How Adidas won and Nike lost, Japan's lost decades as a mirror for China, and why a possum is the new workplace spirit animal.
Why has Adidas regained cultural relevance in China while Nike is struggling despite its global strength?
A response to a Dutch debate on China, and why nuance matters in an age of geopolitical polarization.
After the first complaints surfaced, Auntie Goose Legs admitted the truth about her business: she ha been selling duck legs all along.
A special deep dive into the 2026 Xi-Trump summit through Chinese social media, highlighting the top 15 viral moments, internet memes, main themes, and netizen commentary.
Inside OPPO’s Mother’s Day PR fiasco and other failed marketing campaigns in China’s gender minefield
From top trends to platform scandals, these were the biggest online topics of the year.
Hasan Piker's controversial China tour, a Chinese school uniform resurfaces in Africa, a new winter hotspot, why Chinese elites 'run' to Tokyo, and more.
Female comedians are taking center stage in a new era of Chinese stand-up, challenging stereotypes and turning jokes into real-life impact.
A new state-backed epic about the Qing conquest of Taiwan is stirring debate. Plus: the Shanxi mine disaster, a controversial prison film, hukou reform, and China’s top 5 rising books.
From AI-generated film releases to popular “micro-vacations”, these are the digital & social trends shaping Chinese online conversations this May Day holiday.
This week in China: Grassroots football fever, a Nobel laureate writes for the TikTok era, France's cultural relic bill, and a 19-year-old’s blind box obsession bankrupts her father's company.
How a niche online debate was amplified into a global “racism” story, and why the real discussion runs deeper
Russian recruitment ads, China's censorship, and how Western media sometimes guess Beijing's stance by reading between the wrong lines.
Weibo, Wechat, Douyin, or Xiaohongshu? Understanding China’s top 10 social media platforms.
Behind the hashtag about Nanjing's cross-dressing ‘Sister Hong’: from legal implications to viral spectacle.
Labubu is not ‘Chinese’ at all—and at the same time, it is very much a product of present-day China.
As American 'TikTok Refugees' flock to China's Xiaohongshu (Rednote), their encounter with 'Li Hua' strikes a chord in divided times.
Eye on Digital China is an independent publication by sinologist and China trend watcher Manya Koetse, offering analysis and reporting on China’s digital culture, media,...
Catch up on the week's most critical China trends in 3 minutes.
A 2-minute overview of trending topics on Chinese social media, including XChat, Orbán’s defeat, and that tripe-strawberry hotpot.
China’s AI actors are on the rise, and not everyone is buying it. The country’s microdrama industry offers a glimpse of what’s to come for the...
About a widely discussed "chilling effect", the death of Chinese researcher Wang Danhao, and unanswered questions. (April 3 update included)
The major talking points on Chinese social media this week: from the capture of a notorious child trafficker and unexpected death of Zhang Xuefeng, to one...
Chinese netizens “raising lobsters,” farmer pensions emerging as a key Two Sessions talking point, and humanoid robots running through Beijing — what you need to know...
From official reactions and armchair generals to women’s rights defenders: China’s online discourse surrounding the war in Iran.
Watch the CGM Spring Festival Gala with us. It’s that special annual evening show that captures millions of viewers on the night of the Chinese New...
Han Futao’s explosive report on fake patients and systemic abuse has triggered a heated online debate over hospital malpractices, the fragility of the welfare system, and...
From digital stress to “dangerous Japan,” here are the trends that stood out this week on Chinese social media.
We’re at a very complicated time in our online lives. An explainer of “Chinamaxxing,” the “kill line,” and the platform politics behind them.
From 5,000 people crashing a rural pig feast in Chongqing to the collective effort to save Yanran Angel hospital.
How Chinese social media is making sense of the first geopolitical shockwaves of 2026.
Andrew Methven's favorite Chinese phrases of the year, a special feature by RealTime Mandarin.
How and why fetal sex testing became a national security story
