Sherlock is a hit in Shanghai

Recent episodes have drawn in up to five million viewers and online fan clubs of the show have attracted thousands of members.Chinese fans fill the time between seasons by writing their own stories and Shanghai now has its own Sherlock-themed cafe.Holmes is known in China as 'Curly Fu,' abbreviated from his Chinese name Fuermosi, and thanks to Cumberbatch's wavy hairstyle.He is also considered somewhat of a heartthrob by the Chinese audience. 'I am always super excited to see him on the screen and murmur, "Wow, so beautiful" every single time,' said Zhang Jing, 24, from the eastern city of Tianjin.Watson, played by Martin Freeman, is 'Huasheng', or 'peanut' and the pair of names are now the two most searched terms on Chinese social media, the Evening Standard reports. Online viewing platform Youku.com, said an episode which aired on January 2, drew in five million viewers - its most popular ever episode.The company said that after two weeks, viewership for the third season had risen to 14.5 million people.In Britain, eight to nine million people watch first-run episodes in Britain. The Chinese obsession with Holmes could be in part attributed to their thirst for all things quintessentially British. Many wealthy Chinese nationals pay to send their children to sister schools of exclusive institutions such as Eton, and the country is the biggest importer of Rolls-Royce cars.When Prime Minister David Cameron visited China last year, fans appealed for him to press the BBC to speed up the release of the new season.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az