Chinamaxxing is starting to catch on, in China

Chinamaxxing

Economist

2026-04-23

3 分钟
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  • Rongchang braised goose has been popular in a rural corner of south-west China since the Qing dynasty,

  • but a year ago a Westerner turned it into a national sensation.

  • In clips shared widely on both Chinese and foreign social media,

  • a visiting American influencer is seen taking a large bite of the crispy, caramel-coloured dish.

  • Suddenly Rongchang's goose restaurants were overwhelmed by local tourists.

  • Economists in the region were shocked by the power of a foreign endorsement.

  • Western social media's fascination with all things Chinese has since been tagged "Chinamaxxing".

  • Among American Gen-Zers the tongue-in-cheek internet meme often simply means taking up common Chinese habits,

  • such as drinking hot water or wearing house slippers.

  • Some influencers have gone a step further and are seen online using Chinese herbal medicine,

  • drinking Chinese beer or even puffing Zhongnanhai, a popular brand of cigarettes.

  • Others have toured the country posting videos of its futuristic skylines.

  • What Chinamaxxing means for China is harder to say.

  • On Chinese social media it is often translated as "Sinicisation", or becoming Chinese.

  • The People's Daily, a Communist Party mouthpiece, has embraced the idea as the foreign adoption of Chinese lifestyles,

  • dubbing it "a new wave of global cultural engagement".

  • As some goose farmers discovered last year, it may also bring tangible economic benefits.

  • One could be through tourism.

  • Local travellers may be heading for some places featured in foreign social media, but foreign tourism is booming.

  • Inward travel collapsed during the global pandemic, but is recovering fast.