Weibo Watch: Comedy, Controversy, Complexity

Humor is serious business. This is the What’s on Weibo newsletter, issue 4, featuring China’s social heartbeat of week 20.

Published

3 years ago

May 21, 2023

What's on Weibo Team

PREMIUM NEWSLETTER | ISSUE #4 | READING TIME: 7 MIN

Dear Reader,

It was Saturday night in Beijing’s Dongcheng District when the Chinese comedian Li Haoshi, better known as ‘House’, performed one of his stand-up comedy shows. The 31-year-old had gained significant recognition after participating as a contestant on the immensely popular stand-up comedy competition series called “Rock & Roast,” which had propelled his career to new heights.

However, his world quickly unraveled over…

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What's on Weibo Team

Stories that are authored by the What's on Weibo Team are the stories that multiple authors contributed to. Please check the names at the end of the articles to see who the authors are.

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Editorial

Look Only at the Ugly Sides, and You Won’t See China

A response to a Dutch debate on China, and why nuance matters in an age of geopolitical polarization.

Published

5 months ago

June 2, 2026

Manya Koetse

The following is an English translation of a Dutch opinion piece I wrote in response to a recent essay in FD (Het Financieele Dagblad, the Dutch Financial Daily). It reflects on how China is discussed in Europe and why nuance matters in debates about freedom, safety, and public perceptions of China.

Anyone who says something positive about China nowadays quickly runs the risk of being dismissed as a propagandist. This became apparent again this week…

Chapter Dive

Eye on Digital China: How Chinese Social Media Evolved from the Blog Era to the AI-driven Age

A look back at the three major phases of China’s social media — and why What’s on Weibo is evolving into Eye on Digital China.

Published

12 months ago

November 12, 2025

Manya Koetse

This edition of the Eye on Digital China newsletter by Manya Koetse was sent to premium subscribers. Subscribe now to receive future issues in your inbox.

“Do you still remember going to the internet cafe, paying 2 yuan ($0.30) per hour during the day or 7 yuan ($1) for an all-nighter? Staying up playing games and surfing around?”

It’s the kind of content you’ll often see today on platforms like Douyin or Bilibili…