Manya Koetse
@manyapan.bsky.social
Eye on Digital China 🇨🇳💬📱 Chinese social trends, online media & digital culture. See @manyapan on X for my most recent updates 🙏
Pinned
Manya Koetse
@manyapan.bsky.social
· Sep 30
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.
On way home after hutong walk with Beijing friend, I mentioned I needed a powerbank before leaving. "Let’s order one," he said. "Can't, need it within 1 hour." Got laughed at. Powerbank was waiting on doormat by time we got back. Barely took 20 minutes. Thanks Xiaomi & Meituan, sorry to doubt you😅
November 26, 2025 at 3:14 PM
On way home after hutong walk with Beijing friend, I mentioned I needed a powerbank before leaving. "Let’s order one," he said. "Can't, need it within 1 hour." Got laughed at. Powerbank was waiting on doormat by time we got back. Barely took 20 minutes. Thanks Xiaomi & Meituan, sorry to doubt you😅
Happy to randomly run into little Wukong here in Beijing. It's undeniably the cat that made the most impact in China news this year. I hope the art dedicated to her will stay around for a while 🐾
November 26, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Happy to randomly run into little Wukong here in Beijing. It's undeniably the cat that made the most impact in China news this year. I hope the art dedicated to her will stay around for a while 🐾
The Xiaohongshu-for-foreigners bubble has burst. Months after the hype, when Americans flocked to RedNote, the app's now riddled with loopholes: accounts flagged as “security risks”, need to submit passport, face+ID photo, phone verification, only for the process to fail. Exit for foreign creators?
November 5, 2025 at 12:05 PM
The Xiaohongshu-for-foreigners bubble has burst. Months after the hype, when Americans flocked to RedNote, the app's now riddled with loopholes: accounts flagged as “security risks”, need to submit passport, face+ID photo, phone verification, only for the process to fail. Exit for foreign creators?
Reposted by Manya Koetse
My first ever talks in Holland coming up soon/Leiden Oct 22, this in The Hague on Oct 23 leidenasiacentre.nl/event/jeffre... & Nowhere bookstore in The Hague on Oct 24. (Btw, I’ve long found lots of value in What’s on Weibo by @manyapan.bsky.social so delighted to see the 23rd talk mentioned by her)
Jeffrey Wasserstrom on China, Protest and Asia’s Struggle against Autocracy - Leiden Asia Centre
China is changing the world—and the world is responding. In just a few decades, China has gone from isolated state to global powerhouse, reshaping politics, culture, and the fight for democracy across...
leidenasiacentre.nl
October 11, 2025 at 3:35 PM
My first ever talks in Holland coming up soon/Leiden Oct 22, this in The Hague on Oct 23 leidenasiacentre.nl/event/jeffre... & Nowhere bookstore in The Hague on Oct 24. (Btw, I’ve long found lots of value in What’s on Weibo by @manyapan.bsky.social so delighted to see the 23rd talk mentioned by her)
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.
➡️ 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.
October 5, 2025 at 9:13 PM
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.
➡️ 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
October 4, 2025 at 9:08 AM
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😅)
October 4, 2025 at 7:52 AM
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...
October 3, 2025 at 2:53 PM
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...
Reposted by Manya Koetse
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...
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...
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.
chinamediaproject.org
October 3, 2025 at 5:09 AM
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...
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 😅
October 1, 2025 at 8:10 AM
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 😅
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.
September 30, 2025 at 8:25 PM
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.
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)
September 30, 2025 at 7:00 PM
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)
Reposted by Manya Koetse
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
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...
vrtnws.be
September 29, 2025 at 10:33 AM
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
Reposted by Manya Koetse
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...
September 26, 2025 at 7:03 AM
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...
September 25, 2025 at 5:08 AM
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...
September 20, 2025 at 5:20 PM
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...
Reposted by Manya Koetse
Een Chinees AI-filmpje met een soldaat uit de tweede wereldoorlog.
September 12, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Een Chinees AI-filmpje met een soldaat uit de tweede wereldoorlog.
Reposted by Manya Koetse
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.
September 11, 2025 at 2:57 PM
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.
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.
September 10, 2025 at 4:53 PM
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.
Reposted by Manya Koetse
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
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...
www.nporadio1.nl
September 7, 2025 at 12:10 PM
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.
September 3, 2025 at 9:09 AM
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
September 3, 2025 at 2:45 AM
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
"No those are not for sale. Those colorful balloons, however! You could take some with you" 😅 #militaryparade #meme
September 3, 2025 at 2:38 AM
"Can you sell?"
"No those are not for sale. Those colorful balloons, however! You could take some with you" 😅 #militaryparade #meme
"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."
September 3, 2025 at 2:35 AM
"Kim Jong-un looking at Xi Jinping pointing at things."
The meme you knew would come #militaryparade
September 3, 2025 at 2:35 AM
The meme you knew would come #militaryparade