China and Covid19

Trending: Couples Recommended to Wait Three Months to Plan Pregnancy after Recovering from Covid

A doctor’s advice to delay conception after Covid went trending: “Nine months from now, the birth rates are going to hit an all-time low.”

Published

4 years ago

January 8, 2023

Manya Koetse

On January 5, the hashtag “Doctor Recommends Couples to Wait Three Months to Get Pregnant after Recovering from Covid” (#医生建议夫妻阳康后等仨月再备孕#) went trending on Weibo, attracting over 16 million views within a day. In late December, a similar hashtag (#医生建议新冠愈后3个月再备孕#) also received over two million clicks on Weibo.

This time, the advice was issued by Doctor Xu Yajuan (徐雅娟), Director of Obstretics at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, where…

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Manya Koetse

Manya Koetse is a sinologist, writer, and public speaker specializing in China’s social trends, digital culture, and online media ecosystems. She founded What’s on Weibo in 2013 and now runs the Eye on Digital China newsletter. Learn more at manyakoetse.com or follow her on X, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

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China and Covid19

Weibo Watch: Small Earthquakes in Wuhan

How Wuhan is shaking off its past with a new wave of innovation, the hot topics to know, and the Weibo catchphrase of the week: ‘the Three Questions of Patriotism.’

Published

2 years ago

September 27, 2024

Manya Koetse

PREMIUM NEWSLETTER | ISSUE #37

Dear Reader,

“Wuhan Earthquake” (#武汉地震#) momentarily became the number one trending topic on Weibo this Friday night, after residents of Jiangxia District reported feeling their homes and buildings shake. “Was there an earthquake, or am I drunk?” some wondered.

I also felt a bit tipsy in Wuhan this month. Neon signs, dancing livestreamers, flying drones, bustling night markets, and holographic lights. On my first night in…

China and Covid19

Sick Kids, Worried Parents, Overcrowded Hospitals: China’s Peak Flu Season on the Way

“Besides Mycoplasma infections, cases include influenza, Covid-19, Norovirus, and Adenovirus. Heading straight to the hospital could mean entering a cesspool of viruses.”

Published

3 years ago

November 22, 2023

Manya Koetse

In the early morning of November 21, parents are already queuing up at Xi’an Children’s Hospital with their sons and daughters. It’s not even the line for a doctor’s appointment, but rather for the removal of IV needles.

The scene was captured in a recent video, only one among many videos and images that have been making their rounds on Chinese social media these days (#凌晨的儿童医院拔针也要排队#).