On the Menu | How to become a real ‘Chinese baddie’? It’s a lot more than just drinking hot water
TikTokkers claim they’re ‘becoming Chinese’ because they drink hot water, but achieving true ‘Chinese baddie’ status is much harder
The recent craze that sees white people eagerly claiming that they are “becoming Chinese” is not something we would have ever predicted back in 2020 when very similar people were lambasting Chinese people for eating bats and setting off a global pandemic.
This latest trend, epitomised by the performative appreciation for drinking boiled water à la “Chinese baddies”, shows just how the tables have turned. (A “Chinese baddie” is someone who respectfully adopts Chinese traditions to improve their life.)
A little digging, though, shows the trend was actually kick-started by a Chinese-American TikTok user with the name @sherryxiiruii who at the end of 2025 began posting a series of tongue-in-cheek videos instructing non-Chinese viewers on how to “become Chinese” through their lifestyle choices.
The posts took off and snowballed into a massive social media movement that frequently walks the line between cultural appropriation and appreciation.
Mostly, it has pulled the boring old trope of drinking hot water instead of iced water into the mainstream. Some have discovered the joy of goji berries and jujubes for women’s health.
But honestly? These are just basic. If you want to be a true Chinese baddie, then heed these commandments: