Manya Koetse

An Unfortunate Misunderstanding

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China’s latest viral meme, “丝瓜汤” (sīguā tāng), comes from Douyin creator Lei Zi’s family skits, where a mom insists her grown son drink loofah soup to “reduce liver fire.” It's come to represent something much bigger than that.

🫏 China’s donkey population is far below market demand. The country’s donkey population has plunged nearly 90% to just 1.46 million today, and the prices of donkey-related products continue to rise. What made this story go viral, though, wasn’t just the numbers. www.whatsonweibo.com/china-faces-...

🍟🐒 McDonald’s China has teamed up with hit game 'Black Myth: Wukong' for a limited collab featuring themed meals, merch & a ¥68 board game. There've been mixed reviews on taste, but fans are overall loving the collectibles, signalling a new focus for global chains on domestic IPs.

🇯🇵 Sanae Takaichi has become the first female president of Japan’s ruling LDP, and is set to become Japan’s first-ever female prime minister. On Chinese social media, her rise sparks heated debate over her nationalist views, Yasukuni visits, and stance on Taiwan.

🎬 When reports surfaced about harsh conditions on Wong Kar-wai’s sets, media/fans dismissed his behavior as the quirks of a genius. This time is different. Accused of exploiting a young writer on Blossoms Shanghai, he’s now at the center of one of China’s biggest entertainment scandals this year.

Before heading into the new week, let’s dive into some of the stories that trended.
➡️ During Nanchang’s fireworks show, a man drew attention shouting and holding something that sparked panic. Moments later, he was kicked down and taken away by police. It turned out to be a major misunderstanding.

That's a particularly sweet SWAT officer

Traditional 哭嫁 (crying marriage), the bride parts with her family. The "happiest day of your life" comes with sorrow & some added drama. OP wrote: "I’ve heard of 喜丧 (joy-in-mourning: funeral for long-lived elder),but this is the first time I’ve seen 丧喜"(mourning-in-joy, made up word for this scene😅)

Whenever reports surfaced about the harsh conditions on the set of renowned director Wong Kar-wai, mainstream media and fans often brushed off his tyrannical habits as the "quirks of a genius." This time, it feels different. Read more at: www.whatsonweibo.com/the-wong-kar...

The Malice Police - China Media Project China's latest internet special actions, a campaign against "negative emotions," lifts the lid on the country's obsessive and capricious control culture.

Different take:
This strain of content regulation feels written by a parent-teacher association: well-intentioned but poorly thought through, heavy-handed enforcement of vague concepts.

But the sentiment- fear of social media blackpills is very relatable.
chinamediaproject.org/2025/09/26/t...

Really, you don't wanna mess with the dancing grannies. You can interfer with their music, spray them with water, but they're gonna come for you in the end. Better invest in earplugs for those early morning dance routines 😅

Jingdezhen’s “Chicken Chop Bro”, Golden Week Travel Trends & China’s Donkey Shortage Crisis From viral street food vendors to China’s donkey crisis and new eldercare services, here’s this week’s Weibo highlights in What’s on Weibo’s China Trend Watch.

Read about that and more here: www.whatsonweibo.com/jingdezhens-...

China is facing a serious donkey shortage. And the headline “We have cows and horses, but no donkeys” (“牛马有的是，就缺驴”) is sparking viral discussion online, not just because of the actual donkey crisis but due to wordplay in Chinese of having too many obedient workers in the workplace vs stubborn ones.

..others think Li's frantic, multitasking energy is relatable for anyone working in healthcare 😂 "Yes i'll get to you, first do this, then I'll help you" (做完你的做你的)

He's the meme of the moment. Esp before the National Day holiday, Li's efficient way of 'dealing with his deadlines' resonated with many who say it's like "me at work before the holiday"

48-year-old Li Junyong (李俊永), who runs a small fried chicken stall in Jingdezhen, has a snappy multitasking style and tight rules on who he serves, when, and how. His earnest approach to his chicken stall business has turned him into a viral sensation under the nickname "Chicken Chop Brother" (鸡排哥)

Van TikTok tot Labubu: hoe China aan een 'cool' imago werkt | VRT NWS: nieuws China transformeert van goedkope fabriek voor de rest van de wereld naar hippe trendsetter. Met knuffeldieren die uitverkocht raken, games die wereldwijd scoren en technologie die het Westen voorbijst...

Soft power stond voor China lang voor kalligrafie, kookkunst en Confucius instituten. Maar nu meet China zich een heel ander imago aan. Hoe krijgt het dat voor elkaar? Met @tomvandeweghe.bsky.social , @manyapan.bsky.social en @silviasun.bsky.social vrtnws.be/p.LNx8PJne1

A great deep-dive into viewers' true opinions!

How did "731", one of the most anticipated recent Chinese war films, go from patriotic hype to online backlash? I dove into official narrative, audience reception & everything particular about this movie - that was a "10" but dropped to 3.1 acc to IMDb: www.whatsonweibo.com/evil-unbound...

Perhaps you’ve heard about the online controversy surrounding the Chinese restaurant chain Xibei and the debate on pre-made food. If you have no idea what’s going on and need a clear explainer, we’ve got you covered. Read this one to stay updated: www.whatsonweibo.com/chinas-prefa...

Een Chinees AI-filmpje met een soldaat uit de tweede wereldoorlog.

Vergeet het leed, China overwon! Dat is het verhaal dat China over WOII wil vertellen. China noemt het zelf: het einde van de ‘verzetsoorlog tegen de Japanse agressie en oorlog tegen het fascisme’. Met AI brengen ze zelfs soldaten uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog tot leven. @manyapan.bsky.social vertelt.

A brief write-up of this unexpected meme here : www.whatsonweibo.com/chinas-afp-f... (premium – join @whatsonweibo – 100% reader-supported!)

From the "BBC smog" to "AFP filter": for years, Chinese netizens have joked about how Western media photos make China look darker and gloomier. But during this year’s VDay parade, China's "villain look" was embraced with some netizens thinking AFP wasn't AFP-ing enough, fixing their photos for them.

China herdenkt de oorlog met spierballen en spektakel China organiseerde deze week een grootschalige militaire parade in Peking om het einde van de Tweede Wereldoorlog te herdenken. Volgens China-kenner Manya Koetse was het een ongeëvenaard vertoon van m...

China herdenkt de oorlog met spierballen en spektakel. Het controversiële gezelschap van Xi Jinping was een grote blikvanger maar @manyapan.bsky.social vindt het minstens zo belangrijk om te kijken naar wat er op het plein in Peking en de Chinese online-mediakanalen gebeurde. tinyurl.com/2s8bcaan

Just in case it wasn't clear enough, an extra military parade public-facing message, emphasizing: this is not for decoration nor for show. All it takes is one command and all of these soldiers and their weapons, tanks, drones, missiles are ready for the battlefield.

Yao Ming can never really keep a low profile at these events, can he. #militaryparade

"Can you sell?"
"No those are not for sale. Those colorful balloons, however! You could take some with you" 😅 #militaryparade #meme

"Kim Jong-un looking at Xi Jinping pointing at things."