At some point in recent months, “Chinese” stopped functioning solely as an identity online and started behaving more like a lifestyle setting.
Across TikTok and Instagram, users now describe themselves as “Becoming Chinese” to explain a shift toward habits associated with discipline, wellness and domestic order — drinking warm water instead of cold, wearing house slippers, boiling apples, eating cooked vegetables rather than raw salads, and even practising baduanjin qigong, a slow, rhythmic exercise often associated with elderly park-goers in China.
The phrase isn’t meant literally. Instead, “Becoming Chinese” operates as ironic internet shorthand, signalling alignment with a way of living rather than a claim to ethnicity or nationality. It’s playful, performative and deliberately exaggerated — but its popularity points to a deeper shift in how Chinese culture is being perceived and consumed online.
What does “Becoming Chinese” actually mean?
Online, “Becoming Chinese” frames culture as behaviour. Users joke that they are so Chinese they see Chinatowns as just “towns” and Chinese food as just “food.” Others remix pop culture, declaring, “You met me at a very Chinese time in my life,” a parody of the line from Fight Club: “You met me at a very strange time in my life.”
Some creators describe themselves as Chinese “baddies” — confident, attractive women — while performing mundane East Asian lifestyle habits. The meme is intentionally loose, allowing anyone to opt in regardless of background.
That openness is part of the appeal. Anyone can “become Chinese” if they want to. And increasingly, many people do.
How TikTok kicked it off
The trend was sparked by TikTok creator Sherry Zhu (@sherryxiiruii), a Chinese American who regularly shares cultural observations through humour and exaggerated seriousness.
In a video released at the beginning of January, she announced: “Tomorrow, you’re turning Chinese. I know it sounds intimidating, but resisting it now is pointless.”
@sherryxiiruii i am here for you in this very chinese time in your life. #chineseamerican #americanbornchinese #chineseculture #chinesecuisine #chinesefood ♬ original sound – sherry
She followed up with advice rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including avoiding cold foods in winter, drinking warm water and wearing slippers indoors. Her playful delivery — part mock authority figure, part cultural translator — resonated widely, quickly amassing tens of millions of likes.
@weee_official Chinese baddies drink hot water – here’s what you’ll need for this easy, cozy tea made the traditional way. Shoutout to @sherry for helping us all become Chinese. Goji berries + jujubes + an apple is the daily ritual you didn’t know you needed. Get our hot water bundle on Weee! #chineseamerican #becomingchinese #tcm #gojiberry #jujube ♬ miffy cafe – sakuracloud
“Becoming Chinese,” according to Chinese American influencers, often starts with these routines. Zhu, 23, has amassed millions of views by explaining the appeal of such habits.
“Now that you’re Chinese, you need to stop walking around your house barefoot,” she says in one video, noting that many Chinese families wear slippers indoors.
Soon, overseas users began declaring their own transformations.
“As a new Chinese member, I own three pairs of house shoes. I haven’t had a cold drink in weeks. I take my new Chinese life very seriously,” one netizen wrote.
Another added: “I have never been so regular since discovering I am Chinese.”
Zhu, whose Chinese name is Zhu Xirui, revealed her family comes from Pinghu, a small city in eastern Zhejiang province. She has been passionate about Chinese culture since a young age.
“I often tell those around me that Chinese people prefer warm water for its health benefits. My American friends are eager to listen and adopt the Chinese lifestyle,” Zhu said.
“I’m delighted to share Chinese culture in the United States and witness foreigners engaging with it,” she added.
Wellness culture meets Chinese daily life
At the core of the “Becoming Chinese” trend is an emphasis on self-care — not the high-intensity, optimisation-focused version common in Western wellness culture, but gentler routines tied to balance and consistency.
The Chinese lifestyle focuses on harmonising the body, mind and spirit through everyday practices rooted in TCM. Warm food over cold, moderation over extremes, comfort over discomfort. For many non-Chinese users, these habits feel both novel and intuitive.
The timing has helped. Health and wellness content reliably spikes at the start of the year, said Crystal Abidin, author of TikTok and Youth Cultures and a professor of internet cultures at Curtin University in Australia.
The appeal lies in its simplicity. “It’s easy to digest. It’s palatable. It’s accessible,” Abidin said.
Unlike more complex cultural exports, “Becoming Chinese” doesn’t require deep knowledge — just slippers, hot water and a willingness to play along.
From meme to soft power signal
The rise of “Becoming Chinese” also coincides with a broader surge in Chinese cultural influence globally. Animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 climbed the global box office rankings. Labubu — the “ugly-cute” doll created by Hong Kong-born illustrator Kasing Lung and commercialised by Chinese toy brand Pop Mart — became a global obsession, embraced by celebrities from Blackpink’s Lisa to David Beckham.
Video games like Black Myth: Wukong and viral livestreams of Chinese cities further reshaped how Gen Z audiences see the country.
Read more: ‘Ne Zha 2’ Makes Box Office History, Becomes First Animated Film to Surpass $2 Billion Globally
Together, these moments have made Chinese culture familiar enough to joke about, remix and adopt.
“It’s partly meme logic, but it’s also a sign of growing cultural cachet,” said Shaoyu Yuan, a professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs who studies China’s soft power.
According to Yuan, global audiences are increasingly engaging with China through lifestyle and aesthetics rather than geopolitics.
“The underlying familiarity is now widespread enough to become widely ‘meme-able’,” he added.
China’s state media has taken note. CCTV described the trend as evidence of growing international goodwill, stating in a January 17 editorial: “Many young people abroad hold a favourable view of China.”
“This new fashion reflects a shift in foreigners’ mindsets, from viewing Chinese culture from afar to actively participating in and recognising it,” the article concluded.
Is “Becoming Chinese” political?
For some creators, the trend carries an implicit political undertone — particularly in the United States.
Renn Lazzerin, 33, from Los Angeles, said her adoption of habits like drinking hot water and eating rice porridge felt quietly political.
“For me it feels like a way to resist — in a subtle way, it’s more of an undercurrent — and to protest a government that doesn’t care about keeping people healthy,” she said in an interview.
Others interpret “Becoming Chinese” as a search for alternatives. Daniel Kairoff AKA Auntie Boy, a singer from California, went viral with a parody song in which he screams, “I’m tired of not being Chinese.” The video has more than 700,000 views on Instagram.
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Kairoff said the trend reflects a “yearning for some kind of alternative” among young Americans consuming idealised portrayals of China while witnessing social upheaval at home.
“It kind of naturally begets the question of ‘Dang, what else is out there?’” he said.
Platforms, perception and participation
Researchers say social media dynamics have helped accelerate the trend. TikTok users were already primed to engage with China-related content, said Qian Huang, an expert on digital youth cultures at the University of Groningen.
Last year’s brief US ban on TikTok — over concerns about Chinese government interference — intensified those dynamics. Some users protested by migrating to Rednote, a Chinese social media app. Studies have also suggested TikTok’s algorithm tends to favour positive China-related content.
Read more: Labubu Film In The Works With ‘Paddington’ And ‘Wonka’ Filmmaker Paul King Set To Direct
“Even if the trend is not coming from official Chinese channels, the distribution environment can still tilt what gets amplified,” Professor Yuan said.
Chinese internet users have largely reacted positively, noting that foreigners tend to approach the trend with curiosity and respect.
“I was previously told that foreigners only drink cold water due to better physical health, but it turns out they are unaware of the benefits of hot water,” one observer commented.
Another added: “As expected, when a country becomes stronger, everything it claims is validated.”
A broader cultural strategy
China’s rising cultural appeal is now being reflected in global rankings. The Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index 2025 placed China second worldwide, surpassing the United Kingdom — a sign that perception is shifting alongside influence.
This rise is not accidental. As outlined in the recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–30), China aims to build a “flourishing culture” as a hallmark of modernization, with the goal of “inspir[ing] greater confidence in Chinese culture” and achieving “a continued rise in China’s soft power.”
While official strategy alone cannot manufacture trends like “Becoming Chinese,” the alignment between policy, cultural output and digital participation is increasingly clear.
