Shanghai-based American influencer Paul Mike Ashton’s viral meme, “city bu city,” transforms the concept of urbanity
It’s not often that an internet meme makes it all the way to China’s Foreign Ministry. But that’s what happened on July 4, when a journalist asked spokesperson Mao Ning for her comments on a viral catchphrase created by a foreign video blogger.
The “city不city啊 (city bù city a)” and “好city啊 (hǎo city a)” memes—literally meaning “city or not city” and “good city”—were created by American Paul Mike Ashton, known as 保保熊 (Baobao Bear) online, who has lived in Shanghai for seven years. In a video posted to Douyin, China’s equivalent of TikTok, the vlogger walks the streets of Shanghai asking his sister in Chinese, “Sister, you’re visiting Shanghai. How do you feel about the city?” She responds, “Very city, super city (好city啊，super city啊),” with an exaggerated emphasis on the modal particle 啊 (a, ah).
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