If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok or Instagram recently, you may have noticed a viral trend where users caption their videos with, “You met me at a very Chinese time in my life.” These videos showcase individuals “Chinamaxxing” by engaging in activities like drinking Tsingtao beer, wearing slippers indoors, using rice cookers, and avoiding cold foods, all in homage to Chinese culture and traditions.
Interestingly, this trend is not limited to individuals of Chinese descent. Last month, Australian musician Keli Holiday participated in the trend to encourage his followers to vote for him in triple j’s Hottest 100 competition. He is one of many young Westerners who claim they are experiencing a “Chinese” phase, a phenomenon that has caught the attention of observers who see it as a shift in the perception of Chinese culture.
Origins of the Trend
The phrase “You met me at a very Chinese time in my life” is a playful twist on the iconic line from the cult film Fight Club: “You met me at a very strange time in my life.” According to Sow Keat Tok, a lecturer at the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, the trend is reminiscent of last year’s “six-seven” social media craze.
“It’s come out of nowhere,” Tok remarked. “I think it started off as trying to show the difference between Chinese culture and other cultures. Suddenly, it caught the attention of the wider audience in general, and people started replicating and reproducing.”
Chinese Australian travel content creator Dana Wang suggests that social media has reshaped how young consumers view China, challenging outdated preconceptions. She highlights the brief embrace of the Chinese TikTok alternative Xiaohongshu, or Red Note, when TikTok faced a temporary ban in the United States last year, as a pivotal moment for the mainstream consumption of Chinese culture.
“A lot of Chinese people are just showing their everyday life, and people were very shocked that China was actually like that,” Wang explained. “I think people have a very outdated image.”
Shifting Perceptions of Chinese Culture
While the trend has been embraced by many, it also raises complex feelings among Chinese Australian content creators. Maggie Zhou, host of the Culture Club podcast, expressed mixed emotions about the trend. Dana Wang echoed these sentiments, acknowledging the dual nature of the trend.
“It’s kind of mixed feelings because I’m very happy that people are discovering China,” Wang said. “But also, it’s kind of strange because Chinese culture and China have always been demonised. So it’s a bit shocking that there’s been a change because we’re so used to receiving a lot of hate.”
Rise of East Asian Pop Culture
In recent years, Japanese music, food, and art have gained popularity in the West, while Chinese culture has remained less understood. Korea’s cultural wave, known as “hallyu,” has also captivated Western audiences with its K-dramas, K-pop, K-beauty, and K-lit.
Wang noted that the popularity of Japanese and Korean culture often leaves Chinese trends in the shadows. “I feel like Japan gets romanticised a lot where China is pretty much always demonised, and even a lot of Chinese things often get rebranded as Korean or Japanese,” she said. She pointed to the Chinese origins of the Japanese noodle dish ramen and the Chinese makeup trend douyin, often misattributed to Korea.
China-US Rivalry and Cultural Adoption
Many creators of the “You’ve met me at a Chinese time in my life” videos are based in the United States, where perceptions of China have been predominantly negative, according to the Pew Research Center. However, as geopolitical tensions between the US and China escalate, this trend among younger generations may be seen as a subtle rebuke of US foreign policy.
“It’s a form of response to what is going on in the world today,” Dr. Tok commented. “Given the current context of the America-China rivalry, I think this trend is a sort of a representation of what the United States would lose in this grand scheme of things.”
The emergence of this trend highlights a complex interplay of cultural exchange, shifting perceptions, and geopolitical dynamics. As Gen Z continues to explore and embrace diverse cultural identities, the implications of such trends could resonate far beyond social media, influencing broader cultural and diplomatic landscapes.
