Jenise Spiteri,a snowboarder representing Malta,has become the darling of Chinese social media for her love of red bean buns and Chinese food.

The 29-year-old athlete put half of a red bean bun into her mouth while waiting for her score in the women's half pipe qualifiers.She placed 21st and missed out on a spot in the final,but she won the hearts of millions of people after the scene was broadcast live.

Spiteri said she loved Chinese food and that she could eat six red bean buns a day,but her favorite was little sesame (芝麻) balls rolled in sesame seeds,deep fried and containing a red bean filling.“I can eat a hundred of those,”she said.

Her interviews,coupled with her personal story as Malta's only representative,attracted a great number of new Chinese fans who acted quickly to her social media account to show their love and support.They nicknamed her“bun sister”and told her how they were inspired by her and that she is always welcome to come back to China to try more food.

Spiteri posted a video on her Instagram thanking all her new fans from China,ending with the caption(說明文字)in Chinese characters“from your bun sister”.

H.E.John Aquilina,Malta's ambassador to China,said that Chinesedoubao(bean bun) is“great stuff”after viewing the video of Spiteri eating the buns,and more Maltese people have come to know the Chinese snack because of her.

“Many Maltese people had never heard ofdoubaobefore,”he said.“Now,they know all about it because of Jenise Spiteri.”He added that her new-found fame on social media has helped introduce Malta to Chinese viewers.

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Why was Jenise Spiteri nicknamed“bun sister”?

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