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Sep 15, 2024 | 
en.people.cn | Zhang Wenjie
AI Vibes: Fantastic AI services and where to find them at CIFTIS Follow People’s Daily Online to immerse yourself in the advanced AI services at the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS). From AI smart desks to AI fitness trainers, the future unfolds before our eyes.
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Jun 12, 2024 | 
theworldofchinese.com | Zhang Wenjie
These memes have since entered the workplace, with netizens describing themselves as hapless monkeys with phrases like, “I am just a monkey. What can I do?
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Jun 3, 2024 | 
theworldofchinese.com | Zhang Wenjie
Some aren’t content with merely being bland. They aspire to be “transparent people (透明人 tòumíngrén),” meaning they are so low-key as to almost become invisible. Others refer to them as “stealthy people (偷感人 tōugǎnrén),” who desperately avoid attracting attention to themselves. This March, “I suddenly found that I have a strong stealthy feeling (突然发现自己的偷感很重 Túrán fāxiàn zìjǐ de tōugǎn hěn zhòng)” became a trending hashtag on the microblogging platform Weibo, gaining over 23 million views.
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Apr 12, 2024 | 
theworldofchinese.com | Zhang Wenjie
The trend started Ma Jie (played by Bai Ke), a hapless HR manager in the comedy Johnny Keep Walking!, released earlier this year. Ma is plain-looking, submissive, and lacks ambition. He dutifully accepts blame from his bosses and obediently follows every nonsensical corporate instruction, all to safeguard his job and support his family. Despite Ma’s apparent weaknesses, netizens admire his gentleness, diligence, and sense of familial responsibility.
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Mar 25, 2024 | 
theworldofchinese.com | Zhang Wenjie
Even with fierce public criticism, many production companies still resort to voice dubbing due to actors’ robotic delivery, described by netizens as “AI reciting lines (AI念台词 AI niàn táicí)” or “reciting machines (背台词机器 bèi táicí jīqì).” Many young celebrities are believed to be selected for roles based on their looks and popularity rather than their acting skills.
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Feb 27, 2024 | 
theworldofchinese.com | Zhang Wenjie
With record numbers traveling during the holiday this year, commenters online decried being crammed into railway stations “more packed than concert venues (候车大厅流量堪比演唱会 hòuchē dàtīng liúliàng kānbǐ yǎnchànghuì)” but with much less entertainment. Travel hell is expected around the holiday rush, so many people brought entertainment like playing cards or snacks like sunflower seeds to while away the time.
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Jan 17, 2024 | 
theworldofchinese.com | Zhang Wenjie
Johnny is not only relatable to China’s white-collar workers, it is also funny. Many have praised the absence of obvious punchlines, jokes about bodily functions, or mocking physical disabilities, all tropes that have been common in Chinese comedies. “The film satirizes what we truly want to satirize…without bullying the weak or fearing the strong, without deception or flattery,” reads one comment about the film with more than 6,000 likes on Douban.
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Jan 9, 2024 | 
theworldofchinese.com | Zhang Wenjie
Chinese netizens were beyond excited when vlogger Li Ziqi made her first appearance in two years in a Douyin (China’s version of TikTok) promotional video on October 7 last year. Known for her peaceful rural-life content, Li has millions of fans across multiple social media platforms. Many of her followers like her food content the best.
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Dec 26, 2023 | 
theworldofchinese.com | Zhang Wenjie
With the end of the three-year Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions, the year 2023 has proven to be a vibrant and dynamic one, as people can finally embrace their normal lives—only at a faster pace. As we reflect on the year, it’s impossible to ignore the cultural zeitgeist captured through the lens of memes and slang. These expressions not only provided comic relief but also a unique insight into the societal shifts and even economic trends that shaped the year.
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Nov 29, 2023 | 
theworldofchinese.com | Zhang Wenjie
From accidentally sending personal messages to work supervisors to being forced to perform in front of elderly relatives at a family gathering, no matter what Chinese netizens feel uncomfortable about, there’s a phrase to describe the depths of their despair. Netizens’ embarrassment has gradually escalated recently.
