"In case you didn't get the memo, everyone is feeling very Chinese these days. Across social media, people are proclaiming that "You met me at a very Chinese time of my life," while performing stereotypically Chinese-coded activities like eating dim sum or wearing the viral Adidas Chinese jacket. The trend blew up so much in recent weeks that celebrities like comedian Jimmy O Yang and influencer Hasan Piker even got in on it. It has now evolved into variations like " Chinamaxxing" (acting increasingly more Chinese) and " u will turn Chinese tomorrow " (a kind of affirmation or blessing)."
"It's hard to quantify a zeitgeist, but here at WIRED, chronically online people like us have been noticing a distinct vibe shift when it comes to China over the past year. Despite all of the tariffs, export controls, and anti-China rhetoric, many people in the United States, especially younger generations, have fallen in love with Chinese technology, Chinese brands, Chinese cities, and are overall consuming more Chinese-made products than ever before. In a sense the only logical thing left to do was to literally become Chinese."
Viral social-media trends frame performing Chinese-coded activities and adopting Chinese products as identity play, with memes like "You met me at a very Chinese time of my life," "Chinamaxxing," and "u will turn Chinese tomorrow." Influencers and celebrities have amplified the trend by eating dim sum, wearing Chinese-branded clothing, and celebrating Chinese-made goods. Younger Americans are increasingly enamored with Chinese technology, brands, and urban imagery despite tariffs, export controls, and anti-China rhetoric. These memes often function as a projection of Western anxieties, recasting Chinese culture as aspirational or as a symbolic escape from perceived decay of American infrastructure and the American dream.
Read at WIRED
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