Newsletter
Weibo Watch: Forgotten Allies
Chinese online reactions to the war in the Middle East are intertwined with echoes of China’s own national suffering and its modern history.
Published
2 years agoon

PREMIUM NEWSLETTER | ISSUE #16
This week’s newsletter:
◼︎ 1. Editor’s Note – Forgotten allies
◼︎ 2. What’s Trending – A closer look at the featured stories
◼︎ 3. What More to Know – Highlighting 8 hot topics
◼︎ 4. What’s Noteworthy – Taiwanese Chatbot or Made in Mainland?
◼︎ 5. What’s Popular – Baidu’s AI-Native Map
◼︎ 6. What’s Memorable – The Jewish refugees of Shanghai
◼︎ 7. Weibo Word of the Week – “Reverse Consumption”
Dear Reader,
‘The past is never dead. It’s not even past.’ This Faulkner quote is timeless, and it’s particularly relevant in these times marked by global conflicts and wars, where complicated histories are interwoven with complex present realities. While the whole world is watching as the Israel-Hamas war rages, the positions taken by different nations, social groups, and international organizations are deeply entwined with religion, geo-politics, and, perhaps most significantly, with the weight of history.
Over the past two weeks, a noticeable pro-Palestine sentiment has emerged on Chinese social media, which is closely tied to the alignment of Chinese scholars and the government’s position. In a 2013 article, Yiyi Chen, Director of the Institute for Hebrew and Jewish Studies at Peking University, predicted that China’s pro-Palestine stance would increasingly work against Israel in the long term – in contrast to the strong pro-Israel stance of the United States.*
Chen’s 2013 article is especially relevant because many of the observations he made a decade ago are now manifesting themselves in clear ways. For instance, he highlighted the significant increase in China’s pro-Palestine articles, a trend that is evident today. His prediction that China would take on a more proactive role in seeking a resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict has also proven accurate.
A central point raised in Yiyi Chen’s article is that China’s leaning toward supporting the Arab side can also be attributed to some factors that are deeply rooted in China’s national history. First, he argues that the national mentality of being a “victim of imperialism” plays an important role in shaping the country’s foreign policy, and is reflected in China’s present-day sympathy for Palestinians, as they too are seen as sufferers from imperialism. In this view, the State of Israel was established with the backing of imperial powers of the time.
Second, Chen suggests that China’s pro-Palestine stance is also driven by a sense of reciprocity. The Chinese, he argues, show favoritism toward Palestinians because Arab countries supported China on the international stage during the 1960s and 1970s, a period when China was otherwise isolated due to strained relations with the West.
Alongside the recent surge in pro-Palestine sentiments on Chinese social media, there has also been a clear rise in anti-Semitic expressions, including hate-filled comments and images targeting Jews, often referencing to Nazi Germany or the Holocaust. This online anti-Jewish sentiment is surprising given the historical ties that China shares with the Jewish community, a connection that has experienced a “memory revival” both in China and Israel over the past two decades, coinciding with the blossoming of China-Israel bilateral relations.
In 1938, when Europe became increasingly perilous for Jews, around 20,000 Jewish refugees sought sanctuary in Shanghai, and the great majority survived the war. The history of Jews in Shanghai during World War II is preceded by a long history of the Jewish diaspora in China. China is the only country in East Asia where Jews have consecutively lived for the last 1000 years. Although the first Jewish population in Shanghai arrived much later in history, it rapidly grew into one of China’s most vibrant Jewish communities.
While portions of the old Jewish neighborhood in Shanghai have now disappeared, new initiatives are keeping its memories alive. The former synagogue in the neighborhood now houses the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, established in 2007 to commemorate the Jewish refugees who sought shelter in Shanghai. The museum frequently hosts new exhibits and events to engage the public. The historical revival of Shanghai’s Jewish history also takes place outside museums, as stories of war are narrated in popular culture and in online media.

Statue commemorating Jewish community in Shanghai outside of the Jewish Refugee Museum (photo by Whatsonweibo).
Beyond China’s historical role in providing a safe haven for Jewish refugees during the war, the Jewish-Chinese friendship also has a deeper dimension. Similar to how Chinese link their own scars of national humiliation to the present realities of Palestians, many Chinese also align the historical sufferings of China with the hardships endured by the Jewish community.
In light of the recent Israel-Hamas conflict, some Chinese commenters posting anti-Semitic comments and sharing hateful WWII-related images appear to have forgotten their Jewish friends and warm relations with Israel. The suffering they now mock is something that China has related to before. Simultaneously, these commenters are shifting their focus to the struggles of their other ‘forgotten’ allies on the opposing side of the conflict.
Chinese online reactions to the ongoing war in the Middle East, and the shifting alliances they remember or forget, are deeply intertwined with echoes of China’s own national suffering and its modern history, and reflects the intricate interplay of factors such as collective memory, foreign policy, and reciprocity. As these dynamics play out all over the world in different ways and national contexts, in a moment marked by confusion, anger, and intense emotions, it becomes increasingly important to recognize that while historical parallels and associations matter, these perspectives, preconceptions, and reflections also obstruct nuanced understandings that can actually contribute to less black-and-white thinking and more constructive discussions.
For more about this, also check out our feature article on Chinese reactions to the Israel-Hamas War. Miranda Barnes contributed to this week’s newsletter. As always: please don’t hesitate to reach out to me about the latest China trends you spotted and would like to know more about. Contact me via email or DM, or follow me on X for the latest news and trends (or on Instagram here and here).
Best,
Manya
* Chen, Yiyi. 2013. “The Basis of China’s Pro-Palestine Stance and the Current Status of Its Implementation.” Digest of Middle East Studies 22 (2): 215-228.
What’s Trending
1. Pro-Palestine Sentiments | The Israel-Hamas war has been dominating discussions on Weibo. Amid the different Chinese responses to what’s happening in Israel and Gaza, recurring trends and narratives highlight how social media reactions and their pro-Palestine stance are connected to China’s own historical context and perceived global role, as well as Chinese anti-Jewish prejudices. We explore these dynamics in this latest (premium) article.
2: Singapore Slang | Interesting debate on terminology: is it time to rethink how Singapore is nicknamed in Chinese? In a recent column for Lianhe Zaobao, prominent author Wang Huidi argued that it’s time to stop referring to Singapore as “坡县” (Pōxiàn), which means “Slope County”. The Chinese slang term implies that Singapore is a small part of China. Wang highlights the power of words, suggesting that such terminology can negatively impact both Singapore and those who use it.
3: A Leak at Tsingtao | A video that has circulated on Chinese social media since October 19 shows how an alleged worker at a Tsingtao Beer factory climbs over a wall at the raw material production site and starts to urinate. On Weibo, many people think it’s an undercover operation orchestrated by a rivaling company: one person peed, another leaked the video?
4: Featured by VOA | What’s on Weibo was featured on Voice of America News earlier this week. This article, by Liam Scott, focuses on the mission of What’s on Weibo, which celebrates a decade since its launch this year. This article highlights how it all started, the focus of our work, and the transformation of Chinese social media.
What More to Know

Controversy over the Dalian marathon.
◼︎ 🌐 1. Belt and Road Forum. The third Belt and Road Forum was held in Beijing this week, with the One Belt, One Road Initiative celebrating its 10th anniversary. On October 17th, various foreign heads of state and government leaders who were attending the forum arrived at the Great Hall of the People. The next day, Xi Jinping delivered his opening speech on “Building an Open, Inclusive and Interconnected World For Common Development” (link). While the two-day global gathering was enthusiastically promoted on Chinese social media, it was overshadowed by the ongoing major crisis in the Middle East. The event was attended by 23 heads of state and government. (Hashtag:”10 Years of Belt and Road” #一带一路十周年# , 51+ million views; Belt and Road International Cooperation Forum #一带一路国际合作高峰论坛#, 83 million views).
◼︎ 🇷🇺 2. Putin in China . On the morning of October 17th, Russian President Putin landed at Beijing Capital International Airport, marking his arrival for the Belt and Road Forum. His visit was highly anticipated, and various details surrounding his trip received close scrutiny on Chinese social media. One such detail was the alleged ‘nuclear suitcase’ that accompanied him during his trip, carried by officers, and which was caught on camera. Another moment that drew widespread attention was the news conference Putin gave at Diaoyutai. With the backdrop of red lanterns, that news conference had a strong Chinese ambiance. The uncommon and unique moment of seeing the Russian leader at this historic state guesthouse made many netizens feel proud of China and its role on the world stage. (Hashtag Putin Arrives in China #普京总统抵达北京#, 280 million views on Weibo).
◼︎ 🦸 3. Real Name Influencers. Chinese social media has been buzzing with discussions regarding a rumored upcoming implementation of a real-name system for Weibo influencers. If such a system were implemented, it would mean that the ‘Big Vs’, social media influencers with a substantial following and a verified account, would have to display their real name on their Weibo account page. This system appears to be on the verge of becoming a reality, as Weibo’s CEO, Wang Gaofei, personally tested it on his own page, stating that the rule would only apply to those influential self-media accounts with more than a million fans. Weibo already had a back-end real name registration policy, but this would be the first time that people would be obliged to also show their actual names on the front end. (Various discussions without hashtags, one Weibo hashtag is “It’s Time for Big Vs to Take Their Masks Off“ #大V早该卸马甲了#, 36.4 million views).
◼︎ 🐕 4. Dog Bite Incident. One topic that has emerged as a major social concern in China recently is the issue of dog safety and the increasing incidence of dogs biting humans. Although the topic is a recurring one on Chinese social media over the years, it has now again garnered considerable attention due to an incident in Chengdu’s Chongzhou, Sichuan Province, where a two-year-old girl was severely bitten by a dog on October 16. While the girl is being treated for her serious injuries at a local injuries, her family has crowdfunded 2 million yuan for her medical costs ($273.5k). As a result of this incident, other places in China, such as Hefei, have also increased their law enforcement efforts and punish dog owners who walk their dogs without a leash, either by capturing the dogs or imposing fines. (Various weibo hashtags, including “Police Notification Regarding Young Girl Bitten by Dog” #警方通报女童被狗咬伤#, 200 million views; #Family of the Girl Bitten by a Dog in Sichuan Has Raised 2 Million Yuan# #四川被狗咬伤女童家属已筹得200万元#, 170 million views).
◼︎ 🐣 5. Social Media Influencer Faking her Cheap Breakfast. A Chinese social media influencer named Zhang Tianqi (4+ million fans) triggered some online controversy this week for a video she did on doing a challenge by using only 100 yuan ($13.6) to have all kinds of breakfast at a traditional Dongbei Morning Market in Heilongjiang. However, people soon pointed out that the vlogger was misleading by making it seem that all the products she consumed were much cheaper than they actually are, and she was accused of hyping the market’s “low prices” for clout – which could be damaging to local stall owners and negatively impact local tourism. Zhang later admitted that she only got such low prices because she got a discount and got some items for free, and she soon deleted the video. But many commenters were not as forgiving, and suggested she should be banned for misleading the public. (Weibo hashtag “Apologies for 100 Yuan Breakfasts All over Dongbei Morning Market” #100元吃遍东北早市当事人道歉#, 96 million views).
◼︎ 🐺 6. “Celebrity Wolf”. A wolf in Kekexili, a natural reserve in Qinghai Province, bordering Tibet, has become known as a ‘celebrity wolf’ recently. The wolf was first known as an injured, lonely and skinny wolf who was separated from his pack. He rose to fame after he was fed by tourists who came across the wolf, lying by the side of the road, and felt bad for him. The wolf then seemingly discovered a new way of living and started begging other tourists for food, even wagging its tail when it sees cars arriving. The wolf is now looking well-fed and shiny as new, and his transformation has become a social media sensation. (Hashtag Kekexili Celebrity Wolf Fed by Tourists #可可西里网红狼被游客投喂# 5,3 million views; Kekexili Wild Wolf Famous after Being Fed #可可西里一头野狼被投喂成网红#, 4,8 million views).
◼︎ 🕊 7. Coco Lee’s Final Resting Place. On October 21, Chinese-American superstar Coco Lee, who passed away in July of this year, was buried in Wuhan, her ancestral hometown. A commemorative exhibition celebrating the life of the singer was held on the same day, drawing groups of devoted fans who came to bid their final farewell. Coco Lee started her career in Hong Kong in the 1990s but also achieved international recognition in the United States and beyond after recording her debut English-language album. Lee, who suffered from health issues and depression, took her own life at the age of 48. One trending topic that captured significant attention on Saturday revolved around the speech delivered by Lee’s mother, in which she openly denounced her former son-in-law for cheating on her daughter for “many years.” (Hashtags “Coco Lee Buried in Wuhan Today” #李玟今日将安葬于武汉#, 22 million views;
“Coco Lee’s mother strongly condemns Li Wen’s husband’s affair” #李玟母亲痛斥李玟丈夫出轨#, 260 million views).
◼︎ 🏃🏽♂️ 8. A Controversial Marathon Finish. The 33rd Dalian Marathon, held on October 15, gained widespread attention on Weibo due to a controversial incident involving Chinese marathon runner Yin Shunjin. During the race, Yin Shunjin appeared to be intentionally obstructed by a support vehicle, forcing him to navigate around it and costing him valuable time in the crucial final two minutes of the marathon. He ultimately finished in 7th place, with just seconds separating him from those who finished ahead of him. Many netizens expressed suspicions that this incident was a deliberate act, suggesting the possibility of marathon fraud. However, the event’s organizers and those responsible for the support vehicles have since maintained that it was an unfortunate mistake and not a deliberate act. This incident was not isolated, as several other marathons have also faced suspicious incidents and bizarre behavior. In response to these concerns, the Chinese Athletics Association has issued an emergency notice to standardize and regulate China’s national marathon and running events more effectively in order to prevent such incidents in the future. (Weibo hashtag “Dalian Marathon Responds to Yin Shunjin Being Obstructed by Car” #大连马拉松回应尹顺金被车挡#, 25 million views).
What’s Noteworthy
Taiwanese “Self-Developed” AI Claims It’s from Mainland China. | Earlier this month, Taiwan’s Academia Sinica (中央硏究院), the national academy, launched an AI chat model, the CKIP-Llama-2-7b chat AI, that had been promoted by several Taiwanese media outlets as a “new generation product independently developed by Taiwan.”
However, when users started asking the chatbot some particular questions, it gave unexpected answers. Upon asking which nationality it had, the bot stated it was from China and that Taiwan is part of China. Asked to name the national anthem, it replied “The March of the Volunteers” – China’s communist anthem.
In response to these issues, Academia Sinica in Taiwan stated that the model experienced “hallucinations” and took down the test version of the model. According to a report by RFA, party lawmaker Fan Yun commented on that the AI issue was “an information security issue and an issue of cognitive warfare.” Meanwhile on Chinese social media, the story caused some banter, and people humorously praised the AI model for staying true to its alleged Chinese roots.
What’s Popular
Bad at reading maps? Baidu’s got you covered | Baidu has been getting a lot of traction this week as it launched its “Prompt the World” flagship event at Beijing’s Shougang Park on October 17, where it unveiled multiple AI-native applications.
It was its first offline event since Covid-19, and a much-anticipated one since the tech giant announced its ambitious plan to reconstruct all of its products with AI-native thinking. Apart from announcing its new Ernie Bot 4 (文心大模型4.0), which allegedly is no longer inferior in performance compared to Open AI’s ChatGPT, and its renewed Baidu Wangpan (Baidu Cloud Drive) and other products, the announcement of its AI-native map powered by Ernie was especially well-received as “the world’s first artificial intelligence map” (#全球首个AI原生地图即将面世#, Weibo hashtag received 23+ million views).
The AI map comes with a personalized digital human image and is equipped with natural language interaction capability, offering flexible answers that claim to mimic “real human communication,” promising to enhance travel and decision-making efficiency. As the map learns as you go, it will also get to know you and predict where you’re going and which road to take. Even those who are bad at using other (digital) maps and navigation apps should be able to use it effectively. The application will be available on the market before the end of the year.
What’s Memorable
Shanghai’s Jewish history | In light of this week’s surge of anti-Semitic sentiments on Weibo, we’ve selected this pick from our archives which highlights a very different perspective on Chinese-Jewish relations and the shared Chinese-Jewish history. As modern buildings mushroom and old neighborhoods disappear, the traces of Jewish history are fading in today’s Shanghai. But the past decade a seen a series of initiatives, such as a Jews in Shanghai musical and the launch of a Shanghai Jewish diaspora website, to keep the memories of China’s Jewish heritage more alive than ever. This is a very short history of Jews in Shanghai and how their history is remembered in 21st century China.
Weibo Word of the Week
“Reverse Consumption” | Our Weibo Word of the Week is “反向消费” (fǎnxiàng xiāofèi), meaning ‘reverse consumption.’
As China’s biggest online shopping festival is coming up on 11.11 (Single’s Day), with pre-sales starting soon, the concept of Chinese young people engaging in ‘reverse spending’ or ‘reverse consumption’ – also known as ‘rational consumption,’ – became a hot topic on Weibo this week, with one related hashtag attracting over 380 million views (#年轻人开始反向消费了#).
‘Reverse consumption’ is a recent trend that is especially popular among Chinese young people, and that is all about pursuing sustainable and cost-effective products instead of focusing on consuming for the sake of buying brands or spending money. The trend does not necessarily suggest a focus on cheap products, but rather a refusal to celebrate consumerism and overpay for products that lack value for the price.
Some Weibo users view this trend as a reaction to the constant shopping festivals and the pressure on young people to keep buying more in the thriving Chinese e-commerce market, leading to increased luxury consumption. As consumer attitudes gradually begin to change, young people no longer simply believe that “expensive means good,” and are now being more rational in their shopping behavior that is more about ‘value for money.’
Chinese companies are responding to this trend. For instance, JD.com has themed this year’s online shopping festival around “Truly Affordable,” assuring customers of the best prices and a promise not to overcharge. Tmall is also adjusting to changing consumer sentiments and buying behavior by offering ways to save money on purchases and introducing a one-click price guarantee. This means that even if sellers fluctuate their prices during the festival, buyers will receive a refund for the price difference if they notice a drop in the price of an item they’ve already purchased.
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.

You may like
Newsletter
IShowSpeed in China: Streaming China’s Stories Well

Published
3 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.
What’s Featured
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 👀
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.
Newsletter
Weibo Watch: The Great Squat vs Sitting Toilet Debate in China🧻
This week, the Catch-22 of sitting versus squat toilets sparked heated discussion on Weibo after a Beijing News article exposed the messy reality of sitting toilets in Beijing malls.

Published
3 months agoon
March 23, 2025
PREMIUM NEWSLETTER | ISSUE #50
Dear Reader,
Shoe prints on top of the toilet seat are never a pretty sight. To prevent people from squatting over Western-style sitting toilets, there are some places that will place stickers above the toilet, reminding people that standing on the seat is strictly forbidden.
For years, this problem has sparked debate. Initially, these discussions would mostly take place outside of China, in places with a large number of Chinese tourists. In Switzerland, for example, the famous Rigi Railways caused controversy for introducing separate trains with special signs explaining to tourists, especially from China, how (not) to use the toilet.
Squat toilets are common across public areas in China, especially in rural regions, for a mix of historical, cultural, and practical reasons. There is also a long-held belief — backed by studies (like here or here) — that the squatting position is healthier for bowel movements (for more about the history of squat toilets in China, see Sixth Tone’s insightful article here).

Public squatting toilets in Beijing, images via Xiaohongshu.
Without access to the ground-level squat toilets they are used to — and feel more comfortable with — some people will climb on top of sitting toilets to use them in the way they’re accustomed to, seeing squatting as the more natural and hygienic method.
Not only does this make the toilet seat all messy and muddy, it is also quite a dangerous stunt to pull, can break the toilet, and lead to pee and poo going into all kinds of unintended directions. Quite shitty.

Squatting on toilets makes the seat dirty and can even break the toilet.
Along with the rapid modernization of Chinese public facilities and the country’s “Toilet Revolution” over the past decade, sitting toilets have become more common in urban areas, and thus the sitting-toilet-used-as-squat-toilet problem is increasingly becoming topic of public debate within China.
The Toilet Committee and Preference for Sitting Toilets
Is China slowly shifting to sitting toilets? Especially in modern malls in cities like Beijing, or even at airports, you see an increasing number of Western-style sitting toilets (坐厕) rather than squatting toilets (蹲厕).
This shift is due to several factors:
🚽📌 First, one major reason for the rise in sitting toilets in Chinese public places is to accommodate (foreign) tourists.
In 2015, China Daily reported that one of the most common complaints among international visitors was the poor condition of public toilets — a serious issue considering tourists are estimated to use public restrooms over 27 billion times per year.
That same year, China’s so-called “Toilet Revolution” (厕所革命) began gaining momentum. While not a centralized campaign, it marked a nationwide push to upgrade toilets across the country and improve sanitation systems to make them cleaner, safer, and more modern.
This movement was largely led by the tourism sector, with the needs of both domestic and international travelers in mind. These efforts, and the buzzword “Toilet Revolution,” especially gained attention when Xi Jinping publicly endorsed the campaign and connected it to promoting civilized tourism.
In that sense, China’s toilet revolution is also a “tourism toilet revolution” (旅游厕所革命), part of improving not just hygiene, but the national image presented to the world (Cheng et al. 2018; Li 2015).
🚽📌 Second, the growing number of sitting toilets in malls and other (semi)public spaces in Beijing relates to the idea that Western-style toilets are more sanitary.
Although various studies comparing the benefits of squatting and sitting toilets show mixed outcomes, sitting toilets — especially in shared restrooms — are generally considered more hygienic as they release fewer airborne germs after flushing and reduce the risk of infection (Ali 2022).
There are additional reasons why sitting toilets are favored in new toilet designs. According to Liang Ji (梁骥), vice-secretary of the Toilet Committee of the China Urban Environmental Sanitation Association (中国城市环境卫生协会厕所专业委员会), sitting toilets are also increasingly being introduced in public spaces due to practical concerns.
🚽📌 Squatting is not always easy, and can pose a safety risk, particularly for the elderly, pregnant women, and people with disabilities.
🚽📌 Then there are economic reasons: building squat toilets in malls (or elsewhere) requires a deeper floor design due to the sunken space needed below the fixture, which increases both construction time and cost.
🚽📌 Liang also points to an aesthetic factor: sitting toilets simply look more “high-end” and are easier to clean, which is why many consumer-oriented spaces prefer to install Western-style toilets.
So although there are plenty of reasons why sitting toilets are becoming a norm in newly built public spaces and trendy malls, they also lead to footprints on toilet seats — and all the problems that come with it.
The Catch 22 of Sitting vs Squad Toilets
This week, the issue became a trending topic on Weibo after Beijing News published an investigative report on it. The report suggested that most shopping malls in Beijing now have restrooms with sitting toilets, which should, in theory, be cleaner than the squat toilets of the past — but in reality, they’re often dirtier because people stand on them. This issue is more common in women’s restrooms, as men’s restrooms typically include urinals.
In researching the issue, a reporter visited several Beijing malls. In one women’s restroom, the reporter observed 23 people entering within five minutes. Although the restroom had only three squat toilets versus seven sitting ones, around 70% of the users opted for the squat toilets.
Upon inspection, most of the seven sitting toilets were dirty — despite being equipped with disposable seat covers — showing clear signs of urine stains and footprints. They found that sitting toilets being used as squat toilets is extremely common.
It’s a bit of a Catch-22. People generally prefer clean toilets, and there’s also a widespread preference for squat toilets. This leads to sitting toilets being used as squat toilets, which makes them dirty — reinforcing the preference for squat toilets, since the sitting toilets, though meant to be cleaner, end up dirtier.
In interviews with 20 women, nearly 80% said they either hover in a squat or directly squat on the toilet seat. One woman said, “I won’t sit unless I absolutely have to.” While some of those quoted in the article said that sitting toilets are more comfortable, especially for elderly people, they are still not preferred when the seats are not clean.
In the Beijing News article, the Toilet Committee’s Liang Ji suggested that while a balanced ratio of squat and sitting toilets is necessary, a gradual shift toward sitting toilets is likely the future for public restrooms in China.

How NOT to use the sitting toilet. Sign photographed by Xiaohongshu user @FREAK.00.com.
Liang also highlighted the importance of correct toilet use and the need to consider public habits in toilet design.
In Squatting We Trust
On Chinese social media, however, the majority of commenters support squatting toilets. One popular comment said:
💬 “Please make all public toilets squat toilets, with just one sitting toilet reserved for people with disabilities.”

Squatting toilets in a public toilet in a Beijing hutong area, image by Xiaohongshu user @00后饭桶.
The preference for squatting, however, doesn’t always come down to bowel movements or tradition. Many cite a lack of trust in how others use public toilets:
💬 “When it comes to things for public use, it’s best to reduce touching them directly. Honestly, I don’t trust other people…”
💬 “Squatting is the most hygienic. At least I don’t have to worry about touching something others touched with their skin.”
💬 “I hate it when all the toilets in the women’s restroom at the mall are sitting toilets. I’m almost mastering the art of doing the martial-arts squat (蹲马步).”
Others view the gradual shift toward sitting toilets as a result of Westernization:
💬 “Sitting toilets are a product of widespread ‘Westernization’ back in the day — the further south you go, the worse it gets.”
But some come to the defense of sitting toilets:
💬 “Are there really still people who think squat toilets are cleaner? The chances of stepping in poop with squat toilets are way higher than with sitting ones. Sitting toilet seats can be wiped with disinfectant or covered with paper. Some people only care about keeping themselves ‘clean’ without thinking about whether the next person might end up stepping in their mess.”
💬 One reply bluntly said: “I don’t use sitting toilets. If that’s all there is, I’ll just squat on top of it. Not even gonna bother wiping it.”
It’s clear this debate is far from over, and the issue of people standing on toilet seats isn’t going away anytime soon. As China’s toilet revolution continues, various Toilet Committees across the country may need to rethink their strategies — especially if they continue leaning toward installing more sitting toilets in public spaces.
As always, Taobao has a solution. For just 50 RMB (~$6.70), you can order an anti-slip sitting-to-squatting toilet aid through the popular e-commerce platform.

The Taobao solution.
For Chinese malls, offering these might be cheaper than dealing with broken toilets and the never-ending battle against footprints on toilet seats…
Best,
Manya
(@manyapan)
References:
Ali, Wajid, Dong-zi An, Ya-fei Yang, Bei-bei Cui, Jia-xin Ma, Hao Zhu, Ming Li, Xiao-Jun Ai, and Cheng Yan. 2022. “Comparing Bioaerosol Emission after Flushing in Squat and Bidet Toilets: Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment for Defecation and Hand Washing Postures.” Building and Environment 221: 109284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109284.
Bhattacharya, Sudip, Vijay Kumar Chattu, and Amarjeet Singh. 2019. “Health Promotion and Prevention of Bowel Disorders Through Toilet Designs: A Myth or Reality?” Journal of Education and Health Promotion 8 (40). https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_198_18.
Cao, Jingrui 曹晶瑞, and Tian Jiexiong 田杰雄. 2025. “城市微调查|商场女卫生间,坐厕为何频频变“蹲坑”? [In Shopping Mall Women’s Restrooms, Why Do Sitting Toilets Frequently Turn into ‘Squat Toilets’?]” Beijing News, March 20. https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309405146044773302810. Accessed March 19, 2025.
Cheng, Shikun, Zifu Li, Sayed Mohammad Nazim Uddin, Heinz-Peter Mang, Xiaoqin Zhou, Jian Zhang, Lei Zheng, and Lingling Zhang. 2018. “Toilet Revolution in China.” Journal of Environmental Management 216: 347–356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.09.043.
Dai, Wangyun. 2018. “Seats, Squats, and Leaves: A Brief History of Chinese Toilets.” Sixth Tone, January 13. https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1001550. Accessed March 22, 2025.
Li, Jinzao. 2015. “Toilet Revolution for Tourism Evolution.” China Daily, April 7. https://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2015-04/07/content_20012249_2.htm. Accessed March 22, 2025.
China’s Online Discourse on the Russia-Ukraine War
In case you missed it in our earlier newsletter, we recently published the article “US-Russia Rapprochement and ‘Saint Zelensky’: Chinese Online Reactions to Trump’s Shake-Up” as part of our What’s on Weibo Chapters. For more insights into how the war is discussed on Chinese social media, you can catch up here.
Stay tuned — we’re publishing another article on this topic later this week, exploring the unexpected connection between the Russia-Ukraine war and Chinese cosplayers.
What’s Trending
🍏 Chinese Netizens Turn to Tim Cook Over Factory’s Illegal Overtime
Netizens have recently started reaching out to Apple and its CEO Tim Cook in order to put pressure on a Chinese battery factory accused of violating labor laws. The controversy involves the Huizhou factory of Desay Battery (德赛电池), known for producing lithium batteries for the high-end smartphone market, including Apple and Samsung. The factory caught netizens’ attention after a worker exposed in a video that his superiors were deducting three days of wages because he worked an 8-hour shift instead of the company’s “mandatory 10-hour on-duty.” Compulsory overtime violates China’s labor laws.
In response, the worker and other netizens started to let Apple know about the situation through email and social media, trying to put pressure on the factory by highlighting its position in the Apple supply chain. By now, Desay Battery issued an official statement, admitting to “management oversights regarding employee rights protection” (“保障员工权益的管理上存在疏漏”) and promising to do better in safeguarding employee rights.
It’s an interesting story, and some commentators suggest that it shows that Chinese workers can effectively expose labor violations by reporting them to Western suppliers or EU regulators. But opinions vary. Others are less optimistic about the effectiveness, arguing that companies like Apple would be quick to drop suppliers over product quality issues but more willing to turn a blind eye to labor violations—since cheap labor remains a key competitive advantage in Chinese manufacturing.
💸 From Patriotic Influencer to Tax Evader: Sima Nan Fined More Than Nine Million Yuan
China’s well-known nationalist blogger Sima Nan (司马南) became a trending topic on Friday after being hit with a 9 million RMB ($1.2 million) fine for tax evasion. According to state media, from 2019 to 2023, he underpaid millions of yuan in personal income tax and other taxes by concealing income and submitting false declarations.
Sima responded to media, saying he fully admits guilt. At the same time he’s also blaming the multi-channel network that allegedly was in charge of paying taxes on his behalf at the time.
📌 Noteworthy: Sima Nan promised that- if he’ll still be allowed to have his social media presence – he would in detail explain how he ended up becoming a tax evader. This is kind of funny, because it shows just how good he is in what he does, turning his PR crisis into an opportunity for clicks and views 📈 (yes we do want to know how he went from patriotic influencer to becoming a multi-million tax dodger).
📌Public reaction: The most recurring comments I’ve seen on Weibo is that people are amazed at his high income. They note the hypocrisy of a nationalist, patriotic influencer who’s always preaching truth & justice evading taxes himself, and also conclude that being a nationalist is truly a money-making business🤑🇨🇳
💔 Tragedy at Hubei University: Zhang Yuzhen’s Disappearance and Aftermath
The disappearance of 19-year-old Chinese student Zhang Yuzhen (张钰臻) has captured nationwide attention this week. Zhang did not return after leaving her campus at Hubei University around 5 p.m. on March 15. Her phone remained traceable until 5:54 p.m., about one kilometer from campus. The case became a hot topic as millions of netizens turned into online sleuths, searching for clues that might lead to Zhang’s whereabouts.
On the afternoon of March 20, it was reported that Zhang’s personal items — including her keys and glasses — were discovered by a passerby next to a lake near the university. Police then began searching the lake. By that evening, her remains were found. The case is still under investigation.
There has been some online criticism regarding how the university handled Zhang’s disappearance. Although she was last seen on March 15, it wasn’t until March 18 that her parents were notified by a school counselor. They then reported her missing to the police, after which the school began cooperating with the investigation.
Now, there is also much discussion surrounding the behavior of Zhang’s mother, who has been publicly expressing her grief and anger on Douyin. After learning of her daughter’s death, she became emotionally distraught — screaming, crying, and demanding answers. She seemingly caused some public disturbance when she was prevented from immediately seeing her daughter’s remains, and was also not allowed to leave her hotel (perhaps due to concerns over her emotional state, though details remain unclear at this time). While some online voices have criticized her behavior, many are calling for empathy, arguing that any mother who has just lost her child would be desperate and distraught.
What’s Noteworthy
“The world is so big, I want to go out and see it” (Shìjiè nàme dà, wǒ xiǎng qù kànkan “世界那么大,我想去看看”).
This ten-character sentence became part of China’s collective social media memory after a teacher’s resignation note went viral in 2015. Now, a decade later, the phrase has gone viral once again.
In April 2015, the phrase caused a huge buzz on China’s social media when the female teacher Gu Shaoqiang (顾少强) at Zhengzhou’s Henan Experimental High School resigned from her job. Working as a psychology teacher for 11 years, she gave a class in which she made students write a letter to their future self. The exercise made her realize that she, too, wanted more from life. Despite having little savings, she submitted a simple resignation note that read: “The world is so big, I want to go out and see it.”
The resignation letter was approved, and she posted it to social media.
The letter resonated with millions of Chinese who felt they also wanted to do something different with their life, like go and travel, see the world, and escape the pressures and routines of their daily life. The phrase became so popular that it was adapted in all kinds of ways and manners, by meme creators, in books, by brands, and even by Xi Jinping, who said: “China’s market is so big, we welcome everyone to come and see it” (“中国市场这么大,欢迎大家都来看看”).
This week, Lěngshān Record (冷杉Record), the Wechat account under Chinese media outlet Phoenix Weekly (凤凰周刊), revisited the phrase and published a short documentary about Gu’s life after the resignation and the hype surrounding it.
An earlier news article about Gu’s life post-resignation already disclosed that Gu, despite receiving many sponsorship deals, never actually extensively traveled the world. In the short documentary, Gu explains that she chose to “return home after seeing the world.” By this, she doesn’t mean traveling extensively abroad, but rather gaining life experience in a broader sense. While she did travel, it was within China, including in Tibet and Qinghai.
What truly changed was her life path. She left Zhengzhou and relocated to Chengdu to be near Yu Fu (于夫), a man she had met just weeks earlier by chance during a trip to Yunnan. Six months after the resignation letter, she married him. Together, they ended up opening a hostel near Chengdu, married, and had a daughter.
Gu, now 45 years old, has been back in her hometown of Zhengzhou for the past years, caring for her aging mother and 9-year-old daughter. She is living separately from her husband, who manages their business in Chengdu. She also runs her own livestreaming and online parenting consultancy business.
Although the woman who wanted to “see the world” ended up back home, she has zero regrets about what she did, suggesting her courage to step out of the life she found limiting ultimately transformed her in a meaningful way.
On Chinese social media, the topic went trending on March 19. Most people cannot believe it’s already been ten years since the sentence went trending (“What? How could time fly like that?”). Others, however, wonder about the hopes and dreams behind the original message—and how it all turned out.
💬 “Seeing the world? She just escaped her old life, got married, and had a baby. How is that ‘seeing the world’?” one commenter wondered (@-NANA酱- ).
💬 “The world is so big—what did she end up seeing?” others questioned. “She went from Zhengzhou to Chengdu.”
💬 “Seeing the world takes money,” some pointed out.
💬 But others came to her defense, saying that “seeing the world” also means stepping out of your comfort zone and exploring a different life. In the end, Gu certainly did just that.
💬 “She was quite courageous,” another commenter wrote: “She gave up a stable job to go and see the world. Perhaps her life didn’t end up so rich, but the experiences she gained are priceless.”
The world is still big, though, and there’s plenty left for Gu Shaoqiang to see.
Also read what we wrote about this in 2015: In The Digital Age, ‘Handwritten Weibo’ Have Become All The Rage
What’s Memorable
📚 This pick from our archive is from last year, about Fan Zeng (范曾), the famous Chinese calligrapher, who is turning 87 soon and has a wife 50 years his junior.
This week, some videos featuring Chinese theoretical physicist & Nobel Prize winner Yang Chen-Ning (杨振宁) circulated on social media. Yang is turning 103 this year. Still sharp of mind, and he takes a walk every day.

Yang Chen-ning
In this interview here, when asked about the secret to his longevity, he points to one thing above all: luck.
🍀 Mostly, he suggests it’s the luck of good genes. On his father’s side, diabetes was common, but he was fortunate to inherit his mother’s genes in that regard.
🍚 He also mentions the luck of never experiencing extreme hunger during wartime — he lived in Kunming during those years.
💪 And then he stresses the importance of taking walks, every day, since he was about 70. Keep moving, keep the blood flowing!
What he doesn’t mention, however, is that his wife, Weng Fang (翁帆), is 54 years (!) his junior — I’m pretty sure she helps keep him young too…
Fan and Yang are good friends, and Yang’s good health might have inspired him to marry his 50-years-younger girlfriend last year. Read more 👇
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.
Popular Reads
-
China Media11 months ago
A Triumph for “Comrade Trump”: Chinese Social Media Reactions to Trump Rally Shooting
-
China Society9 months ago
Death of Chinese Female Motorcycle Influencer ‘Shigao ProMax’ Sparks Debate on Risky Rides for Online Attention
-
China Memes & Viral11 months ago
The “City bu City” (City不City) Meme Takes Chinese Internet by Storm
-
China Society12 months ago
Hero or Zero? China’s Controversial Math Genius Jiang Ping