Manya Koetse
@manyapan • 70,166 subscribers
Eye on Digital China newsletter | Sinologist exploring China’s digital culture, social trends & online life 🇨🇳 | Japan Studies | Wannabe Hotpot Ambassador 🔥
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Videos
![[1] Continuing my thread on the big Trump–Xi summit day through the lens of Chinese social media. 🧵👇 It’s time for the state banquet. Xi and Trump have both delivered their speeches and toasts, but on Chinese social media, people are more interested in what “Old Musk” (Elon Musk), Tim Cook, Jensen Huang, and the other business heavyweights are up to. The mood before the banquet is relaxed, with guests chatting, mingling, and taking photos.](https://image.24vids.com/tw-2054874755715518682/amplify_video_thumb/2054873849078988801/img/pU_--zF5UzIVV2eT.jpg)
[1] Continuing my thread on the big Trump–Xi summit day through the lens of Chinese social media. 🧵👇 It’s time for the state banquet. Xi and Trump have both delivered their speeches and toasts, but on Chinese social media, people are more interested in what “Old Musk” (Elon Musk), Tim Cook, Jensen Huang, and the other business heavyweights are up to. The mood before the banquet is relaxed, with guests chatting, mingling, and taking photos.
Manya Koetse69,591 views • 21 days ago
A noteworthy moment during Saturday's meeting between Xi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. China gifts South Korea Chinese Xiaomi flagship phones for Lee and his wife (with a Korean-made display). When Lee Jae-myung jokingly asked, “How’s the telecommunication security?” Xi Jinping replied: “You can check whether or not there’s a backdoor.” So what do we see? ➡️China gifts South Korea, smartphone powerhouse and home of Samsung, a Xiaomi — signalling symbolic confidence of China while also acknowledging interdependence in smartphone technology development 👉 great technological diplomacy and a really "smart" gift! ➡️ Despite this being the first 🇨🇳🇰🇷 meeting in 11 years, the atmosphere was relaxed enough for Lee to playfully address geopolitical sensitivities around Chinese technology. ➡️ Xi replied with quick wit, which showed a good sense of humor. Overall, I'd give this moment a "12 out of 10" 😂
Manya Koetse624,146 views • 7 months ago
Chinese divers Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan have become meme-worthy due to their expressions. After they won gold, the British team, who took bronze, apparently first congratulated the North Korean team that won silver, bypassing the Chinese duo and creating an awkward situation. But nothing ruins the excitement of a gold medal victory.🇨🇳🤣
Manya Koetse1,010,899 views • 1 year ago
Just curious: why would someone put this inside a peephole that's already got a cover anyway? 🤔
Manya Koetse268,679 views • 6 months ago
What exactly happened when a 16-year-old girl named Liu fell to her death at the cliff swing attraction at the Maliuyan Adventure Park in Huaying, Sichuan? This incident has been widely shared on social media since it happened on May 3rd, and various explanations have circulated, such as the rope snapping, her not being fastened tightly enough, or the flag she carried being somehow related, or that the girl herself said before falling: "没绑紧!" "Not fastened tightly!"). But a lot about that is not true, so here are a few more details (thread🧵👇).
Manya Koetse44,023 views • 28 days ago
No, this is NOT a belt. And the passengers on this train remained WAY too calm 😅 An official clarification followed after this video, which appeared to show a snake falling from a luggage rack on a Chinese high-speed train, went viral. According to the China Railway Nanning Bureau, the incident happened on the May 17 D195 train and involved an EEL brought aboard by a passenger in car 9, seat 3B. Due to the bag not being properly sealed, the eel crawled out and actually fell onto a passenger😱. The railway bureau added: “We kindly remind all passengers that when traveling with fish, shrimp, crab, shellfish, mollusks, or other aquatic animals carried as food in sealed packaging, you are required to ensure the packaging is secure and properly sealed in accordance with regulations. Please monitor your items throughout the journey to prevent such aquatic animals from behaving abnormally.”
Manya Koetse14,898 views • 10 days ago
Ooh, should add a trigger warning for Sichuan people and hotpot purists for this hotpot trend circulating on Chinese social media right now: Tripe-Strawberry Hotpot (毛肚草莓火锅), where you wrap strawberries in organ meat before dipping them into the spicy simmering broth and eating them with your regular dipping sauce. I’ve seen this pop up before, but it’s now gaining more traction—and not just as rage bait, since some people seem to genuinely enjoy it. One Weibo user wrote: “First, I apologize to the tripe, then to the strawberries, to the hotpot, and fourth, to myself”😅 (Video via "by Uur").
Manya Koetse44,217 views • 1 month ago
A noteworthy moment came after almost two hours of what appeared to be a Fox News B-roll livestream, when footage showed an altercation between American staff & press and Chinese security at the Temple of Heaven. Some of the U.S. staff traveling with Trump claimed they were being prevented from leaving until they physically pushed their way out.
Manya Koetse19,526 views • 21 days ago
Can we please take a moment to appreciate this dreadful performance by Chinese actress Li Xiaoran (李小冉) on the reality/talent show Sisters Who Make Waves (#乘风2026)? Because this 50-yr-old sister is actually an icon: she was off-key, off-tempo, forgetting lyrics, and completely stiff in her choreography.... but regardless of everything she stayed calm and cheerfully smiled through it all. She's now an inspiration to Chinese netizens who feel they're barely hanging on at work to keep going: a good attitude, a splash of confidence, and a bright smile can take you surprisingly far. (Li was voted to the number 1 spot of the round🤣)
Manya Koetse23,504 views • 1 month ago
This is so heartbreaking. A 3-year-old child from Nanjian County in Yunnan was recently spotted near a highway service area — neglected, naked, and walking on all fours. As videos and images of the child spread online, he was dubbed the “feral child” by Chinese netizens, and now thousands are concerned about the boy. Local villagers claim the child’s parents are poor and “not normal.” They're jobless and the child’s grandmother is said to be the family’s sole financial supporter. The boy apparently never wears clothes. A local restaurant owner who tried to give him food said the child refused to eat with his hands and would only eat from the floor. Authorities in Nanjian County are now involved, and I really hope the boy gets the care he needs.
Manya Koetse69,273 views • 7 months ago
Seen on Weibo: "Breaking news, China launched thousands of balloons from Yunnan last night."
Manya Koetse143,908 views • 3 years ago