|
Weibo’s Summer of War Memories | 📬 What's been happening on Weibo? | | This summer, the history of war is very much alive on Chinese social media. Nearly every day now, there is trending news relating to the preparations for the upcoming September 3rd massive Tiananmen Square commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. | | Spectacular videos of the first rehearsal of the military parade were widely shared by state media ahead of the actual commemoration event, which is scheduled for September 3, 2025. Around 22,000 people took part in the rehearsal. | | But it’s not just the major upcoming parade; it’s also three major war movies that are creating a lot of buzz as well as a new genre of online videos that—through AI—allow a dialogue across time with fallen soldiers who want to know if they won the war, and if their sacrifice was worth it. | | In the latest feature article of the premium Weibo Watch newsletter, I explore these new ways of remembering war in the context of modern-day China—I'll include a link in the overview below. | | With the much-anticipated film 731—about the gruesome human experiments carried out by the Japanese Army in North China—set to premiere soon, this topic is bound to receive even more attention in the weeks ahead. | | 👉What else is new? Besides my own doomscrolling of Weibo and Douyin, I’ve set up a new workflow that automatically pulls trending topics from Chinese social media and generates a daily trending digest. This helps me to share more timely and brief updates with you on some topics that are trending now. In these new 'China Trend Watch' articles, I combine a curated selection of the latest trends with my own take on them. You’ll find the most recent trending articles listed below. | | (By the way, I have some thoughts on the pros and cons of using AI and automated data collection tools for researching and reporting on China, and I’ll be sharing them in a column soon—if that’s something you’d be interested in!) | | Don't forget to subscribe to stay in the loop! What's on Weibo is 100% reader-supported. As a premium member you get access to all articles & insights, plus you get the Weibo Watch newsletter. (If you subscribe now you'll still lock in the current prices before a slight price increase.) | | Also, don't forget to check out the What's on Weibo Events page, listing upcoming interesting events that can also be attended virtually. | | PS: Follow me on X or Bluesky | Follow What's on Weibo on Instagram | | | | | By Manya Koetse | | | |
🔍“We are not friends, and have never been,” is a line that went viral recently in light of the heightened focus on war in Chinese media and popular culture. WWII-themed AI videos, a parade spectacle in the works, and three major blockbusters are all showing how war is being remembered in a new China. | | | | | | | | | | | | | By Wendy Huang | | | | 🔍 From foreign anti-smoking bloggers to the “Modern Lin Zexu,” China is recently seeing a rise in online anti-smoking activism.Is this the road ahead for smoking control in China? | | | | | | | | | | | | | By Wendy Huang | | | | 🔍 Simple gesture, big impact. We saw it again this week: Chinese former box office 2D animation record holder Big Fish & Begonia (大鱼海棠) congratulated this summer's (unexpected!) animation hit Nobody (浪浪山小妖怪) with its new box office success. It’s a distinctly Chinese cinema tradition for domestically produced films to release social media congratulatory posters like this, to honor each other’s box office milestones as a gesture of camaraderie. Yes, Steven Spielberg did it too- but Hollywood does it differently! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 📌 Trend to watch:
The Chinese fruit retail chain Pagoda (百果园) has sparked backlash this month after chairman Yu Huiyong (余惠勇) defended its high-price, high-quality business model by claiming the company is “educating” consumers about proper fruit pricing rather than catering to their wishes for cheaper produce. At a time when many are struggling with rising living costs, netizens slammed Yu as “arrogant and conceited,” with one popular comment saying: “I just want to buy some fruit, not be educated by you.” | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 📌 Trend to watch: A fatal stabbing of a 19-year-old Chinese female at a popular scenic spot in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, has shocked Chinese social media earlier this month, with one related hashtag garnering over 620 million views in a single day. The victim was attacked and stabbed over ten times by a 23-year-old man from Gao’an with a reported history of mental illness. The case has ignited heated debate over security measures at China’s scenic sites, gender-based violence, and the apparent misuse of “mental illness” as a legal defense. “Again it’s a ‘mental illness’ case, again and again,” one Weibo user (@甜热热的小兔子) wrote: “In recent years, how many perpetrators in serious violent incidents have not been labeled as mentally ill? So having mental illness means you’re above the law, is that it?”
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | 📌 Trend to watch: POPMART just keeps on trending. This week, it was announced that the brand will launch a mini version of its highly successful Labubu doll that can be attached to phones. In addition, there’s a new collaboration with singer Zhou Shen (周深) that brings Chinese pop culture into the world of blind boxes. Discussions on the future of POPMART are increasing, and with Labubu as its main star, the brand’s success now lies in balancing exclusivity with accessibility, and freshness with stability, to avoid the hype fading due to consumer fatigue.
| | | | | | | | | | This is the newsletter (free edition) by What’s on Weibo. Want to check out the latest premium Weibo Watch newsletter? Find it here. If you are already subscribed to What’s on Weibo but are not yet receiving the Weibo Watch newsletter in your inbox, please contact us directly to let us know. No longer wish to receive these newsletters? You can unsubscribe at any time. | |
