Chinese viral AI videos are turning foreigners into villains, flooding Chinese social media. They depict foreigners as threats to China’s social, moral, and national order. Strong, confident Chinese people confront, violently beat, and humiliate them in defense of their country. See more below🧵

Just sent out my latest newsletter. A catch-up on the trending topics that mattered on Chinese social media over the past 2 weeks, with the Guangxi floods & the narratives surrounding them standing out: god won't save you, but the PLA will. See on Subs: eyeondigitalchina.substack.com/p/god-wont-s...

“God Won’t Save Us, But the PLA Will”: Floods, Faith, and What's Trending in China

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

eyeondigitalchina.substack.com

Scherpe reactie van @manyapan.bsky.social op een opiniestuk waarin zij als "hippe influencer" is opgevoerd die is verblind door een autocratisch regime. Terwijl zij een eminent onderzoeker is die ons helpt begrijpen wat gewone Chinezen denken en vinden. eyeondigitalchina.substack.com/p/look-only-...

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

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

eyeondigitalchina.substack.com

Interesting to see The Guardian on the conceptual pairing of these 2 distinct trends today. If you want to stay updated on China’s online culture, consider subscribing to my Eye on Digital China newsletter, where my analysis of the “kill line” discourse & Chinamaxxing was published five weeks ago.

For a broader view, see @manyapan.bsky.social’s post here. Satisfying nugget for Hu haters: “As none of his predictions seem to be aging well, some netizens joked: ‘The only one who can beat Hu Xijin is the Hu Xijin of the next day.’”

Inside the Great Chinese Debate Over the Iran War

From official reactions and armchair generals to women’s rights defenders: China’s online discourse surrounding the war in Iran.

whatsonweibo.com

Thought this was interesting, because it's clearly complicated - "Another viewpoint missing from these official media talking points is how the conflict is directly affecting China, diplomatically or economically, and how China’s own interests are being harmed in this war."

Manya Koetse@manyapan.bsky.social · 5mo ago

I’ve been closely tracking Chinese social media reactions to the developments in Iran over the past few days. In the end, the findings of my research say much more about China’s online discourse than about what’s happening in Iran. Read on whatsonweibo or Substack: open.substack.com/pub/eyeondig...

This is why I love Beijing taxi drivers, and this one minute just happened to catch it all ✔️complaining about rising prices & living costs ✔️scolding & sighing about Beijing traffic ✔️some social commentary ✔️a little communist joke

I’ve been closely tracking Chinese social media reactions to the developments in Iran over the past few days. In the end, the findings of my research say much more about China’s online discourse than about what’s happening in Iran. Read on whatsonweibo or Substack: open.substack.com/pub/eyeondig...

Wondering where to watch the CMG Spring Festival Gala? Join me live in 1.5 hours as I follow the show and share real-time updates - the highs and the lows. No paywall, no registration required. whatsonweibo.com/inside-chunw...

Inside Chunwan 2026: China’s Spring Festival Gala

Watch the CGM Spring Festival Gala with us. It’s that special annual evening show that captures millions of viewers on the night of the Chinese New Year. Loved by many, hated by some, it always genera...

whatsonweibo.com

Hello, is it me you're looking for? Yes! Lionel Richie is joining the CMG Spring Festival Gala tonight, together with Jackie Chan. This is already iconic. #CMGChunwan

Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years. It's frontpage news on China Daily, and the Weibo hashtag is there (#黎智英被判20年#), but Weibo apologizes: "the topic's contents cannot be displayed."

I haven't paid much attention to him since he started flirting with election denial in 2020 (x.com/StephenMcDon...), but @manyapan.bsky.social's argument against characterising his recent statements as a straightforward "pro-Beijing turn" seems persuasive: x.com/manyapan/sta...

Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋@yaqiu.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Regarding Ai Weiwei’s sudden pro-Beijing turn - though there were earlier signs - the CCP’s horrific abuses are historical facts that cannot be argued out of existence. A former human rights icon may have fallen, but the struggle for democracy will continue, with or without him.

Since looking back on 2016 seems to be the thing people are doing right now, it feels like a good moment to dive back into my photo archives. 2016 was a special time for China. 🧵👇

One to add to the list of "the prettiest KFC I've ever seen"

It was an early morning train and I wasn't quite awake yet, but conversations with this nice guy from Fengjie woke me up a bit – especially when he asked me if I was from Xinjiang (this actually happens quite frequently..)

On way home after hutong walk with Beijing friend, I mentioned I needed a powerbank before leaving. "Let’s order one," he said. "Can't, need it within 1 hour." Got laughed at. Powerbank was waiting on doormat by time we got back. Barely took 20 minutes. Thanks Xiaomi & Meituan, sorry to doubt you😅

Happy to randomly run into little Wukong here in Beijing. It's undeniably the cat that made the most impact in China news this year. I hope the art dedicated to her will stay around for a while 🐾

The Xiaohongshu-for-foreigners bubble has burst. Months after the hype, when Americans flocked to RedNote, the app's now riddled with loopholes: accounts flagged as “security risks”, need to submit passport, face+ID photo, phone verification, only for the process to fail. Exit for foreign creators?

My first ever talks in Holland coming up soon/Leiden Oct 22, this in The Hague on Oct 23 leidenasiacentre.nl/event/jeffre... & Nowhere bookstore in The Hague on Oct 24. (Btw, I’ve long found lots of value in What’s on Weibo by @manyapan.bsky.social so delighted to see the 23rd talk mentioned by her)

Jeffrey Wasserstrom on China, Protest and Asia’s Struggle against Autocracy - Leiden Asia Centre

China is changing the world—and the world is responding. In just a few decades, China has gone from isolated state to global powerhouse, reshaping politics, culture, and the fight for democracy across...

leidenasiacentre.nl

Before heading into the new week, let’s dive into some of the stories that trended. ➡️ During Nanchang’s fireworks show, a man drew attention shouting and holding something that sparked panic. Moments later, he was kicked down and taken away by police. It turned out to be a major misunderstanding.

That's a particularly sweet SWAT officer

Traditional 哭嫁 (crying marriage), the bride parts with her family. The "happiest day of your life" comes with sorrow & some added drama. OP wrote: "I’ve heard of 喜丧 (joy-in-mourning: funeral for long-lived elder),but this is the first time I’ve seen 丧喜"(mourning-in-joy, made up word for this scene😅)

Whenever reports surfaced about the harsh conditions on the set of renowned director Wong Kar-wai, mainstream media and fans often brushed off his tyrannical habits as the "quirks of a genius." This time, it feels different. Read more at: www.whatsonweibo.com/the-wong-kar...

Different take: This strain of content regulation feels written by a parent-teacher association: well-intentioned but poorly thought through, heavy-handed enforcement of vague concepts. But the sentiment- fear of social media blackpills is very relatable. chinamediaproject.org/2025/09/26/t...

The Malice Police - China Media Project

China's latest internet special actions, a campaign against "negative emotions," lifts the lid on the country's obsessive and capricious control culture.

chinamediaproject.org

Really, you don't wanna mess with the dancing grannies. You can interfer with their music, spray them with water, but they're gonna come for you in the end. Better invest in earplugs for those early morning dance routines 😅

China is facing a serious donkey shortage. And the headline “We have cows and horses, but no donkeys” (“牛马有的是，就缺驴”) is sparking viral discussion online, not just because of the actual donkey crisis but due to wordplay in Chinese of having too many obedient workers in the workplace vs stubborn ones.

48-year-old Li Junyong (李俊永), who runs a small fried chicken stall in Jingdezhen, has a snappy multitasking style and tight rules on who he serves, when, and how. His earnest approach to his chicken stall business has turned him into a viral sensation under the nickname "Chicken Chop Brother" (鸡排哥)

Soft power stond voor China lang voor kalligrafie, kookkunst en Confucius instituten. Maar nu meet China zich een heel ander imago aan. Hoe krijgt het dat voor elkaar? Met @tomvandeweghe.bsky.social , @manyapan.bsky.social en @silviasun.bsky.social vrtnws.be/p.LNx8PJne1

Van TikTok tot Labubu: hoe China aan een 'cool' imago werkt | VRT NWS: nieuws

China transformeert van goedkope fabriek voor de rest van de wereld naar hippe trendsetter. Met knuffeldieren die uitverkocht raken, games die wereldwijd scoren en technologie die het Westen voorbijst...

vrtnws.be

A great deep-dive into viewers' true opinions!

Manya Koetse@manyapan.bsky.social · 10mo ago

How did "731", one of the most anticipated recent Chinese war films, go from patriotic hype to online backlash? I dove into official narrative, audience reception & everything particular about this movie - that was a "10" but dropped to 3.1 acc to IMDb: www.whatsonweibo.com/evil-unbound...

How did "731", one of the most anticipated recent Chinese war films, go from patriotic hype to online backlash? I dove into official narrative, audience reception & everything particular about this movie - that was a "10" but dropped to 3.1 acc to IMDb: www.whatsonweibo.com/evil-unbound...