Chinamaxxing: How ‘being Chinese’ became cool online

中国潮兴:为何“做中国人”在网络上变得流行

What in the World

2026-02-12

11 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

As usual, we have been spending far too much time on social media, watching endless videos and scrolling for days. One thing that keeps on coming up is people talking about ‘Chinamaxxing’. This all about Gen Z celebrating and recognising their Chinese technology and Chinese brands…and then choosing to use more of these Chinese-made products than they have before. But it’s going further than that. It’s now a trend to embody a supposed ‘Chinese’ lifestyle. We chat with Shawn Yuan from our Global China Unit and BBC reporter Nathalie Jimenez to hear about how this trend is going down with the Chinese community around the world. Plus two content creators share their thoughts with us - Chao Ban and Yunyun Gu. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Emily Horler, Julia Ross Roy, Chelsea Coates and Emilia Jansson Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

  • Could the US-Israel war with Iran ripple across the entire Gulf region and affect us all?

  • The Persian Gulf is made up of some of the wealthiest and safest countries on Earth,

  • and until recently they've mostly been insulated from Middle East conflicts.

  • But that's now changing.

  • For more, listen to The Global Story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

  • Hey, I'm Itkra and this is What's in the World from the BBC World Service.

  • Hello, my Chinese besties.

  • If you're watching this, you're Chinese.

  • It has occurred to me that a lot of you guys have not come to terms with your newfound Chinese identity.

  • And let me just ask you this.

  • Aren't you scrolling on this Chinese app,

  • probably on a Chinese-made phone, wearing clothes that are made in China?

  • That's Chao Ban, and he's talking about China-maxing.

  • And what's that, I hear you ask?

  • This trend is all about Gen Z celebrating and recognizing their Chinese technology and Chinese brands,

  • and then choosing to use more of these Chinese-made products than they have before.

  • But it's going further than that too.

  • In this episode,

  • we're going to talk about why China Maxing is having a moment and how it's going down with the Chinese community around the world.