SOCIAL CHINESE

The Art of Chinese Clickbait

Attention! Here are the headline-writing techniques you need to master on China’s internet!

STREET TALK

An American in Shanghai Redefines What It Means to “City”

Shanghai-based American influencer Paul Mike Ashton’s viral meme, “city bu city,” transforms the concept of urbanity

SOCIAL CHINESE

Essential Chinese Phrases for Cheapskates

How to talk about saving and conscious spending in the era of “consumption downgrade”

STREET TALK

Office Zootopia: How Chinese Netizens Relate to Animals

Increasingly frustrated by their career prospects, China’s workers are likening themselves to various animals to blow off steam

STREET TALK

Between the Light and the Dense

What do Chinese netizens mean when they refer to each other as “light,” “dense,” and “stealthy”?

SOCIETY

China’s Chengdu Disney Has Massive Queues and Just One Ride

How a rapper’s diss track turned a single piece of exercise equipment in a small community gym into the latest viral travel destination

STREET TALK

Zeroes to Heroes: Chinese Fans’ New-Found Love for Losers

China’s latest meme celebrates unsung, “spineless” heroes, proving that real strength often lies in the beautifully flawed

SOCIETY

Why Are Chinese Urbanites Wearing Their Ugliest Clothes to Work?

A new trend has weary, overworked young urbanites wearing “disgusting outfits” to their office jobs and annoying their bosses in the process

STREET TALK

The Art of Hunong: Netizens’ Have Perfected Tactics to Avoid Conversation

Chinese netizens have mastered the art of slacking to survive in an increasingly stressful society

STREET TALK

Mentally Stable: Top Memes and Slang of 2023

In a year marked by a competitive job market and viral trends, here are the words and phrases that netizens coined to talk about it all