proud. This was cultural counter-export in real time: Chinese culture spreading overseas through sport.
---
When the launch officially began, the energy was electric.
Li-Ning unveiled four main colorways for the AeroWing 1:
Flash (platinum gold)
Sanctuary (pure white)
Nirvana (burnt orange)
Killer (jet black)
Then came the surprise: a special All-Star Edition, one red and one white — sleek, minimal, and freezing inside a glass display box for fans to photograph.
Chen currently ranked second among Western Conference guards in All-Star voting, so it was almost guaranteed he'd appear in either the main game or the Rookie Challenge. These shoes were set to debut under the brightest lights of the year.
The reaction was instant. Fans lined up outside, refreshing the online store like their lives depended on it. Within one hour, the first batch of AeroWing 1s was completely sold out.
Not just the shoes — the matching T-shirts, compression sleeves, and accessories vanished too.
Li-Ning executives were stunned. They had expected a solid launch — not a total sellout.
---
The next morning, January 4, the global release went live: 88,888 pairs available worldwide.
Executives were nervous. At ¥859 (about $120), the shoes were priced higher than most Chinese brands. It was a gamble to push into the mid-to-high-end market.
They didn't need to worry.
Within 12 hours, every single pair was gone.
The platinum gold and orange Nirvana colorways disappeared in just three hours.
Fans flooded Weibo and Twitter with reactions:
"These shoes are as hot as Chen himself!"
"They peaked on day one — legendary drop!"
"I can't believe I just lost a sneaker raffle to my own dad."
Li-Ning had planned to sell 100,000 pairs over the course of a year. They moved 90,000 in less than a day.
Executives realized they had underestimated Chen Yan's market power — and possibly his role in taking Li-Ning global.
Somewhere in Beaverton, Nike's boardroom went uncomfortably silent. Adidas execs weren't smiling either.
---
But with fame came chaos.
News broke that two fans in China had brawled outside a Li-Ning store over the last pair of AeroWing 1s. The video went viral overnight.
"Bro, it's just shoes!"
"Who fights over sneakers? Just camp overnight like normal people!"
"Flame Fist special — fighting in honor of Chen Yan!"
"Whoever wins gets promoted to official disciple."
"I've lined up for vaccines and school enrollment… never for sneakers!"
The comments ranged from hilarious to horrified.
Scalpers soon got involved, flipping pairs online for triple the price. Seeing the growing frenzy, Chen decided to step in.
He posted on social media:
"Hey everyone, I appreciate the love, but please be safe and spend responsibly. I'd rather see you healthy than see you fighting over sneakers."
The irony wasn't lost on anyone. Other athletes begged fans to buy their shoes. Chen Yan had to beg them to stop.
That's when everyone knew — his influence wasn't just big.
It was global.
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