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China’s Celebrity Weight Craze: Qin Hao’s Viral Diet and Body Anxiety Behind the Weight-Loss Trend

The extreme diet of Chinese actor Qin Hao has sparked a trend of people sharing photos of their corn and egg meals. It’s yet another celebrity weight-loss trend that is more about unrealistic expectations than healthy ways of shedding pounds.

Zilan Qian

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Actor Qin Hao’s remarkable weight loss has sparked waves of online excitement over a potential new diet plan. Qin is not the only Chinese celebrity whose weight loss journey has become an online hype. But behind the relentless pursuit of celebrity weight loss plans lies the issue of body anxiety, particularly among young Chinese women.

Why do we see so many photos with one ear of corn on Weibo these days? It has everything to do with Qin Hao (秦昊). The actor, renowned for his role in the highly acclaimed 2020 Chinese drama series “The Bad Kids” (隐秘的角落), has recently garnered significant attention for his appearance in another compelling series titled “The Long Wait” (漫长的等待).

This time, his surge in popularity is not just because of his exceptional acting abilities or the captivating character he portrayed, but mostly because of the remarkable diet plan he followed to lose weight during the filming of the series.

In his latest role, Qin played a middle-aged man with a chubby physique, round cheeks, and a beer belly. He had put on a lot of weight to play this character. However, later on, the director asked him to quickly lose weight and “sharpen up” (“必须瘦出棱角”).

Qin’s wife, Yi Nengjing (@伊能靜), discovered an online diet menu that helped Qin successfully lose over 20 pounds, resulting in a significant transformation in his appearance. Due to numerous inquiries from fans and followers, Yi decided to share the diet plan on her Weibo account.

The five-day diet plan consists of the following meals:

Day 1: Only unsweetened soy milk is consumed throughout the day.
Day 2: Each meal consists of one ear of corn.
Day 3: Breakfast includes dragon fruit, lunch consists of an apple, and dinner consists of blueberries.
Day 4: Breakfast consists of one boiled egg, while lunch and dinner consist of boiled shrimp.
Day 5: Breakfast includes broccoli, lunch consists of spinach, and dinner consists of lettuce.

Qin before (left) and after (right) following the diet plan. Photos from Yi Nengjing’s Weibo post.

On Weibo, many people trying out this diet are posting photos of their daily meals, resulting in dozens of photos of a single ear of corn being posted on the platform these days.

Many Chinese netizens are posting photos of corn – their entire meal according to day 2 of Qin Hao’s diet (images via Weibo.com).

Despite the supposed effectiveness of the diet, Yi also issued a warning to her followers. “I want to emphasize once again that I do not recommend this menu to anyone,” she wrote on Weibo. “The entire process is incredibly arduous, and Qin experienced weakness in his legs due to hunger for some days.”

Despite the warning, the menu still managed to attract a significant number of netizens willing to give it a try. With titles like “Challenging Qin Hao’s Diet Plan (挑战秦昊饮食法)” and “Losing 8 Pounds in Five Days (五天瘦八斤),” many people took to platforms such as WeChat, Bilibili, and Weibo to share videos, images and texts documenting their experiences with the same diet plan and the amount of weight they lost each day.

Among those who decided to try the diet plan was the renowned screenwriter and producer Yu Zheng (于正), known for his works such as “The Palace” (宫) and “The Story of Yanxi” (延禧攻略). Yu shared on his Weibo account that he successfully lost 10 pounds in just a few days by following Qin’s diet plan. In doing so, he also inspired others to give it a try.

Bilibili users sharing themselves practising Qin’s diet plan.

While some individuals recognize the extreme nature of Qin Hao’s diet plan, they have made modifications by adding carbohydrates and proteins on certain days or incorporating other “diet foods” like cucumbers or healthy snacks.

A user on Bilibili tried out Qin Hao’s diet plan and shared her experience. Although she admitted feeling “extremely hungry,” she said she lost almost 8 pounds and was “very pleased” with the outcome.

However, many choose to strictly adhere to the original plan, expressing sentiments such as “As long as I’m not starving to death, I’ll push myself to the limit” or “Even though I’m so hungry that I could eat a person, I’m still very happy with my progress.”

 

EXTREME CELEBRITY DIETS

“You are truly too fat.”

 

Qin is not the only celebrity whose weight loss journey has captured widespread attention. Earlier this year, another viral trend emerged among netizens, who urged director Guo Jingming (郭敬明) to establish a weight loss camp due to the noticeable weight loss among actresses who had worked on his film sets. On Weibo, this phenomenon was described as “no one can leave Guo Jingming’s film crew without losing weight” (“没有人能够胖着走出郭敬明剧组”).

Guo later disclosed his diet plan for actors and actresses during a television program. According to Guo, they were required to adhere to a diet that excluded oil, salt, and sugar. Additionally, he admitted that he would tell them “you are truly too fat (你真的太胖了)” on a daily basis, as a form of persuasion for those who were reluctant to follow the diet plan. Despite the extreme nature of this diet and his ‘brainwashing’ methods, many individuals continued to express their desire for Guo to realize an actual weight loss camp for them to join.

Weibo users compared photos of actresses Yu Shuxin and Jin Jing before and after joining Guo’s film crew to illustrate the effectiveness of Guo’s diet plan. The post where the above photos come from simply said: “I want to go! (想去!)” after the hashtag “#Guo Jingming film crew diet camp #郭敬明剧组减肥营#.

Guo reveals his way of helping actors lose weight (source).

The trend of following celebrity diets for weight loss remains popular, with an increasing number of individuals adopting the diet plans promoted by celebrities like Yu Shuxin, IU, Zhang Tianai, and others.

These diets come in various forms, ranging from single-food diets like cucumber and egg or boiled broccoli with plain porridge, to more restrictive approaches that eliminate specific ingredients, such as carbohydrates, or advocate for skipping evening meals. The widespread popularity of these diets is evident on social media, where netizens, mostly female, try them out and document their weight-loss journeys, sharing their progress with a wider audience.

Screenshot of the cover photo of one video on Bilibili introducing Yu Shuxin’s diet plan, which has been played over 150,000 times. The title says “Yu Shuxin’s way of losing 20 pounds’ weight. Revealing the diet plan to make your body easy to slim down! Losing 10 pounds in 10 days!”

The majority of posts and short videos revolving around these diet plans often feature attention-grabbing titles like “losing xx pounds in xx days,” accompanied by celebrities showcasing their slimmed body shapes.

 

CONCERNS SURROUNDING CELEBRITY CRASH DIETS

“Let me advise you: never, ever go down this terrible path.”

 

With the increasing popularity of celebrity diets, concerns about their impact on (mental) health have arisen. Doctors have issued warnings against attempting Qin Hao’s diet plan, cautioning that it can cause significant harm to the body and result in weight gain once discontinued.

Diets that severely restrict calorie intake, like this one, can have detrimental effects such as weakened immunity, decreased bone density, impaired memory, hair loss, and an increased risk of depression. Netizens commenting on posts of people trying these diets often warn others against blindly following their lead. One user offered a stern warning, saying: “To my sisters who haven’t started dieting, let me advise you: never, ever go down this terrible path.”

Despite the prevailing health concerns associated with celebrity diets, not everyone places their well-being above achieving a desired body shape. In response to a diet plan video by Kpop singer IU, one user acknowledged the potential harm it could cause but still said losing weight was their primary goal, as being overweight made them feel miserable: “I don’t care if it’s harmful to my body, as long as I can lose weight.”

Other users argue that everyone has the right to do whatever they want with their body: “We are all adults and responsible for our own affairs. If you want to lose weight, eat less. If you don’t want to lose weight, then continue to be overweight.” 

 

PURSUIT OF THE PERFECT BODY

“For female celebrities, being fat destroys everything.”

 

Behind the never-ending new celebrity diet plans is the question of why celebrities losing weight garners such significant attention. It appears that shedding pounds has become a convenient method for celebrities to attract public interest and enhance their overall image. Losing weight is often portrayed as a symbol of willpower and dedication to one’s career.

For instance, Yuan Shanshan, who previously faced criticism for her appearance in certain TV series, received applause and positive attention after slimming down and achieving a V-line figure. Media reports frequently associate female celebrities’ dietary practices with the concept of “self-discipline,” utilizing titles such as “How self-disciplined are female celebrities?” to highlight their various weight-loss approaches.

Articles perpetuating body shaming comments towards female celebrities for weight gain. Headlines employing phrases like “the image of you giving up yourself is ugly” and “being fat destroys everything” depict weight gain negatively. The highlighted sentence emphasizes the damaging impact of being fat on a woman’s self-esteem.

On the other hand, when female celebrities gain weight, they are often accused of “betraying” their professional careers or “giving up” on their ambitions.

A quick online search reveals how numerous news articles and blog titles highlight female celebrities’ self-discipline through their successful weight loss. These pieces often showcase extraordinary diet methods, like relying on single strands of noodle as a carbohydrate source or consuming plain, boiled vegetables without any additional ingredients.

 

SLIM LIKE A CELEBRITY

“Will your boss promote you because you’re as thin as a celebrity?”

 

The public’s scrutiny of celebrities’ weight, often using it as a measure of willpower and success, is a common phenomenon, but celebrities themselves also influence the public’s perception of the ‘perfect’ figure. On various variety shows, female celebrities’ heights and weights are increasingly showcased, which inadvertently contributes to viewers’ anxieties about their own bodies.

Articles on social media treat these measurements as if they represent the standard for the majority, presenting titles such as “After looking at the heights and weights of these female celebrities, I swear I will never eat again,” or “The true heights and weights of female celebrities – a reference for weight loss,” and: “How light is thin? Revealing female celebrities’ heights and weights.” These articles contribute to the idolization of specific body shapes and weights as symbols of beauty and perfection.

‘Am I too fat weighing xx pounds?’ ‘What weight is considered “fat” in today’s society?’ ‘Why do people care about women’s weight so much?’ ‘Why am I so obsessed with my own weight?’ As women track and critique the weight fluctuations of female celebrities, many are grappling with questions about body image on social media. They seek answers to their own concerns, shaped by constant exposure to the seemingly ideal body weights of these celebrities.

Amidst all the celebrity weight craze, more critical voices are emerging in the Chinese social media sphere. Witnessing people blindly following celebrities’ weight loss journeys, one Zhihu user recently wondered: “Why should everyone strive to have the same bodies as the ones displayed by celebrities? Is there any tangible benefit for ordinary individuals to achieve the same level of thinness as these celebrities? Will your boss promote you or increase your salary simply because you’re as slim as a celebrity?”

Many individuals also question the connection between weight loss, self-discipline, and professional success. They assert that celebrities’ ability to maintain a slim figure is predominantly driven by financial incentives rather than exceptional personal qualities.

One Weibo user commented on Qin Hao’s diet plan, highlighting the disparities between celebrity lifestyles and those of everyday individuals: “Most people don’t have jobs that demand such extreme measures, nor do they lead a celebrity lifestyle with chauffeured transportation and dedicated services for nutrition and exercise management. Furthermore, everyday individuals don’t need to rely on weight loss as a means to seek public attention or stay in the spotlight.”

Chinese author Mao Li (毛利), in a Zhihu post, shared her perspective on the issue and acknowledged that she also has wasted valuable time on futile body image anxieties. She suggests breaking free from the media’s “perfect body” hype, embracing self-acceptance, and finding joy in living together with our bodies. She encourages people to “accept it, enjoy it, and praise it.”

By Zilan Qian

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Zilan Qian is a China-born undergraduate student at Barnard College majoring in Anthropology. She is interested in exploring different cultural phenomena, loves people-watching, and likes loitering in supermarkets and museums.

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China Brands, Marketing & Consumers

Starbucks Goes Xinjiang & The Kardashians in China

Starbucks rebrands as “Star-Bazaar” in Urumqi—what does it say about shifting perceptions of Western brands in China? Also: a cheating sports influencer and the souvenirs that became most hated.

Manya Koetse

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Originally published in the Eye on Digital China newsletter on Sunday, October 4, 2026.

Welcome back to China Trend Watch (Week 40 | 2026), my regular tour through the latest trends, memes, and debates driving conversation across Chinese social media. I’m Manya Koetse, a sinologist specializing in Chinese digital culture. Want to receive the next edition in your inbox? Become a paid subscriber here.

In this edition:

  • Quick scrolls: A Chinese athlete cheated her way to the Berlin Marathon’s finish
  • Zooming in: When Localization Gets Political: Starbucks Goes Xinjiang
  • On the Feed: The Kardashians in China
  • Phrase of the Week: The 3 souvenirs sold everywhere, but nobody wants them

 

🗞️ QUICK SCROLLS

 

🇯🇵 The National Day holiday has begun, but nobody’s going to Japan. Although Japan was the number one outbound destination for Chinese travelers during last year’s October holiday, it has now dropped out of the top ten destinations entirely. According to data from Chinese tour operator Tuniu (途牛), Indonesia, Turkey, and South Korea are among this year’s most-booked overseas destinations.

🚲 Chinese fitness influencer “Abeeeer” was caught cheating during the Berlin Marathon after she posted about running her “personal best.” The sport-blogger (530k+ followers on Xiaohongshu) was photographed riding on the back of a bicycle around the 38-kilometer mark. On Saturday, she publicly apologized and admitted that she had broken the rules and that she was “feeling unwell.”

The sports influencer was caught hitching a ride to the finish line.

🏳️‍🌈 Japanese volleyball player Rui Takahashi came out as gay on Tuesday, saying he wanted to help others struggling with their sexuality by coming out publicly. On Douyin, many Chinese fans and commenters praised Rui for his bravery.

🤖 Former Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin (胡锡进) published a National Day essay praising the country’s achievements but forgot to delete the AI chatbot’s closing follow-up question (”Would you like me to read through the whole text again and check it for omissions?”). Hu quickly deleted the AI prompt, but “Hu Xijin’s National Day AI ghostwriting fail” had already gone trending.

⚽ Chinese football produced…

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China AI

AI Actress Ad Pulled, Baihaitun Disrupts Shanghai and Cicada Meme Bugs Huawei

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Welcome to China Trend Watch (Week 32–33 | 2026), where I bring you the latest trends, memes, and debates driving conversation across Chinese social media. I’m Manya Koetse, a sinologist specializing in Chinese digital culture.

 


 

🗞️ QUICK SCROLLS

 

📈 Is China’s AI price war over? After a period of offering as much as possible to users at relatively low prices, Chinese AI (LLM) companies are now raising their prices. Last week, DeepSeek – known as the cheapest LLM model around – announced a raise in its API prices, showing that LLM models in China, like food delivery platforms, follow a clear strategy of first attracting users and subsidizing growth, then monetizing once users are locked in.

🐸 “Antibiotic bullfrogs” are a new cause for concern. Bullfrogs sold through e-commerce channels, popularly used in various dishes (like bullfrog hotpot), have been found to contain excessive antibiotic residues after being tested by an independent Shanghai investigation team. Antibiotics are widely used in bullfrog farming.

🌾 A 67-year-old farmer from Anhui ruined 25 acres of crops after following a chatbot’s advice on which pesticides to use. The AI tool recommended a strategy including fomesafen, which killed the farmer’s entire sesame plant crop. Chinese state media highlighted the story as a warning to the growing number of senior citizens who are relying on AI a bit too much.

👁️ A Chinese ad campaign for contact lenses has been taken offline because it starred an AI actress who doesn’t actually have eyes. Last week, I reported on the success of this AI actress, Fang Taozi (方桃子), in the AI micro drama “Laid-Off Girl” (被裁掉的女孩). After a Chinese cosmetic contact-lens brand paid a large sum to feature the actress in its commercial, regulators flagged it because the virtual actress claimed the contact lenses were “comfortable.” Because she doesn’t physically have eyes, this suggests false advertising, and the company could face an additional fine.

🎭 The famous Chinese actor Qin Yan (秦焰) has passed away at the age of 72. The veteran actor was a familiar face on Chinese TV since 1991 and was known for his many roles in TV series like Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace, The Knockout, and Joy of Life 2. While fans and colleagues are posting tributes online, the actor’s Baidu (Baike) page has turned black-and-white to mourn his death. The actor suffered from an illness that hasn’t been specified.

Images via Weibo, showing Qin Yan’s press photo on the left and on the right him portraying the role of Eunuch Dai, the corrupt director of the vegetable and food supply department in the popular historical drama series Joy of Life Season 2 (2024).

🏆 China’s animated film Ne Zha 2 was the biggest winner at the 38th Hundred Flower Awards, China’s most prestigious film awards. The movie grossed 15.9 billion yuan ($2.35 billion) and currently ranks as the world’s fifth highest-grossing film, right in between Titanic and Star Wars. Notably, director Jiaozi (real name Yang Yu 杨宇, b. 1980) was absent from the ceremony, as he always is. The director has a strong dislike for pointless socializing. 😂

🕯️ Remembered as a “Communist Warrior” (共产主义战士), the passing of former Chinese Premier and electrical engineer Zhu Rongji (朱镕基) became a top trending topic on Wednesday after an official obituary announced his death. Zhu is mostly remembered for his efforts to help transition from a planned economy to a socialist market economy, including his tax reform implementations, restructuring of state-owned enterprises, and creation of the mass home-ownership market. Zhu died of an illness in Beijing. He was 98 years old.


 

👁️ ZOOMING IN

 

1. Typhoon Baihaitun Brings Record Rainfall to Shanghai

 

Image via Weibo user @粗茶大白饭

Typhoon Baihaitun (白海豚 “White Dolphin”) has been one of the biggest keywords dominating Chinese social media this week as severe weather affected eastern China.

In Shanghai and surrounding areas, the typhoon caused major disruptions on August 9–10 due to strong winds and extreme rainfall. In Xujiahui, nearly 316 mm of rain fell within 24 hours, the highest amount recorded in Shanghai since observations began over 150 years ago. (The highest total was recorded at Lantian Station in Linhai, Taizhou, where rainfall surpassed a staggering 630 mm; that’s like buckets of water simply being poured down from the sky.)

Many roads, homes, and entire parking lots were completely flooded (video on X / Bluesky). Thousands of people were evacuated, flights were canceled, and metro lines were suspended. In some neighborhoods, residents reported that the water had reached all the way up the stairs.

The typhoon coincided with the Monday morning rush. Despite official guidance encouraging working from home, online complaints made it clear that many companies still expected their employees to show up at the office.

Shanghai Disneyland also remained open despite the severe weather. Videos show park visitors riding attractions in the pouring rain, and cast members in costumes needing help to navigate the rain and wind. The happiest place on earth has never looked so sad (see various videos in my thread here on X / Bluesky).

The impact of the typhoon is expected to last until at least Sunday.


 

2. Streisand Effect: Huawei Gets Bugged by Bamboo Cicada Toy

 

If the past week had one soundbite, it would be the rasping, buzzing cicada-like sound you get by spinning the traditional handmade “bamboo cicada” (竹知了 zhúzhīliǎo) wooden toy.

It became a viral sensation after netizens used its sounds to accompany videos of a Huawei event where Chairman Richard Yu (余承东) announced a new car. He described the AITO M9 as “the best SUV under 10 million yuan” (一千万以内最好,没有之一), prompting “wawaa” sounds and cheers from the audience. Soon, a meme was born in which social media users mixed the footage with the toy’s sound – not just because of the audience, but also because of Yu’s distinctive way of speaking.

That cicada toy meme would never have become as big if Huawei’s legal department hadn’t intervened. The company submitted complaints to social media platforms, and videos were removed. But this triggered a chain reaction – when people found the sound was being censored, it blew up in popularity. By now, not only is the sound used everywhere, but the toy itself has become a summer must-have (even though its origins are contested – some say it’s traditionally Japanese and not Chinese at all).

The American term “Streisand Effect” (in Chinese: 史翠珊效应 Shǐcuìshān xiàoyìng) has been used online to describe how Huawei’s reaction backfired.

The response by Huawei – or, more precisely, HIMA, the company’s smart-vehicle alliance brand – was criticized not only by netizens but also by official voices. The official account of Zhejiang Province was among many posting critiques, saying that “the stronger a company is, the greater its capacity to accept discussion” – in other words, calling Huawei weak for its reaction.

This makes it one of those rare moments when, especially when it’s about censorship, official and grassroots voices seem to agree, for once, on the limits of the kind of content that should and should not be controlled. In this way, the cicada sound has come to represent something much more than mocking Huawei, with netizens protecting their rights to criticize & ridicule China’s most powerful business players.


 

3. Japanese K-Pop Fan’s Death Shows Dark Side of Fan Culture

 

Miki Chan on the right, posing together with ENHYPEN group member NI-KI. Image via Weibo.

A tragic suicide livestreamed on TikTok became a trending topic across Chinese platforms over the past week, sparking discussions about toxic fan cultures and online bullying.

The 26-year-old Japanese K-pop influencer Mina Chan experienced an acute mental health crisis while livestreaming from her home in Seoul on August 5. This happened after she suffered weeks of severe online bullying stemming from an incident at the US concert of her favorite pop group, the boy band ENHYPEN.

During the concert, Mina tried to give sunflowers to her favorite singer, Nishimura Riki, better known as NI-KI, by throwing them onto the stage. When another group member picked them up instead, she appeared upset. When NI-KI later criticized fans for seeking personal attention rather than enjoying the concert, many fans felt he was referring to Mina.

In the following weeks, Mina received so much online harassment, doxxing, and hate that she first apologized on X and withdrew from the fan club before eventually broadcasting her final livestream, in which she died by hanging. Mean comments continued throughout the livestream.

Online discussions in China have largely framed the incident in terms of online aggression (网暴, wǎngbào) and problematic fan circles (饭圈, fànquān). Although Mina was a Japanese fan of a South Korean band, K-pop fandom is also enormous in China.

Both online aggression and toxic fan culture have been repeatedly targeted by Chinese cyberspace authorities in recent years, undoubtedly contributing to greater public awareness of these problems. Against this backdrop, Mina’s death has prompted widespread calls to end online bullying, while thousands of Chinese netizens have expressed their sorrow over the young woman’s death.

Notably, just one day before Mina’s livestream, American celebrity blogger Perez Hilton became a global trending topic after self-harming during a TikTok livestream that remained online for approximately fifteen minutes, allowing a large audience to watch the disturbing events unfold – similar to what happened with Mina’s livestream. In the United States, the incident sparked further discussion about platform moderation and TikTok’s failure to end livestreams quickly when signs of self-harm or an acute mental health crisis emerge.


 

📱ON MY FEED

 

This post reads:

“China Southern, what on earth are you doing? I gulped it all down, only to realize it wasn’t grape juice, it was prune juice!!! This is the first time I’ve seen such a long, never-ending line of people waiting to use the restroom on a plane; the prize pool just kept growing.
Do you have any idea how much I suffered? #InFlightMeal #ChinaSouthern #PruneJuice”

After passengers on a China Southern Airlines flight from Wuhan to Urumqi were served prune juice with their meal, the queues for the plane’s only two toilets kept growing as dozens of passengers felt the high urge to go.

One other review said:

“What were you thinking, serving prune juice? China Southern, please answer me. You nearly made me shit myself.”


 

🔗 SEEN ELSEWHERE

 

🔹 “Grandma Economy” (“姥姥经济”) fills a void for urban Chinese Gen Z and millennial consumers who are increasingly projecting their nostalgia for the warmth of grandmothers onto the brands they buy, the content they consume, and the creators they follow. Read at Baiguan / by Amber Zhang.

🔹 Toddler twins are at the center of a very messy custody case involving a surrogate mother from Florida and a Chinese father who might never be allowed to enter the US. Born in November 2024, the twins are biologically not connected to the surrogate mother, but after the Chinese legal father never came to collect them, she and her husband want to adopt them. A new Florida law has now placed the case at the center of conservative outrage over Chinese parents allegedly exploiting the state’s lax surrogacy rules. Read at Wall Street Journal / by Katherine Long.

🔹 A Chinese state media correspondent has been accused of being a spy by the Czech Security Information Service, which identified Yang as an operative of China’s Ministry of State Security, alleging he used his cover as a journalist to collect compromising information on Czech politicians, particularly those supportive of closer ties with Taiwan. Read at Reporters Without Borders.

🔹 “What I feared to be my lifelong search has unexpectedly come to an end. Yesterday, I got a message from my family searcher in China on WeChat that I have a positive DNA match with my biological parents.” In late 2024, I wrote about how the Dutch adoptee Fengli Bottema had come to China in search of her biological family after she was left in front of an Anhui police station as a baby back in 2001. There’s now an update to her story, which echoes that of thousands of Chinese girls adopted abroad. Her search has finally come to an end. Read Fengli’s Instagram post here.


Thanks to Miranda Barnes for helping me curate topics for this edition.


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