China Brands, Marketing & Consumers

An Introduction to Sina Weibo: Background and Status Quo

Sina Weibo, often referred to as ‘Weibo’, is one of the biggest social media platforms of China. A short introduction to China’s most popular micro-blogging service.

Published

11 years ago

September 21, 2015

Manya Koetse

This is What’s on Weibo’s short introduction to Sina Weibo, China’s biggest social media network that was launched in 2009. Over the past eight years, Weibo has transformed from a Chinese equivalent of Twitter to a comprehensive platform that incorporates the major features of social media channels like Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram [last updated April 2017].

Sina Weibo is China’s most popular social media platform. This is What’s on Weibo’s Sina Weibo…

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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.

5 Comments

Harald Gottschling

October 12, 2016 at 11:05 pm

I´m looking for shouse-brand “chou sen” , thank you
Harald Gottschling

Reply
Mandy

October 6, 2017 at 10:05 pm

Good article. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Japan

April 13, 2018 at 7:22 pm

Pretty! This has been a really wonderful post. Thank you for
providing this information.

Reply
Borhan Brihan

October 7, 2018 at 8:59 am

The followers of top ten celebrities are insane! A perfect article with handy statistics.

Reply
longUrl

May 20, 2019 at 8:52 pm

Why people still use to read news papers when in this technological globe everything is available on net?

Reply

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.

Published

4 weeks ago

October 4, 2026

Manya Koetse

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…

China Brands, Marketing & Consumers

Quack Like a Goose: Why Beijing Street Vendor “Auntie Goose Legs” Sparked a Nationwide Debate

After the first complaints surfaced, Auntie Goose Legs admitted the truth about her business: she ha been selling duck legs all along.

Published

4 months ago

June 20, 2026

Manya Koetse

🔥 Originally published in Eye on Digital China.
My premium newsletter covering the stories, memes, debates, and viral moments shaping online conversations in China. Subscribe here to receive future editions.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it might still be a goose – or the other way around. That, at least, is the takeaway from two stories that recently went viral on Chinese social media.

The woman at…