AI Actress Ad Pulled, Baihaitun Disrupts Shanghai and Cicada Meme Bugs Huawei
What happens when AI gives bad advice, companies start suppressing jokes, online fandom turns toxic, and airlines start giving out prune juice.
Eye on Digital China
China’s digital culture, online media & social trends, by sinologist & What’s on Weibo founder Manya Koetse.
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Latest episodes
How Chinese AI Videos Turn Foreigners into Villains, and a Maths Queen Making Headlines
How viral AI videos turn misbehaving foreigners into threats and violent Chinese into heroes. China’s nationally broadcast AI drama & why Guangxi's newspaper is being sold 50 x its original price.
“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.
🌡️ “Even Pigs Have AC”: Europe's Heatwave, Luxury Lawsuits, and Graduation Wisdom in China
As Europe struggles through record heat, Chinese social media is turning the story into something much bigger than the weather. Plus: the graduation speech everyone is talking about & more.
China's CITIC Tower Crash: The Story That Never Trended
How information surrounding the CITIC Tower crash was managed, from a five-day media blackout to a sixth-day official narrative.
Auntie Goose Legs, China's Shrinking Condom Market, and DeepSeek's AI Blind Spot
If it walks like a duck, it might just be a famous "goose." A wrap-up of noteworthy trending stories in China. From the real Rolex recruiting fake crowds to diaper scares & a funny Deepseek moment.
A Chinamaxxing Brand, a Stressed-Out Possum, and Japan's Lost Decades
How Adidas won and Nike lost, Japan's lost decades as a mirror for China, and why a possum is the new workplace spirit animal.
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.
A Taiwan Reunification Blockbuster, Hukou Reform, and China's Top 5 Rising Books
A new state-backed epic about the Qing conquest of Taiwan is stirring debate. Plus: the Shanxi mine disaster, a controversial prison film, hukou reform, and China’s top 5 rising books.
Comrade Trump Returns: The 2026 Trump–Xi Summit on Chinese Social Media
A deep dive into the 2026 Xi-Trump summit through Chinese social media, highlighting the top 15 viral moments, memes, main themes, and movie-like scenes.