Meet Juice: The Tiny Star of Chinese TV / Film
Juice has been stealing the limelight in a handful of Chinese productions, all while standing at a solid one‑foot tall. Now that he’s hitting the peak of his “dog‑celebrity” career, his Beijing owner, trainer He Jun, has a single wish: keep Juice alive forever.
From Street Stray to Hollywood Headliner
- Juice, or his Mandarin name Guozhi, is a nine‑year‑old mixed‑breed who found his home on a Beijing alley.
- Neutered early, he’s not biologically capable of passing on his charm.
- He Jun sees the pure‑bred look‑and‑feel of his star pup as real intellectual property.
Why Clone a Dog? Because “Furry‑genes” Are Trendy!
He Jun signed up with Sinogene, China’s first biotech firm offering pet cloning. The company made waves by successfully cloning a gene‑edited beagle last May, and just a month later they opened commercial cloning.
Customers pay around 380,000 yuan (≈$55,065) for a pet clone. Sinogene’s CEO, Mi Jidong, says the service is just getting off the ground but plans to include gene editing down the line.
“We’ve seen a growing demand from pet parents who want their four‑legged companions to stick around longer,” Mi says.
China’s Rapid‑Fire Biotech Scene
Unlike its Western counterparts, China faces fewer regulatory hurdles, speeding up bioprocessing:
- The Shanghai lab produced the world’s first monkey clones early this year.
- He Jiankui of Southern University of Science & Technology recently sparked a global debate with his edited twin‑girl embryos.
- Academic voices like Tin‑Lap Lee say that while there are animal‑research laws, there’s no specific cloning legislation.
Lee comments:
“From the government’s perspective, the cloning industry looks sleek and high‑tech, and it’s very supportive of such ventures because they bring high profits.”
The Cloning Process: From DNA to Puppy
Juice’s DNA was harvested from a small skin patch on his lower abdomen. Within weeks, Sinogene extracted and fertilized a surrogate egg. The fertilized cell was then placed into the uterus of a beagle surrogate, resulting in a new six‑week‑old pup named Little Juice (Zhizhi).
After a month, a small ceremony handed Little Juice to He Jun—with the original Juice present, no surprise there.
Potential Superstar, or Just a Buddy?
He Jun isn’t ready to throw Little Juice into the spotlight just yet, but he’s optimistic.
“We believe he’ll surpass the original Juice in talent and charisma.”
Stay tuned – maybe the next top canine cool kid will be a clone, and it could have a few extra tricks up its sleeve!
