social media

social-media

How Viral Fame Strained a Noodle Seller Almost to Breaking Point

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

For 15 years, Chinese farmer Cheng Yunfu had sold cheap hand-pulled noodles at a local fair — then a trending video sent his life spinning out of control.

The Paper

Instant Karma: No Regrets for ‘Coffee Gran’ Who Stirred Media Frenzy

Han Suzhen’s tiny alleyway store was overrun with customers after a post about her “hand-brewed coffee” went viral — and it almost cost her health.

Should Optimus Prime Be Insured? Ask China’s ‘Bottom Journals’

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

China’s parody journals are turning failed experiments, revision fatigue, and academic anxiety into comedy — and finding an audience.

Jiang Xinyi

Yang Yang

After the IShowSpeed Bump, Chongqing’s Uncle Goose Is Back Chasing Traffic

When a Chinese livestreamer ambushed a U.S. streaming star with a braised goose from his hometown, sales boomed. Why didn’t it last?

How an Influencer Made the Prefrontal Cortex Go Viral in China

A neuroscience Ph.D. student posted videos online to raise awareness about the brain region’s development. Netizens started using it to describe themselves.

‘Blind Scoop’: The Online Shopping Craze Taking Hold of China

Fans of the product-reveal videos say they enjoy their healing, cheerful, and personalized nature.

Li Xin

In China, MBTI’s Unhinged Twin Asks About Constipation and Diarrhea

SBTI, or “Silly Big” Type Indicator, borrows the MBTI format but replaces introspection with absurd questions and irreverent personality types.

Fan Yiying

The Chinese Restaurant That ‘Didn’t Want Fame’ and the Internet That Wouldn’t Listen

Netizens have become fascinated by the restaurant owner’s claims that his chicken causes diarrhea and that he doesn’t want to become too popular, as crowds flock to the restaurant from around the country.

He Qitong

The Chinese Deep-Sea Explorer Unlocking Science in Short Dramas

Hard science has taken Tang Limei to the coldest parts of the planet. Pop science is taking her to the hot list.

Jiefang Daily

On 310 Yuan a Day, She Builds China’s Towers — and Streams the Struggle

With thick glasses, thin gloves, and a smartphone, Liu Yan ties rebar on construction sites and streams her struggle to strangers online as she tries to save enough to return home with dignity.

White Night Workshop

Dorm Storm: China’s Students Clash Over Streaming on Campus

As livestreamers rush to meet the rising demand for “student content,” universities receive complaints over cyberbullying, noise, and invasion of privacy.

Viral Documentary Sends Crowds to Fragile Wolf Habitat in China

The decade-old film’s creator is now urging the public to stay away, saying the attention is harming a sensitive ecosystem.

Chen Yiru

The Mainstreaming of Social Science in China Isn’t Necessarily a Good Thing

Contributions from individuals with unique perspectives to share. Hear from everyone, from experts and commentators to those whose voices are often marginalized.

VOICES & OPINION

Terms once only used in academic circles are increasingly being used on social media. But that also flattens their meaning, and ultimately doesn’t lead to better public discussion.

Huang Wan

Young Chinese Are Diagnosing Themselves With ADHD — and Finding Community Online

Netizens are feeling increasingly seen in ADHD’s diagnostic criteria, commiserating online over lives defined by procrastination and distraction, but experts urge caution over the dangers of self-diagnosis.

China Bans Online Guru Behind ‘Sexual Intelligence’ Courses

Zhou Yuan spent years teaching women about dating and maintaining relationships. But growing online criticism has now led to a social media ban for the influencer.

Overdoing It: The Cheap Pain Pills Hooking Young Chinese

After a clampdown on a popular psychoactive drug, doctors say many young people have switched to abusing a cheaper, addictive alternative.

The  Beijing News

The Chinese Parents Dancing to Shake Their Kids’ Cancer Blues

With nightly dance marathons, a grieving father is helping parents of young cancer patients raise funds and find relief.

The Underground Economy Behind Children’s Smartwatches in China

Children racing to climb smartwatch-based social hierarchies are turning to a smartwatch “gray market,” where they can buy artificial likes and boost their watch account ratings.

The Chinese College Student Who Took on Annoying Elevator Ads

A college junior in Shanghai used a “universal key” to shut down elevator ad screens to protest their intrusive noise, going viral online after netizens applauded the move.

On the Pot: Chinese Teens Who Urinated in Hotpot Ordered to Pay 2 Million Yuan

In March, a court ruled that the two teens who drunkenly urinated into a Haidilao hotpot must apologize and pay for their actions. On Thursday, the judgment went into effect.