Becoming Chinese

Becoming Chinese^[a] is a Social media trend popularized by Generation Z. This trend is particularly prevalent among those living in the West who adopt norms and traditions typically associated with Chinese culture or express public praise for China as a country and nation.^[1][2][3]

The meme's origins date back to 2025, but it began widespread circulation across TikTok and other social media platforms in 2026.^[4] The New York Times noted that such memes could be considered "more of an absurdist joke, a wellness goal or a subtle, ironic expression of protest. Or all of the above."^[5]

According to Le Parisien, a major contributor to the Chinamaxxing trend was when American influencer IShowSpeed visited China in March 2025 and highlighted the country's technological advancements as well as cultural icons.^[6]

On April 4, 2025, a Twitter user named @girl__virus posted a tweet stating, "you met me at a very chinese time in my life", a parody of the final line of the film Fight Club: "You met me at a strange time in my life."^[4]

On July 30, 2025, an Instagram user @chinacellectuals shared an image with the text "Is anyone else feeling more Chinese lately" which attracted more than 160 thousand likes.^[7]

By the end of 2025, a Chinese-American TikTok content creator named Sherry Zhu leaned into the meme by "posting a series of tongue-in-cheek videos instructing non-Chinese viewers on how to 'become Chinese' through their lifestyle choices".^[8] In one video, she stated: "Tomorrow, you’re turning Chinese. I know it sounds intimidating, but resisting it now is pointless."^[9][10] Her videos garnered over twenty million views and inspired many content creators to follow her instructions.^[11][12]

Many other content creators, both in China and in the Chinese diaspora, then followed suit with Zhu's style of content, including comedian Jimmy O. Yang.^[13]

In a BBC News article, Koh Ewe pointed out other developments in 2025 contributing to China's boosted image in lockstep with "Chinamaxxing", including but not limited to Labubu dolls, beverages like Luckin Coffee and Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, Adidas, Tangzhuang, and short-form content about cities like Chongqing, as well as a user migration to Xiaohongshu in the wake of efforts to ban TikTok in the United States.^[14]

Beginning in 2026, many videos were posted depicting Americans adopting Chinese culture.^[4] Examples of such include drinking Tsingtao beer, walking with hands behind one's back, eating congee, consuming traditional Chinese medicine, and drinking hot water.^[15][16] Another spin on the social media trend involved becoming a "Chinese baddie" through acts like making hot soup, giving expensive fruits, or ordering drinks siu tim, siu bing (less sugar and less ice) or zou tim (sugar-free).^[8] All aforementioned forms of engagement involve the declaration that one is "becoming" Chinese or "discovering" that one has been Chinese all along.^[9]

Reactions to the social media trend have been mixed. Many Chinese content creators showed appreciation to newfound western attention and saw it as an opportunity to further spread Chinese culture, while others found it to be insincere and mocking.^[2] A video from the South China Morning Post noted that although wellness advice shared by Chinese influencers were widely embraced in 2026, similar advice shared during the COVID-19 pandemic had been met with racist or xenophobic comments.^[1] An article by Charmaine Mok in the same news site pointed out that online discourse oscillated "between cultural appropriation and appreciation."^[8]

Zeyi Yang, writing in Wired, pointed out some of the criticisms that Chinese people had with the meme, including that it was fetishizing Chinese culture for a convenient trend; that it lacked actual understanding of "Chineseness"; and that it reflected a temporary, discardable, and disposable form of cultural engagement while "some of us are stuck being Chinese forever, including all the less fun parts that come with it."^[17]

Cliff Buddle, in an opinion piece for the South China Morning Post, argued that the meme, soon to "be the subject of academic research", was a positive force to forge "understanding and engagement" between Chinese culture and non-Chinese all around the world.^[18]

Cathy Pham told Time that the meme is a form of "eating the other", a reference to an essay by feminist author bell hooks on how dominant groups "consume" marginalized cultures, reinforcing existing power structures.^[19]

Jessie Yeung, writing in CNN, stated that the "global cultural capital" attained by China in this trend was different from that previously accrued by Japan and South Korea. Yeung opined that the difference was due in part to the latter two countries being "democracies and staunch US allies, while China is an authoritarian state and major US rival".^[20]

According to Cindy Yu, writing for The Times, the social media trend's rise coincided with Pew Research Center data showing that "under-34s viewed China much more favourably than over-50s in 16 of the 17 countries they polled" and could be a politically subversive response to "being told to hate China" in contemporary politics.^[3]

Similarly, Yan Zhuang writing for the New York Times "may signal China's growing soft power abroad. For some American creators, they are also a wry expression of disillusionment with politics at home." Yan cited New York University professor Shaoyu Yuan, who identified the meme as both "meme logic" and "cultural cachet".^[5] Writing for Bloomberg, Howard Chua-Eoan opined that the meme was a form of "soft power".^[21]

Time found that the meme reflected American disillusionment with contemporary domestic politics and thus "a desire for an alternative model to the U.S." while also pointing out that the Chinese government itself was using social media as a tool for improve perceptions of China internationally; in particular, spokesperson Lin Jian noted that flights to China during Chinese New Year "dramatically increased" in 2026.^[22] Nicole Chan, writing for the South China Morning Post, opined that the meme was less about infatuation with Chinese culture and more so a long-overdue recognition that "Chinese–built systems" like TikTok permeate internet life.^[23]

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian welcomed the international interest in Chinese daily life, when he was asked to comment about the "Becoming Chinese" trend on social media in February 2026. Specifically, Lin said it was a broader reflection of understanding Chinese culture beyond "traditional symbols, such as the Great Wall, kung fu, pandas, and Chinese cuisine".^[24]

The BBC noted that the meme's popularity has been boosted by Chinese state media as part of their campaign "to portray the US as a decaying superpower because of inequality, a weak social safety net and a broken healthcare system". Various Chinese publications have affirmed the new emphasis on Chinese lifestyles.^[14]

• Chinoiserie – European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other East Asian artistic traditions
• Sinophile – Someone with a strong interest in or love of Chinese people, culture, or history