In some of the things you post it seems people are talking very frankly about sexual matters, but in others there seems to be a lot of disapproval of any such thing (e.g. being horrified by two university students kissing in a cafeteria). What is the state of openness about sex? - OmgPuppies
China’s generally less open about sex than the west, but people are a lot more open about sex on the internet than in real life. So for example, despite the government’s attempts to ban porn, there are still plenty of websites that host pornographic fanfiction out there, and there are incredibly popular weibo accounts that reviews and recommends particularly good works. There are relationship bloggers who offer paid lessons in how to get better at sex (I’ve never taken a lesson, but by god, I am so curious about the content). There are a lot of tiktok videos that toes the line of what counts as “pornographic”, with girls doing sexy dances in wet t-shirts and stuff. All of that is not unusual to see, because the internet is for degeneracy.
But you walk on the streets in real life, and culturally speaking, it’s still weird to have public displays of affection. It’s one thing for an online store to openly advertise dildos, that can get on the trending posts no problem, but I kiss my husband on the lip (no tongue involved, just a dry peck) in an elevator and my cousin freaks out about it for a whole day. She told the entire family about how embarrassed I made her. And reading Chinese romance webnovels, the characters in it always seems to make a big deal out of how it’s inappropriate to kiss in public.
China also seems much more sensitive about skimpy clothing. I think that’s because normally, Chinese people are so concerned about shading their skin from the sun, that you almost never see women walking around with bare arms and legs anymore. They’ve invented these…um…physical sunscreens that looks like a legit Muslim headdress, just to keep their skin fair. So when people hardly ever see spaghetti straps and super short dresses, it stands out, I guess.
There seems to be a lot of racism directed towards black people -- is that representative of China's attitude generally, or is it just the internet being the internet? - OmgPuppies
Oh no, Chinese people are just super racist in general. They’re also racist towards white people and Muslims and Indians and other Asians and even a lot of ethnic minorities in China. China is just really, really racist. As for why, I can’t say for sure, but the whole government propaganda push of, “China is the best! We’re better than everyone else! Look at how much worse off the rest of the world is!” definitely doesn’t help.
The fact that foreigners get special treatment in China (such as easier to get into universities, easier to get scholarships, better dorms, better police response rates, not having to follow lockdown rules, etc, etc) also doesn’t help.
Can you recommend any blogger you follow/read regularly? I thought 西城大妈 had some interesting "in-depth" contemplative takes recently, maybe something like this? - by Cas Been
I’m worried about the algorithm noticing what I like and recommending only that topic to me, so I try not to follow any bloggers on my phone. I’m not sure if my habits work or not. I have noticed a lot of the same bloggers coming up over and over again on the trending posts, most of whom have some crazy takes. 西城大妈 is definitely one of them. Two different authors, 作家陈岚 and 作家叶倾城 also writes a lot of takes on recent events. Also, 陌川_MC and 有事问彭叔 for two definitely male bloggers mansplaining things. I also get a lot of funny compilations/memes from 最佳蹲坑读物 (best toilet reading material).
Also, how does the trending page on weibo work? Some posts you pick up only have a few hundred likes and still fewer comments, which seems a bit low compared to trending stuff on say Twitter. No criticism at all, just curious. Thanks for this great newsletter! - by Cas Been
To be honest, I have no idea either. I know it’s not just based on reposts/comments/likes, because a lot of it seems to be tied to the hashtags used. A lot of not very notable bloggers’ posts make it onto the front pages because they’re commenting on a super trending current event. People want to read about more takes on the Xu Bo case, for example, so anyone writing a post on it that pings the right keywords is getting pushed in front of me.
Similarly, a week or so ago, when the newest edition of the civil code’s marriage section came out, I was seeing take after take on bride price, some from super popular bloggers, some from tiny accounts with like 12 comments. So I think the algorithm is definitely putting a lot of weight on the ”topic”.
This is actually something some people will actively exploit, by spamming a bunch of trending keywords and hashtags, and then using the space to talk about a completely different issue. I see a lot of people advertising their gofundmes this way (and I usually skip those posts because I consider them in the same category as advertisements).
Can you recommend a good source in Chinese about Hu Bo, his children and the woman who took his money and ran away? My Chinese language partner thinks this is a made up story. Thanks, hope you are feeling better! - by Leslie Padorr
Here’s a youtuber who used to work as a CCTV reporter (who had to flee China because he pissed off the CCP).
And here’s a couple of Chinese news sites reporting on the case.
What are the independent art / music / literature / etc. scenes like? Are there particular scenes in particular cities, or aesthetic movements that bubble up into the mainstream? The vast majority of Chinese media that makes it to me is very big-budget, mostly middlebrow stuff. Are there any examples of communities of artists that are not well-known you could link to? Thanks! - by Donald Dunbar
To be honest, I’m not a very “niche” sort of person. I don’t live in China. So I don’t know much about most of the underground stuff. I know it exists. I also know that the second it gets big enough that anyone notices it’s a thing that exists, the government tries to take control of it and censor it. It happened to the rap scene, it happened to the standup comedy scene, and it’s currently going on in the techno DJ scene. I know there used to be a lot of very “real” rappers, so to speak, there used to be a lot of very down-to-earth standup comedians all talking about the very real pains of society. And they’ve all been banned. And I am very mad, because I fucking loved the Chinese standup community :(
And whenever the government comes in, the scene inevitably becomes very high-budget, non-controversial, and milquetoast.
It’s all very sad. I think there are still small, niche communities out there doing their own thing, releasing their creativity, because I don’t think that’s ever the sort of thing you can ban entirely. But I don’t have access to them. I don’t even have access to decent porn anymore, because of how long it’s been since I’ve been back to China :(
Hi Molly. Do you feel better now? - by TonyZa
Yes, I had to get a round of extra-strong antibiotics, but I’m all better now. Thanks so much for asking! It’s very sweet of you.
I feel bad, because I feel like I get sick a lot. I guess that’s just what happens when you have a toddler in daycare. I really try my best to not skip any updates, because it seems like every time I take a sick day off, the internet explodes over something different.
What is public opinion saying about the american decision regarding TikTok? - by TonyZa
Based on what I’ve seen so far, the takes are almost universally all, “America is doing this because they’re scared! Tiktok is showing westerners the truth about China, and it’s ripping all of America’s propaganda and brainwashing apart! Also, they’re just jealous of our technology and want it for themselves! They have no legal grounds at all and they’re just panicking because they know we’re winning! This proves that America never had democracy or freedom of speech at all! Sanctions like these are why Chinese people have to work so hard to overtake America! But we have to do it, so we don’t get bullied like this anymore!”
That’s all I can see on the internet. I asked my family for what they think, to try to get a sense of what discourse is like off of the internet, away from the watchful eyes of the moderators. And maybe it’s because I mostly asked older people, but I got a lot of, “Man, I wish China would ban tiktok too. These short videos are ruining our children. Kids aren’t studying at all, they’re just scrolling on tiktok all day.” This is super anecdotal and super regional, so I can’t say it’s representative at all.
But I definitely get the sense that people in general are more upset about things that directly impact their lives (like working 12 hour days for 12 days straight to earn 5 days of holiday to celebrate workers achieving the 8-hour work day). That’s what weibo is still talking about today, whereas very few posts about the tiktok ban are showing up on the front page. I have to search the relevant hashtag to see the discussion on it.
Ok I do have a question; mostly comes about because after discovering 越剧演员陈丽君 I have been following her social media buzz and she's now on Mango TV's 乘风2024浪姐5 – what on earth kind of competition (?) / variety show (?) is this? I recognise a few names like 萨顶顶,戚薇 and even Mai Davika, but I have literally no clue what the show is about beyond groups of them singing and dancing. Seems like a cross between Big Brother and So You Think You Can Dance? - by Jules Yim
Okay, so, the show (Sister Who Make Waves) might be structured like a competition, but it’s not really a competition at all. The first season of this reality TV show aired in 2020, and the central theme was that they invited a whole bunch of older celebrities (past their 30s) who were widely considered by the industrial to be “past their prime” and wasn’t getting a lot of work anymore, and put them on a show to give them exposure, for the whole message of, “Older celebrities still have something to contribute, they can still capture the hearts of fans. They shouldn’t be eliminated from the industry just because they’re older!” And it was popular beyond anyone’s imagination. It definitely proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that a lot of celebrities who used to be super popular back in day that people might have forgotten about now are still incredibly good at their jobs.
So when the next season aired, now everyone who wanted exposure were fighting tooth and claw for a spot. So you’re seeing a lot more of younger celebrities, or even non-celebrities who haven’t made it famous yet who want exposure, going on the show. And every season, the show has succeeded in bringing massive fame to at least somebody. So, the cycle continues.
This show is basically just a season-long showcase of all the celebrities who signed up to be in it. Whether the stage performances, or the personalities they show in their daily interactions, it’s all just an advertisement to try to draw fans. That’s what the show is about. I’m not sure if this kind of genre of reality TV show exists in America (where every participant is someone who’s already famous and worked for 10+ years in the entertainment industry, some of whom were A-listers back in their day), but it’s a pretty popular genre of TV show in China, and I like it a lot. Something about watching reality TV where everyone involved is already famous and you already know them is a lot more compelling than learning the names and dramas of a new batch of contestants that you’ve never heard of with every new season.
The whole show is available with subtitles on youtube, by the way, for anyone who’s interested. And there’s also the same exact concept for older male celebrities (Call Me By Fire) here.
Why do foreigners get better treatment?
Ommmmg thanks Moly, that makes so much more sense now, and I'm HOOKED hahahaha