Featured

Quick Eye: AI Drama Takedowns, Meta’s Blocked Deal, and “Lying Flat” Conspiracy

Catch up on the week’s most critical China trends in 3 minutes.

Published

4 months ago

April 29, 2026

Manya Koetse

This is Quick Eye, a brief scan of what’s been trending across Chinese social media.

The Big Stories

📌 The Major May Day Holiday The upcoming May Day holiday is about to start, and because it runs from May 1–7 this year, it’s being called a “super holiday” and a time for “cultural tourism spending” (文旅消费). China’s Ministry of Transport is expecting a massive travel surge with an estimated 1.52 billion cross-regional trips.

Up Next

The AI Actor Debate, Tragedy in China’s “Fireworks Capital,” and the Viral Labubu Fridge

Don't Miss

Beyond the “Ching Chong” Controversy: The “Pocket Asian” in The Devil Wears Prada 2

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.

Click to comment

China Digital

How Chinese AI Videos Turned Foreigners into Villains

How viral AI videos turn racialized outsiders into threats and violent Chinese heroes into defenders of social order, China’s first nationally broadcast AI drama, and why a newspaper is being sold for 50 times its original price.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 3, 2026

Manya Koetse

Welcome to China Trend Watch (Week 30–33 | 2026), where I bring you the latest trends, memes, and debates driving conversation across Chinese social media. Subscribe here to receive future editions.

Over the past few weeks, a noteworthy amount of AI-related news has been trending on Chinese social media, which is reflected in this week’s edition.

Now that AI has entered every corner of media consumption and online life, related discussions seem…

China Trend Watch

“God Won’t Save Us, but the PLA Will”: Floods, Faith, and Kung Fu Soccer Nostalgia

Also: the Hong Kong bookstore arrests that did not go trending, AI bank cards, Haaland becoming China’s summer meme king, and a delivery rider winning the Lu Xun Literature Prize.

Published

4 weeks ago

July 19, 2026

Manya Koetse

Welcome to China Trend Watch (Week 28–29 | 2026), where I bring you the latest trends, memes, and debates driving conversation across Chinese social media. Subscribe here to receive future editions.

In this issue, I’m catching you up on the stories you need to know about, including the extreme weather and the noteworthy narratives surrounding it, China’s second “DeepSeek moment,” the nostalgic summer hit at the cinemas, how the Hong Kong bookshop…