Weiblog
Altercation between LGBT Supporters and Guards at Beijing’s 798 Art District
A ten-second video is causing commotion on Weibo and WeChat.
China Insight
Mbappé, Mao, and the Joke That Shall Not Be Named
Mbappé’s favorite Mao meme sparked major backlash in China. More on what the controversy reveals about political red lines, online humor, and censorship.
RESOU 热搜 | What’s Trending in China, Explained
Here, I briefly unpack the stories making waves on Chinese social media and share what stands out to me. Don’t miss an update: become a subscriber to Eye on Digital China today.
Oh oh oh, Mbappé, all those goals, yet you lost so many points on Chinese social media over the past 48 hours.
Following his 100th goal for Real Madrid during El Clásico and finishing second on Ballon d’Or night, French football player Mbappé is all the talk on Chinese social media — not for his achievements, but for what is seen as crossing a major red line in an online interview.
On Tuesday night, a text came in from Ruixin: “I am wide awake tonight and somehow witnessed live how the footballer Kylian Mbappé was getting blocked and totally canceled on Chinese social media for his comments about Mao Zedong over the past, like, three hours 😅”
I quickly grabbed my phone and saw the flood of Mbappé posts rapidly coming in, and it was clear that people were very cross with him.
Although it was already clear that this might not blow over any time soon, by early Wednesday morning it became painfully clear how the controversy had snowballed. Dongpeng Beverage Group (东鹏), one of the many Chinese companies that signed the famous sportsman as its brand ambassador, publicly stated that it was cutting all commercial ties with Mbappé. Soon, others followed.
Dongpeng Beverage Group (东鹏): the first in a string of companies to cut ties with French footballer Kylian Mbappé.
Mbappé’s fall from grace in China has been sudden and spectacular, like a major avalanche of backlash that unfolded in one night, and it can all be traced back to one segment of an interview the footballer previously did on a French YouTube show (The Bridge) that resurfaced online — initially through Reddit and X, and then on Chinese social media apps, like football platform Dongqiudi (懂球帝).
In that segment, when asked about his favorite meme, Mbappé replied that one of the memes he finds funniest is:
🗣️ “the one where they put my face on some guy, a Chinese dictator. That really makes me laugh, I use it with my friends all the time.”
The interview segment where Mbappé shares his favorite meme: his face photoshopped onto the face of a “Chinese dictator.”
The show, created by Mbappé’s Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni, added the image Mbappé referred to: his face photoshopped on a Mao propaganda visual. It’s part of a series of memes that emerged in 2024 in which Mbappé’s face is edited onto the faces of dictators.1
Chapter Dive
The French Protests, Viewed from China: Five Narratives on Chinese Social Media
From the decline of Europe to historical karma: these 5 narratives reveal how Chinese social media discusses the recent unrest in France.
Eye on Digital China is a reader-supported publication by
Manya Koetse (@manyapan) and powered by What’s on Weibo.
It offers independent analysis of China’s online culture, media, and social trends.
To receive the newsletter and support this work, consider
becoming a paid subscriber.
Mbappé, Mao & the Backlash on Chinese Social Media
Mbappé, Mao, and the Joke That Shall Not Be Named
The French Protests, Viewed from China: Five Narratives on Chinese Social Media
What Does 20 Yuan ($3) Mean Anymore? China’s Disappearing Living Rooms & the Great Laundry Debate
Starbucks Goes Xinjiang & The Kardashians in China
Why Japan Has So Many Surnames, China’s Back-to-School Shifts & Taiwan Pavilion Trouble
The Power of Ugly: Why Niu Lai Became China’s Unlikeliest Box-Office Hit
The Rise of “Shuaqi-ism,” Taking Starbucks to the Fields, and Pretending to Go to Work
AI Actress Ad Pulled, Baihaitun Disrupts Shanghai and Cicada Meme Bugs Huawei
Blame Games & Bad Signs: Nepal–Tibet Floods, Huawei’s Toilet Trouble, “Screwed” Graduates
-
Chinese New Year9 months agoInside Chunwan 2026: China’s Spring Festival Gala
-
China Brands, Marketing & Consumers12 months agoHasan Piker’s China Trip & the Unexpected Journey of a Chinese School Uniform to Angola
-
Chapter Dive8 months agoInside the Great Chinese Debate Over the Iran War
-
China Trend Watch12 months agoJapan Tensions, Nexperia Fallout, Yunnan’s ‘Wild Child,’ & “Modern Opium”
nolgbt
May 14, 2018 at 4:46 am
good. give the Lbgt a good beating. Chinese lgbt are western idolising degenerates. they don’t care about Chinese culture, they only care about copying western culture.
Lee
May 14, 2018 at 10:22 am
What a stupid uneducated comment. As if anybody would show his preference for a culture through sexual orientation ?. In this way of thinking, eating hamburgers or wearing addidas is a sign of western idolizing too. But back to reality: homosexuality was seen as normal in Chinese history. Opposition to homosexuality started in China through the Westernization efforts of the Qing dynasty. So the contrary is right: homosexuality is a part of Chinese culture, homophobia is copying western cultures and religion.
LGBTZYZxxxdsyzaaa
May 15, 2018 at 7:43 am
@Lee the problem is homosexuality is only interested in ugly activism and ugly visibility, and yes expressing your sexuality is no point of pride, or individual accomplishment, no contest, just exhibitionism at it’s worst, poluting the scenery with all sorts of gender bending concepts, disreputable exhibitionism, and zombie like conduct. You see the worst aspect of homosexual activism exactly from Western Cultures, and not following it in part because of the way LGBT groups conduct themselves in Western cultures, if they were something like Japan where they act honorably and cultured, then you might see better perception for homosexual visibility in the future. As from the video, I notice the woman threw the first punch and that is another ugly sight of this sort of activism, these people just do not respect the law or civility until they face the consequences, the same can be said with LGBT activism, they are just creating their own separate identity, and expect others to subvert their own culture and national identity to include the LGBT into the mainstream. This is not going to work, LGBT movement of the Western activism concept seems nothing more than a tool to destroy social cohesion within a country and community and in the end leads to no good path forward.