Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT

 Weibo users often engage in offbeat competitions for fun. The latest one, a "grand competition of wealth-flaunting," was started by a popular microblogger and has since drawn in countless Net users, humored by the very satirical concept of the game that mocks those who enjoy showing off their riches.

The rules are simple. Each microblogger can post photos under the theme outlined in the title of the contest, which is meant to show the public how moneyed he or she is.

The best posts receive no medals, but are rewarded by the number of reposts they earn - in the competition founder's words, "We just want to show the world how rich we are, so why do we need prizes!"

At first glance, the "wealth-flaunting" theme runs in contradiction to the often tacit "political correctness" seen on Weibo. Normally, those who dare to show off a luxurious life end up being lambasted online, sought out by the "human flesh engine," or even investigated by disciplinary authorities.

Nonetheless, the posts are very entertaining. One girl posted a photo of a Ronald McDonald statue and wrote, "I'm actually quite low-key. This is my husband, CEO of a world famous chain restaurant."

Another Net user posted a picture in which a dozen green grapes were arrayed in the shape of a bracelet with the comment, "Ancestral property, jade green agate bracelet. Insiders know it is at least worth a seven-digit figure. Just a simple example of how rich I am."

And this new way of "wealth-flaunting" has further inspired creativity.

One person showed a photo of himself lying down with coins in denominations of no higher than 0.10 yuan ($0.02) covering his entire body. Another wore an old pair of battered sunglasses, but on the corner of the lens there were two handwritten words: "very expensive."

But ultimately, it was the Net user who showed his mouth wide open, with his teeth wrapped in golden foil used to wrap chocolate, which stood out. "Let me tell you what richness is! With my pure 24K golden teeth, I've had enough of all of you!"

Indeed, it appears that the humorous posts have been put up by ordinary people to "take revenge" on those who callously flaunt their wealth.

On the Internet, there are numerous entries deliberately coining their image as "tall, rich and handsome" or "white-skinned, rich and beautiful," including boys displaying pictures of their yacht parties and women showing flashy gifts from gandie, or sugar daddies who pay for a lavish life for their young mistresses.

In the ironic "wealth-flaunting competition," Net users intentionally mimic the repugnant tones of blatant "wealth-flaunters."

Here is a personal favorite of mine. "My boyfriend just bought me a bottle of perfume from Brazil. Oh it's not that big, only 10,000 milliliters. It's worth millions of dollars, just the cost of several handbags. But who cares - we rich people live like this. Love you darling!"

This post runs with a photo of a sexy lady sitting on a coach with a giant bucket of purified water in her arms.

Still, the funniest thing about all of this is that most of the people that Net users are ridiculing aren't actually rich - they just pretend to live an extravagant life.

It is very common to see women posting photos of their busy party lives and luxury brand purses online. But these photos are just as commonly seen with disorderly backgrounds of tacky rentals. This clumsy way of "wealth-flaunting" has also been mocked by Net users.

The "wealth-flaunting competition" is the smartest online contest ever. Not only does it serve as a powerful tool for discouraging excessive acts of vanity, but it also fosters a very real and honest dialogue among society with a little bit of wit and humor.

I've already spent the week laughing out loud at these funny posts - and I can only hope to hear more from these kinds of competitions in the future.

The author is an opinion editor with the Global Times. chenchenchen@globaltimes.com.cn