Newsletter
Weibo Watch: Different Realities
Encountering very different narratives when scrolling through newsfeeds. From unemployment among graduates to pursuing a journalism major, these are the hot topics you need to know.
Published
3 years agoon
PREMIUM NEWSLETTER | ISSUE #8
This week’s newsletter:
◼︎ 1. Editor’s Note – Alternate realities
◼︎ 2. What’s Trending – A closer look at the top stories
◼︎ 3. What to Know – Highlighting hot topics
◼︎ 4. What Lies Behind – The human ‘Sorting Hat’
◼︎ 5. What’s Noteworthy – An inappropriate selfie
◼︎ 6. What’s Popular – White People Food
◼︎ 7. What’s Memorable – Best reads from the archive
◼︎ 8. Weibo Word of the Week – “Small-town upper class”
Dear Reader,
In the social media era, news travels farther, faster, and deeper than ever before. Although so-called ‘cyber utopians’ may have wished and believed that this would lead to freer and more democratic dynamics in the world of news media, we are now witnessing how news platforms are actually also contributing to increased polarization and frustration among people.
While this may hold true for the global news environment at large, this phenomenon is recently particularly noteworthy in China, where online anger over the lack of recognition and representation in news reports has become prevalent.
With 1 in 5 young Chinese currently facing joblessness, many students and graduates are worried because of the instability that is permeating throughout a society where youth unemployment is a growing problem. The pressure to choose a major that offers a high chance of finding a good job is palpable, with over 88% of young people expressing the wish for guidance in this stressful process.
In response, some students have taken to the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu to post creative graduation photos, portraying themselves as zombies, runaways, or even dead people, as a way to mock the challenges they have faced and anticipate in the future. One recent graduate sarcastically wrote, “Graduation! Going from being graduated to being unemployed.”

Creative graduation photos.
However, when these students scroll through their newsfeeds, they encounter a very different narrative: positive prospects for youth, news of 26 million young graduates finding jobs, and encouragement to pursue their passions. Rather than finding solace in these rose-colored reports, many are growing increasingly skeptical of Chinese journalism and media tactics that seem to create alternate realities. One person wondered, “Is it really so difficult to acknowledge the ’employment recession’?”
In light of these discussions and recent criticisms of Chinese media reports that clash with everyday realities, it is perhaps not surprising that when needing to pick a major, many people feel that studying journalism is not the road to take. An online debate about this topic has recently garnered millions of views.
Meanwhile, a distrust in mainstream media also does not help when disaster happens. After the deadly explosion that occurred in Yinchuan last week, erroneous reporting by some state media outlets led people to accuse them of purposely spreading “fake news.”
All of these incidents further fuel the ongoing discussions about the current state and future of journalism and news media in China. To delve deeper into these topics and more, please explore our latest stories below. This week’s newsletter includes contributions from Miranda Barnes and Zilan Qian.
Best,
Manya
What’s Trending

1: Criticism of Journalism in China | Chinese educational internet influencer Zhang Xuefeng (张雪峰) recently sparked a trending discussion by strongly discouraging Chinese youth from pursuing a degree in journalism. While scholars and state media emphasize the merits of studying journalism, a significant number of netizens question its benefits, labeling it as impractical, uneducational, and restrictive. Professor Zhang Xiaoqiang (张小强), on the other hand, argues that pursuing a degree in journalism is worth it. Meanwhile, the ‘Zhang vs Zhang’ online debate has captivated millions of people.

2: Different Realities | From manipulating employment statistics to the use of euphemistic terms, Chinese netizens are growing increasingly frustrated about how official media and authorities are portraying the situation on the job market. As one in five young Chinese faces joblessness, this article highlights how Chinese youth are growing weary of reading positive news reports about the job market’s prospects, which sharply contrast with the challenging realities they face themselves.

3: The Wagner Mutiny on Chinese Social Media | The recent developments involving Putin and the Wagner group have gained significant attention in China’s media landscape, with a Russia-focused perspective dominating the online discussions. While some Chinese netizens express support for Russia, there is also a notable segment that mocks and ridicules staunch pro-Russia supporters, labeling them as ‘Yellow Geese’. This article was written on June 24, recording the Chinese responses to the Wagner mutiny situation as it unfolded.

4: Failing Safety Measures | The tragic gas explosion at a BBQ restaurant in Yinchuan, Ningxia, resulting in the loss of 31 lives and injuring 7 others, has had a profound impact on the local community. Following the incident, many customers at local (bbq) restaurants choose to sit outside, reflecting an increased awareness about the dangers of gas leakage and the importance of good ventilation. However, the impact extends beyond the immediate community. During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, local authorities across the country, in accordance with Xi Jinping’s instructions, are intensifying safety controls and reinforcing supervision to prevent a recurrence of such an incident, which could have been easily avoided with appropriate safety measures.
What to Know

A Chinese tour group was attacked during the riots in France.
◼︎ Riots in France. This weekend, after days of unrest, the riots and chaos in France have also reached the top trending topic lists of Chinese social platforms, including Weibo, where the hashtag “The French Riots Have Spread to Neighboring Belgium” (#法国骚乱已蔓延到邻国比利时#) was among the biggest topics of the day on Saturday. Protests and riots have escalated in France, from Paris and Marseille to Lyon, following the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old male that occurred during a traffic stop on Tuesday in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. The situation in France is major news in Chinese media, especially after a bus carrying a Chinese tour group had its windows smashed in Marseille, resulting in several minor injuries. Chinese authorities have issued a warning for Chinese citizens in France to take precautions and stay safe in light of the recent unrest. (Hashtag: Chinese citizens in France Should Increase Safety Measures #在法中国公民加强安全防范#, 7.5 million views; “France Continues Seeing Riots in Various Places” #法国多地持续发生骚乱#, 7.4 million views; “Over 40 Chinese Travelers Attacked in France” #40多名中国游客在法遇袭#, 9.1 million views).
◼︎ CPC Founding Anniversary. This week, there have been numerous hashtags related to the Communist Party on Chinese social media platforms as the 102nd anniversary of the CPC’s founding was celebrated on Saturday. The anniversary received significant attention online, with a multitude of images, videos, and official posts praising the Party and emphasizing the goals of national prosperity and rejuvenation. Offline celebrations included a symphony concert in Beijing and the release of multilingual editions of “A Concise History of the Communist Party of China.” According to official media reports, the number of Party members has reached 98.04 million, marking a 1.4% increase compared to the previous year. (Hashtag: “The 102nd Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China” ##中国共产党成立102周年#
#, more than 290 million views on Weibo by Sunday evening, local time).
◼︎ Cai Xukun Controversy. Chinese singer-songwriter Can Xukun has been all the talk this week after getting caught up in a scandal. Allegations surfaced claiming that Cai had a one-night stand with a woman who later became pregnant, and he allegedly requested her to undergo an abortion. Cai is a major celebrity, as well as brand ambassador of global brands including Prada, Givenchy, and Tag Hauer. As the scandal is unfolding, it is not yet sure how this will impact the singer’s career, but his name was already removed from the Douban pages of some variety shows in which he participated, and CCTV allegedly has also taken down online videos of him. (Hashtag: “Cai Xukun and Forced Abortion of Ms. C” ##蔡徐坤 c女士打胎#, 2.9 billion views on Weibo).
◼︎ Bullied High School Student Commits Suicide. The case of a 16-year-old high school student in Guizhou who recently died by suicide after ingesting poison at the school campus has gained significant attention on Chinese social media. According to reports, the student had been subjected to bullying at school. Earlier this year, he was caught selling cigarettes and had reported his classmates for using smartphones. The bullying he experienced became increasingly severe, causing him to develop fear of returning to school and leading to a decline in his mental health. Following his death, his mother shared his story on social media. This incident has sparked greater awareness about the issue of bullying in Chinese schools, prompting various state media outlets to publish articles aimed at helping parents detect signs of bullying in their children’s lives. (Hashtag: “16-Year-Old High School Student Dies by Suicide after Ingesting Poison on Campus” ###16岁中学生校内服毒自杀身亡#, 180 million views on Weibo).
◼︎ Renmin University Students’ Information Leak On July 1st, a post on social media claimed that a graduate student from Renmin University of China stole students’ personal information to create a “girl rating site” to score their attractiveness based on facial features. The leaked information allegedly includes student ID numbers, names, colleges, hometowns, and birthdays. The topic has gained widespread attention on social media, where the topic is currently still developing. The incident has been reported to police and is still under investigation. (Hashtag: “Renmin University Student Information Leak Incident” #人民大学通报学生信息泄露事件#, 64 million views on Weibo).
◼︎ Biden Calling Xi “Dictator”. Following Blinken’s recent visit to China, President Biden referred to Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a “dictator” during a campaign fundraiser in California. This statement gained international attention, with China’s Foreign Ministry accusing the US president of “political provocation” in response. However, the incident received minimal coverage on Chinese online media platforms. Interestingly, the only relevant Weibo hashtag regarding a leader being called a “dictator” was in reference to a graphic aired on Fox News during Trump’s post-arrest speech, where Biden was labeled a “wannabe dictator.” (Hashtag: “Trump Labels Biden as Wannabe Dictator” ##特朗普称拜登想成为独裁者#).
◼︎ 5-Year-Old Jumps From 5th Floor after Parental Abuse. On June 25, a distressing incident unfolded as a 5-year-old boy attempted to escape physical abuse from his parents by climbing out of the window of their 5th-floor apartment in Changfeng County. Shockingly, instead of ensuring her son’s safety, the mother resorted to further violence, striking the young boy with a stick, ultimately leading to the young boy’s jump/fall. Neighbors who saw the incident unfold immediately alerted authorities, and the child was swiftly transported to the hospital, where he is currently receiving medical treatment and is reported to be out of immediate danger. The incident has sparked widespread discussions about the detrimental effects of parental abuse, with some critics also questioning media reports that suggested the mother had used the stick to coerce the child back inside. As the investigation is ongoing, local authorities are appealing to the public to refrain from sharing a circulating video of the incident, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding the child’s well-being. (Hashtag: “Police Report Regarding Boy Jumping from Building Incident” ##警方通报男童坠楼事件#).
◼︎ Dragon Boat Travel Rush. According to data from China State Railway Group, China’s railway passenger flow reached a record high during the recent Dragon Boat Festival holiday, which started on Thursday last week. Approximately 70.38 million railway passenger trips were made nationwide during a five-day period, which is an increase of 7.14 million compared to the 2019 holiday. On June 22, a single-day record was set with 16.09 million passenger trips.
What’s Behind the Headlines

The Human Version of the Sorting Hat: Choosing a Promising Path
After the brief celebration of wrapping up the Gaokao, the university entrance exams in China, hundreds of thousands of students received their results this week and embarked on the next step of their academic journey: submitting their choices of major and university. Faced with immense pressure and a wealth of information, students are turning to consulting services to help them make decisions that are crucial for their future. With an overwhelming 88.1% of Chinese students indicating their willingness to utilize such services, it has become a thriving industry.
One prominent figure in this field is Zhang Xuefeng, an influential education advisor known for providing practical guidance based on various factors, including a student’s Gaokao performance, personal interests, and family background. Zhang has earned the nickname “Human Sorting Hat” (人肉分院帽) for his role in guiding students towards suitable choices, similar to the magical hat in the Harry Potter series.
Although Zhang and advisers like him are increasingly popular, an editorial piece recently published state media outlet People’s Daily criticized the industry for offering purely utilitarian advice, suggesting that there is more to life than simply “getting a job” or “supporting one’s family,” and that dreams should also be taken into account.
Nonetheless, many commenters support Zhang’s approach, arguing that in today’s society and economy, individuals from ordinary families literally cannot afford to make missteps when making life-altering decisions. “I wish I had his advice back in the day,” one person remarked: “I wouldn’t have wasted four years studying something unrelated to my current job.”
What’s Noteworthy

A Very Inappropriate Selfie | A notable trending topic emerged on Douyin and in the “society” category on Weibo over the past weekend, concerning a Chinese woman who took a tourist photo in a rather inappropriate setting. The incident took place in Wuxi, Jiangxi Province, where a Chinese domestic tourist reportedly slipped and fell into a ditch while recording a Douyin (TikTok) video during her visit to the scenic water area at Xihui Park. Following her fall, the woman lay motionless in the ditch, face down.
What made the incident controversial was that another woman, who did not even know if the victim was dead or alive, treated the scene as if it were a tourist attraction. She proceeded to take a smiling selfie while standing near the woman in the ditch. This behavior raised questions about the woman’s lack of empathy and sparked discussions about the problematic side of the social media era. Some individuals seem to prioritize their own self-presentation on socials, forgetting to to show empathy those around them.
What’s Popular

They Discovered Our Trend! | Earlier this month, the term ‘white people food’ (白人饭 báirénfàn) gained significant attention in English-language media after it became a trend on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu. “White people food” mainly refers to simple meals that are easy to prepare, prioritizing convenience over taste. Examples include crackers and cheese, celery with dip, boiled egg with cucumber, ham sandwiches, or pasta with tomatoes.
Mocking unappetizing, cold, and barely seasoned ‘white people food’ became popular among overseas Chinese posting photos on Xiaohongshu and others criticizing the bland lunchboxes brought to work by white colleagues. As a response to the trend, an online challenge emerged where people attempted to recreate their own version of a white people lunch. This mini-trend caught the attention of English-language media outlets, including Buzzfeed. A month after the ‘white people food’ trend first became popular, Chinese netizens onw reflect on how the trend gained international attention.
What’s Memorable

“America is Bad” Post Backfiring | Amid ongoing discussions about Chinese journalism and media, we have chosen this article from our archive to shed light on a noteworthy phenomenon. It examines how Chinese netizens effectively used state media reports as a platform to express their frustrations and amplify their voices. In 2022, when the Chinese government faced criticism for its handling of the COVID-19 crisis and other internal matters, netizens cleverly harnessed state media-initiated hashtags that focused on alleged human rights abuses in the United States. By doing so, they effectively voiced their dissent against the government’s diversionary tactics. Notably, this allowed critical viewpoints to emerge on Weibo at a sensitive time, without immediate censorship.
Weibo Word of the Week

Small-Town Elites: Luxurious Lifestyle Away from the City | Our Weibo Word of the Week is 小镇贵妇 xiǎo zhèn guìfù, “small-town upper class lady.”
The phenomenon of the “small-town elites” has been popping up more frequently in Chinese online media and on lifestyle app Xiaohongshu over the past few months. The term “small town upper class ladies” (小镇贵妇) refers to women who reside in small towns and enjoy a wealthy lifestyle with minimal work responsibilities, usually thanks to their affluent families. Their wealth and leisurely lifestyle are not only due to financial stability but also the abundance of free time they have to engage in various activities, decorate their homes, and pursue hobbies such as yoga. This lifestyle is a striking contrast to urban dwellers who face long working hours, challenging commutes, and high living expenses.
While “small-town elites” may express their envy toward their friends in bigger cities who can attend concerts, visit bars, and experience the vibrant atmosphere of cosmopolitan places, they, in turn, are admired by their friends for their comfortable living situations and spacious houses in a relatively stress-free, privileged environment.
This is an on-site version of the Weibo Watch newsletter by What’s on Weibo. Missed last week’s newsletter? Find it here. If you are already subscribed to What’s on Weibo but are not yet receiving this newsletter in your inbox, please contact us directly to let us know.
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.
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
4 months agoon
November 12, 2025
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 — nostalgic videos showing smoky internet cafes (wangba 网吧) from the early 2000s, where people chatted on QQ or played World of Warcraft on old Windows PCs while eating instant noodles. These clips trigger waves of nostalgia, even among internet users too young to remember that era themselves.

Internetcafe in 2005, image via 021zhaopin.com
The current nostalgia wave you see on Chinese social media is indicative of how China’s digital world has evolved over the past 25 years, shifting from one era to the next.
As I welcome a new name for this newsletter and say goodbye to ‘Weibo Watch’— and, in the longer run, to the ‘What’s on Weibo’ title, I’m feeling a bit nostalgic myself. It seems like a good moment to look back at the three major stages of Chinese social media, and at the reason I started What’s on Weibo in the first place.
1. The Blogging Boom (2002–2009): The Early Rise of Chinese Social Media
When I first came to China and became particularly interested in its online environment, it was the final phase of the early era of Chinese social media — a period that followed soon after the country had laid the foundations for its internet revolution. By 1999, the first generation of Chinese internet giants — Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, and Sina — had already been founded.
China’s blogging era began with the 2002 launch of the platform BlogChina.com (博客中国), followed by a wave of new platforms and online communities, among them Baidu Tieba and Renren. By around 2005, there were roughly 111 million internet users and 16 million bloggers, and the social impact was undeniable. 2005 was even dubbed China’s “year of blogging.” 1
Chinese writer Han Han (韩寒, born 1982), a high-school-dropout-turned–rally car racer, became one of the most-read figures on the Chinese internet with his sharp and witty blogs. He was just one among many who rose to fame during the blog era, becoming the voice of China’s post-1980s youth.

The rebel of China’s blog era, Han Han, became of voice of his generation.
When I moved to Beijing in 2008, I had a friend who was always out of money and practically lived in an internet cafe in the city’s Wudaokou district, not far from where I studied. We would visit him there as if it were his living room — the wangba was a local hangout for many of us.
Not only online forums and blogging sites were flourishing at the time, but there was also instant messaging through QQ (腾讯QQ), online news reading, and gaming. Platforms like the YouTube equivalents Tudou (土豆) and Youku (优酷) were launched, and soon Chinese companies began developing more successful products inspired by American digital platforms, such as Fanfou (饭否), Zuosa (做啥), Jiwai (叽歪), and Taotao (滔滔), creating an online space that was increasingly, and uniquely, Chinese.
That trajectory only accelerated after 2009, when popular Western internet services, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, became inaccessible from within mainland China.
⚡ The launch of Sina Weibo in 2009 came at a crossroads for China’s social media landscape: it was not only a time when many foreign platforms exited China, but also when internet cafes faced major crackdowns.
As a foreigner, I don’t think I ever visited internet bars in Beijing anymore by that point — internet use had largely shifted to home connections. Laptop ownership was rising, and we all had (pre-smartphone) mobile phones, which we used to text each other constantly, since texting was cheaper than calling.

Some of the mobile phones in China’s 2009 top 10 lists.
Weibo came at just the right time. It filled the vacuum left by the online crackdowns across China’s internet while still benefiting from the popularity of blogging. Weibo (微博), after all, literally means “micro-blog” — micro because the number of characters was limited, just like Twitter, making short-form posts the main way of communication.
Weibo quickly became hugely successful, for many more reasons than just timing. Its impact on society was so palpable that its trending discussions often seeped into everyday conversations I had with friends in China.
In English-language media, I kept reading about what was being censored on the Chinese internet, but that wasn’t necessarily what I wanted to know — I also wanted to know what was on Weibo, so I could keep up with my social circles.
That question planted the seed for What’s on Weibo: the simple curiosity of “What are people talking about?” What TV series are popular? What jokes and controversies are everyone discussing (but that I never fully grasped)? I wanted to get a sense of an online world that was, in many ways, intangible to outsiders — including myself. As I had moved back to Europe by then, it was also a way for me to stay connected to those everyday conversations unfolding online in China.
With scissors, glue, and some paper, I started sketching out what a future website might look like.

Papercrafting the idea for a website named ‘What’s on Weibo’ in 2012.
And in March 2013, after doing my best to piece it together, I launched What’s on Weibo and began writing — about all kinds of trends, like the milk powder crisis, about China’s many unmarried “leftover men” (shengnan 剩男), and about the word of the moment, “Green Tea Bitch” (lǜchá biǎo 绿茶婊) — a term used to stereotype ambitious women who act sweet and innocent while being seen as calculating or cunning.
2. From Weibo to the Taobao Moment: China’s Mobile Social Era: (2010–2019)
Around 2014–2015, people started saying Weibo was dead. In fact, it hadn’t died at all — some of its most vibrant years were still ahead. It had simply stumbled into the mobile era, along with China’s entire social media landscape.
As mobile internet became more widespread and everyone started using WeChat (launched in 2011), new mobile-first platforms began to emerge.2 In 2012–2013, for example, apps like Toutiao and Xiaohongshu (小红书, RED) were launched as mobile community platforms. With the rapid rise of China’s new tech giants — Bytedance, Meituan, and Didi — a new mobile era was blossoming, leaving the PC-based social media world far behind.
Spending another summer in Beijing in 2014, I called it the “Taobao Moment” — Taobao being China’s most successful online marketplace, a platform for buying and selling practically everything from clothes and furniture to insurance and even Bitcoins. At the time, I thought Taobao captured everything Beijing was at that moment: a world of opportunities, quick decisions, and endless ways to earn and spend money.
On weekends, some of my friends would head to the markets near the Beijing Zoo to buy the latest dresses, purses, jeans, or shoes. They’d buy stock on Saturday, do a photo shoot on Sunday, and sell the goods online by Monday. You could often spot young people on the streets of Beijing staging their own fashion shoots for Taobao — friends posing as models, Canon cameras in hand.
During that period, What’s on Weibo gradually found its audience, as more people became curious about what was happening on Chinese social media.
Around 2016, Weibo entered another prime era as the “celebrity economy” took off and a wave of “super influencers” (超级红人) emerged on the platform. Papi Jiang stood out among them — her humorous videos on everyday social issues made her one of China’s most recognizable online personalities, helping to drive Weibo’s renewed popularity.

Witty Papi Jiang was a breath of fresh air on Weibo in 2016.
People were hooked on social media. Between 2015 and 2018, China entered the age of algorithm- & interest-driven multimedia platforms. The popularity of Kuaishou’s livestreaming and Bytedance’s Douyin signaled the start of an entirely new era.
3. The New Social Era of AI-fication and Diversification (2020–Current)
China’s social media shifts over the past 25 years go hand in hand with broader technological, social, and geopolitical changes. Although this holds true elsewhere too, it’s especially the case in China, where central leadership is deeply involved in how social media should be managed and which direction the country’s digital development should take.
Since the late 2010s, China’s focus on AI has permeated every layer of society. AI-driven recommendation systems have fundamentally changed how Chinese users consume information. Far more than Weibo, platforms like Douyin, Kuaishou, and Xiaohongshu have become popular for using machine-learning algorithms to tailor feeds based on user behavior.
China’s social media boom has put pressure on traditional media outlets, which are now increasingly weaving themselves into social media infrastructure to broaden their impact. This has blurred the line between social media and state media, creating a complex online media ecosystem.
At the same time, it’s not just AI and media convergence that are reshaping China’s online landscape — social relationships now dominate both information flows and influence flows. 3 Not everyone is reading the same headlines anymore; people spend more time within their own interest-based niches. It’s no longer about microblogging but about micro-communities.
China now has 1.12 billion internet users. Among new users, young people (aged 10–19) and the elderly (60+) account for 49% and nearly 21%, respectively. The country’s digital environment has never been more lively, and social media has never been more booming.
As a bit of a dinosaur in China’s social media world, Weibo still stands tall — and its trending topics still matter. But the community that was once at the heart of the Chinese internet has dispersed across other apps, where people now engage in more diverse ways than ever.
In China, I notice this shift: where I once saw the rise of Weibo, the Taobao boom, or the Douyin craze, I now see online and offline media increasingly converging. Social media shapes real-life experiences and vice versa, and AI has become integrated into nearly every part of the media ecosystem — changing how content is made, distributed, consumed, and controlled.
In this changing landscape, the mission of What’s on Weibo — to explain China’s digital culture, media, and social trends, and to build a bridge between Western and Chinese online spaces — has stayed the same. But the name no longer fits that mission.
Over the past few years, my work has naturally evolved from Weibo-focused coverage to exploring China’s digital culture through a broader lens. The analysis and trend updates will continue, but under a new name that better reflects a time when Weibo is no longer at the center of China’s social media world: Eye on Digital China.
For you as a subscriber (subscribe here), this means you can expect more newsletter-based coverage: shorter China Trend Watch editions to keep you up to date with the latest trends, along with other thematic features and ‘Chapter’ deep dives that explore the depth behind fleeting moments.
For now, the main website will remain What’s on Weibo, but it will gradually transition into Eye on Digital China. I’ll keep the full archive alive — more than twelve years of coverage that helps trace the digital patterns we’re still seeing today. After all, the story of China’s past online moments often tells us more about the future than the trends of the day.
Thank you for following along on this new journey.
By Manya Koetse
(follow on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram)
1 Liu, Fengshu. 2011. Urban Youth in China: Modernity, the Internet and the Self. New York: Routledge, 50.
2 Mao Lin (Michael). 2020. “中国互联网25年变迁:两次跃迁,四次浪潮,一次赌未来” [25 Years of China’s Internet: Two Leaps, Four Waves, and a Gamble on the Future]. 人人都是产品经理 (Everyone Is a Product Manager), January 3. https://www.woshipm.com/it/3282708.html.
3 Yang, Shaoli (杨绍丽). 2025. “研判2025!中国社交媒体行业发展历程、重点企业分析及未来前景展望:随着移动互联网兴起,社交媒体开始向移动端转移 [Outlook for 2025! The Development History, Key Enterprises, and Future Prospects of China’s Social Media Industry: With the Rise of Mobile Internet, Social Media Has Shifted to Mobile Platforms].” Zhiyan Consulting (智研咨询), February 7. https://www.chyxx.com/industry/1211618.html.
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Eye on Digital China, by Manya Koetse, is co-published on Substack and What’s on Weibo.
Both feature the same new content — so you can read and subscribe wherever you prefer. Substack offers community features, while What’s on Weibo provides full archive access. If you’re already subscribed and want to switch platforms, just get in touch for help. Both feature the same new content — so you can subscribe or read wherever you prefer. If you’re already subscribed on one platform and would like to move your subscription over, just let me know and I’ll help you get set up.
© 2025 Manya Koetse. All rights reserved.
China Media
IShowSpeed in China: Streaming China’s Stories Well
Published
12 months agoon
March 30, 2025
“This man is doing God’s work. In just six hours, he eliminated all Western media propaganda about China,” Chinese influencer Li Sanjin (李三金) said in one of his videos this week. The man he referred to, allegedly doing ‘God’s work,’ is the American YouTuber and online streamer Darren Watkins, better known as IShowSpeed or Speed, who visited China this week and livestreamed from various locations.
With 37 million followers on his YouTube account, Watkins’ visit hasn’t exactly flown under the radar. His streams from China have already accumulated over 17.5 million views on YouTube alone, and he also became the talk of the week on Chinese social media.
In China, the 20-year-old IShowSpeed is known as Jiǎkànggē (甲亢哥), or “Hyper Bro,” since the immensely popular YouTube star is known for being highly energetic.
Although IShowSpeed is originally known for soccer and gaming-related content, he’s been streaming live from various countries over the past year, from Ecuador to Bolivia, from Australia to Indonesia, from Romania to Japan, and also from the Netherlands, where a mob of fans harassed the YouTuber to such an extent that the influencer fled and panicked, until the police intervened and asked him to shut down the livestream for safety reasons — which he did not comply with.
It was not the only time IShowSpeed’s visit got chaotic. He also got into trouble during livestreams from other countries. While streaming from Norway, he injured his ankle and was swarmed by a crowd while trying to get out. In Greece and Indonesia, he had to ask for police support as well. In Thailand, he crashed a tuk-tuk into a temple wall.
In China, IShowSpeed’s livestreams went far more smoothly, and netizens, state media, and other official channels raved about his visit and its favorable portrayal of the country and its culture.
🔹 Symbol of Cultural Exchange & Positive Diplomacy
“Jiǎkànggē” became one of the viral terms of the week, on Weibo, Kuaishou, Douyin, and Toutiao. During his China trip, the livestreamer hit several YouTube milestones — not only breaking the 37 million subscriber mark while on stream, but also surpassing the magic number of 10 million views in total.
Watkins, also known for being (sometimes aggressively) loud and chaotic, suddenly emerged as a symbol of cultural exchange and positive diplomacy. The past week saw hashtags such as:
#️⃣”IShowSpeed gives young foreigners a full-window view into China” (#甲亢哥给国外年轻人开了全景天窗#)
#️⃣”IShowSpeed’s Shanghai livestream breaks Western filter on China” (#甲亢哥上海直播打破西方对中国滤镜#)
#️⃣”American influencer IShowSpeed amazed by stable wifi on China’s high-speed train” (#美国网红甲亢哥被高铁稳定网络震惊#)
#️⃣”IShowSpeed praised deep tried tripe for being incredibly delicious” (#甲亢哥赞爆肚太好吃了#), or
#️⃣ “IShowSpeed bridges the cultural divide” (#甲亢哥弥合文化鸿沟#).
While in Chinese media, Watkins was lauded for shining a positive light on China, this message was also promoted on English-language social media, where he was praised by the Chinese embassy in the US (#驻美大使馆称赞甲亢哥中国行#), writing:

Post by Chinese Embassy in the US on X, March 26.
“This 20-year-old American internet star is bridging cultural gaps through digital means and creating new channels for foreign audiences to better understand China.”
So what exactly did IShowSpeed do while in China?
On March 24, Watkins livestreamed from Shanghai. He wandered around the city center, visited a KFC, danced with fellow streamers, stopped by a marriage market, ate noodles, played ping-pong, had hotpot, joined a dragon dance group and got acquainted with some traditional Chinese opera performance, and walked along the Bund.

On March 26, he streamed from Beijing, starting in Donghuamen before briefly entering the Forbidden City—dressed in a Dongbei-style floral suit. He later took a stroll around Nanluoguxiang and the scenic Houhai lake, rode a train, and finally visited the Great Wall, where he did backflips.

In his stream on March 28, Watkins traveled to Henan to visit the famous Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, hoping to find a master to teach him kung fu. He trained with Shaolin monks—footage that quickly went viral.
Lastly, on March 29, he opened his own Weibo account and published his first post. On Douyin, he shared a video of his visit to Fuxi Mountain in Zhengzhou, featuring the popular “Stairway to Heaven” tourist spot.
On social media, many viewers were captivated by the content. One major talking point was the remarkably strong internet connection that allowed him to livestream for six-hour stretches without losing signal in Shanghai. (Though his Beijing stream started off patchier, the drop was minor.) For many, it symbolized the quality of China’s 5G services.
Foreign viewers also praised how safe, friendly, and clean the country appeared, and how his streams highlighted various aspects of Chinese culture—from everyday people to traditional arts and local cuisine.
🔹 Telling & Spreading China’s Stories Well
It is no wonder the success of the Jiǎkànggē livestreams is celebrated by Chinese official media in an age where China’s foreign communication aims to increase China’s international discourse power, shaping how the world views China and making that image more credible, more respectable, and more lovable.
That’s not just an observation — it’s an official strategy. Introduced by Xi Jinping in 2013, “Telling China’s Story Well” (“讲好中国故事”) is a political slogan that has become a key propaganda strategy for China and continues to be a priority in finding different ways of promoting Chinese culture — new ways of telling China’s story in the social media age – while countering Western dominant narratives about China.
In increasingly digitalized times, it is not just about telling China’s story well, but also spreading China’s message effectively — preferably through genuine and engaging stories (Cai 2013; Qiushi 2021).
Especially young, non-official ‘storytellers’ can make China’s image more relatable and dynamic. One major example, highlighted in a 2022 case study by Zeng Dan (曾丹), is Chinese influencer Li Ziqi (李子柒). You’ve probably heard of her, or seen snippets of her videos: she creates soothing, cinematic content depicting China’s countryside lifestyle, focused on cooking, crafts, and gardening. With 26 million followers on YouTube, Li Ziqi became a viral sensation who successfully communicated an authentic and appealing ‘China story’ to a broad global audience.

Li Ziqi in one of her YouTube videos.
Although the calm and composed Li Ziqi and the loud, chaotic IShowSpeed couldn’t be more different, they have some things in common: both have large international fanbases, including their millions of YouTube subscribers; they offer perspectives that differ from Chinese state media or official channels; and they have the capacity not just to tell China’s story well, but to spread it effectively through videos and livestreams.
🔹 Spontaneous Stream or Scripted Propaganda?
IShowSpeed’s China streams have triggered a wave of responses from fans and viewers, sparking discussions across international social media and even making newspaper headlines.
In English-language online media spheres, there appear to be a range of perspectives on Watkins’ China trip:
📌 One prominent view—also echoed by various foreign influencers on YouTube and other platforms—is that IShowSpeed’s visit counters “Western media lies” about China and has successfully shown the “real China” through his livestreams. The Shanghai-based media outlet Radii claimed that “IShowSpeed’s China Tour is doing more for Chinese Soft Power than most diplomats ever could.”
📌 Others challenge this narrative, questioning which dominant Western portrayals of China IShowSpeed has actually disproven. Some argue that the idea of China being a “bleak place with nothing to do where people live in misery” is itself a false narrative, and that presenting IShowSpeed’s livestreams as a counter to that is its own form of propaganda (see: Chopsticks and Trains).
📌 There are also those who see Watkins’ trip as a form of scripted propaganda. To what extent were his livestreams planned or orchestrated? That question has become one of the central points of debate surrounding the hype around his visit.
These rumors have been addressed by cameraman Slipz (@shotbyslipz), who took to X on March 28, 2025. Slipz posted that the team is “(..) not making political content, not any documentary and no journalism,” and later added: “Fact: amount of money IShowSpeed has received from Chinese Government = $0.”

But does the fact that IShowSpeed did not receive money from the Chinese government mean that it wasn’t also a form of China promotion?
➡️ Organized — it definitely was. Any media trip in China has to be. IShowSpeed would have needed a visa, he had translators with him, and throughout the streams it’s evident that local guards and public security officers were present, walking alongside and helping to keep things under control, especially in crowded areas and at major tourist spots — from Nanjing Road in Shanghai to an entire group of guards seemingly accompanying the entourage in the Forbidden City.
One logistical “advantage” to his visit was the fact that YouTube is blocked in China. While some Chinese fans do bypass the Great Firewall to access the platform, IShowSpeed remains far less known in China than in many other countries — a factor that likely contributed to how smoothly the streams went and helped prevent chaos. The team also launched a Douyin account during the trip, where he now has over two million followers. (To stream directly to their 37 million followers on YouTube, Watkins’ team either needed a VPN to access WiFi or had arranged roaming SIM cards to stay connected.)
➡️ Was it staged? Many parts clearly weren’t: casual public conversations, spontaneous barber visits in both Shanghai and Beijing (with barbers looking unsure of how to handle the situation), and wholesome fan encounters. There was even a moment when Watkins walked into a public restroom and forgot to mute the sound.
But other parts of the trip were undeniably staged — or at least framed to appear spontaneous. When visiting a marriage market in Shanghai, for instance, two actors appeared, including one woman with a sign stating she was looking for someone “capable of doing backflips.”
When Watkins took a “random” ride in what was described as the fastest car in China — the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra — the vehicle appeared to be conveniently parked and ready.
Similarly, when the streamer “ran into” Chinese-American TikTok influencer Miles Moretti (李美越) in Beijing, it turned out to be the person who would give him the now-iconic bright Dongbei flower suit and accompany him on his journey.

The ping-pong, the kung fu, the Peking opera, the hotpot, the Forbidden City tour — it all plays into the kinds of experiences that official channels also like to highlight. While likely planned by Watkins’ team in coordination with local partners, it was all far more orderly and tourism-focused than, for example, Watkins’ chaotic visit to the Netherlands.
Watkins and his entourage were also well-informed about the local dos and don’ts. At one point, Watkins even mentions “following the rules,” and when Moretti tells him mid-stream that “somebody very important lives on our left,” Watkins asks “Who?” — but the camera zooms out and the question goes unanswered, suggesting they may have been reminded that certain names or topics were off-limits (judge the moment for yourself here).
The livestream didn’t always go exactly the way Watkins wanted, either. When he attempted to take more random walks around the city, the crew appeared to be informed that some areas were off-limits, and he was asked to return to the car to continue the trip (clips here and here).
🔹 The “Nàge” Song
One major talking point surrounding IShowSpeed’s China livestreams was “the N-word.” No, not that N-word — but the Chinese filler word “nàge” or “nèige” (那个). Like “uhm” in English or “eto” in Japanese, “nàge” is a hesitation marker commonly used in everyday Mandarin conversation. It also functions as a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.”
The word has previously stirred controversy because of its phonetic resemblance to a racial slur in English. In 2020, an American professor at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business was even temporarily suspended after using the word during an online communications class — some students misunderstood its context and took offense.
The word — and the song “Sunshine, Rainbow, White Pony” (阳光彩虹小白马) by Chinese singer Wowkie Zhang (大张伟), which repeatedly features the word nàge in its chorus — popped up multiple times during Watkins’ trip. The catchy tune essentially became the theme song of his visit.
The first nàge moment actually already appeared within the first five minutes of Watkins’ Shanghai stream, when a Chinese comedian approached him on the street, trying to recall a joke. “What?!” Watkins reacted, with laughter in the background. “That’s not a joke, you said n**! It’s my first five minutes in China!” he exclaimed, before patting the man’s back in a friendly gesture, clearly not offended.
🔄 It resurfaced again within the first hour when Watkins visited a marriage market and one of the performers sang the Wowkie Zhang song. Watkins initially acted shocked, then demanded they sing it again — only to burst out laughing and start singing along.
🔄 Later, he sang the song again with a street saxophonist and encouraged others to join in.
🔄 At other moments, he played up the drama again, feigning anger when a crowd broke into the chorus, and it became a recurring gag throughout the streams.
These incidents all seem staged. One of the main reasons Watkins is known to many netizens in China is because of an older video clip showing his exaggerated reaction to the nàge song — dating back to at least 2022. So while it may have looked spontaneous, Watkins was already familiar with the word and the viral song long before his China trip.The attention given to the nàge ‘controversy’ was likely amplified for views and engagement.
While Watkins was clearly in on this part of the show — as with others — he also seemed genuinely, and at times amusingly, unaware of many things in China. He repeatedly referred to RMB as “dollars,” mistook elderly women for retired YouTube streamers, and even assumed that a woman livestreaming near the Forbidden City was reading his chat and trying to collaborate with him — although she seemed totally uninterested and was just minding her own business.
🔹 A Win-Win Situation
In the end, IShowSpeed’s visit highlighted two sides effectively doing their job. Watkins and his team successfully arranged a YouTube trip that generated high ad revenue, attracted millions of new subscribers, and boosted his brand and global fame.
On the Chinese side, there was clearly coordination behind the scenes to ensure the trip went smoothly: avoiding controversy, ensuring safety, and showcasing positive aspects of Chinese culture. From traditional opera and kung fu to ping pong, IShowSpeed’s content gave center stage to the kinds of cultural highlights that align closely with China’s official narratives and tourism goals. Even if the government didn’t pay the YouTuber directly, as his team has emphasized (and there’s no reason to doubt them), the trip still fit seamlessly into China’s soft power strategy.
IShowSpeed’s China visit has created a unique media moment that resonates for several reasons: it’s the encounter of a young modern American with old traditional China; it is a streamer known for chaos visiting a nation known for control. And it brings different benefits to both sides: clicks and ad revenue for IShowSpeed, and free foreign-facing publicity for China.
No, IShowSpeed didn’t undo years of critical Western media coverage on China. But what his visit shows is that we’ve entered a phase where China is becoming more skilled at letting others help tell its story — in ways that resonate with a global, young, online audience. He didn’t do “God’s work.” He simply did what he always does: stream. And with China’s help, he streamed China very well.
There’s so much more I want to share with you this week — from Chinese reactions to the devastating Myanmar earthquake, to a recent podcast I joined with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf (link in Dutch, for those interested). But it also happens to be my birthday today, and I’m really hoping to still grab some birthday hotpot — so I’ll wrap this up here. I’ll keep you informed on the other trends in the next newsletter.📨.
Best,
Manya
(@manyapan)
References:
Cai, Mingzhao 蔡名照. 2013. “Telling China’s Stories Well and Spreading China’s Voice: Thoroughly Studying and Implementing the Spirit of Comrade Xi Jinping’s Important Speech at the National Conference on Propaganda and Ideological Work [讲好中国故事,传播好中国声音——深入学习贯彻习近平同志在全国宣传思想工作会议上的重要讲话精神].” People’s Daily 人民日报, October 10. http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2013/1010/c1001-23144775.html. Accessed March 29.
Qiushi 求是网. 2021. “Xi Jinping: Telling China’s Story Well, Spread China’s Voice Well [习近平:讲好中国故事,传播好中国声音].” Qs Theory, June 6. http://www.qstheory.cn/zhuanqu/2021-06/02/c_1127522386.htm. Accessed March 29.
Zeng Dan 曾丹. 2022. “How to Tell China’s Story Well: Taking Li Ziqi as an Example [如何讲好中国故事——以李子柒为例].” Progress in Social Sciences 社会科学进展 4 (1): 10–19. https://doi.org/10.35534/pss.0401002.
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Quite terrifying and interesting, as this trending story touched upon so many different issues.
What started as a single snarky comment on Weibo spiraled into an online witch hunt, exposing not just some dark sides of online Kpop fandom but also, most importantly, the vulnerabilities in China’s digital privacy.
Read the story, the latest by Ruixin Zhang 👀
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