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Trending in China

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Trending in China
The latest news, trends and events people are talking about on China's internet, social media and elsewhere.
We explain China’s Manchu ethnic group’s tradition of hanging a wooden bow and arrow to signify a boy’s birth and a red cloth strip for a girl’s. Photo: Sohu

Explainer | China Manchu ethnic group birth ritual uses bow and arrow for boys, red strip for girls

Birthing rituals which ban expectant mothers from sitting on stoves, attending other people’s weddings, persist in some regions today.

Health in China

China office workers run to bond with peers, clients, pressured to meet speed targets

Social media

China actress loses brand partners for saying ‘hundreds of thousands’ a month not enough

Chinese superstitions

Explainer | How Chinese ritual balances unboiled egg on mirror or knife to detect spirit possession

Strange tradition can also involve the use of a copper coin; often used to ‘treat’ young children who wake up in the night screaming and crying.

We explain why an old Chinese ritual for detecting spirit possession involves balancing an unboiled egg on a mirror or knife. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

Chinese man earns US$39,000 in 2 years teaching adults to ride bicycles amid big demand

Set to graduate with his sports education master’s in June, Li plans to refine his teaching methods and expand into nearby provinces.

Iceland

China woman shares civil service life in Iceland, admires culture that respects choices

Family jokes that she travelled to other side of world to work in ‘neighbourhood committee’ – lowest tier of China’s governmental structure.

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Animals

China woman seeks online help to slaughter pigs, attracting 1,000 volunteers to farm

On day of event, local public security bureau dispatches staff to maintain order, ensuring a smooth experience for all attendees.

A Chinese woman, unable to slaughter pigs on her own, sought help online, prompting over 1,000 people turning up at her farm to assist her. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
Pets

Unaware of owner’s death, China dog waits daily in corridor for his return, moves many

Story draws comparisons to 1920s Japan tale, where dog waited for owner at railway station for 10 years after his death, until it too died.

Drones

China ‘hardcore grandma’ live-streamer gains fame for farm fertilisation drone skills

Dai views her new role as both a source of entertainment and a way to stay connected with her family.

Health in China

Chinese woman swallows raw fish gallbladder to relieve headache ends up in ICU

Fish gallbladder is ‘even more toxic than arsenic’; a few grams are capable of poisoning an individual, larger amounts are potentially fatal.

A Chinese woman swallowed a raw fish gallbladder, believing it would relieve her headache, but ended up in the ICU due to its toxins. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu/jdfy.cn
Viral stories

Japan ramen eatery bans ‘troublesome’ China diners, charges more for English menu

Restaurant says it had to call police over unruly Chinese diners; online sleuths claim real reason for ‘trouble’ is dual pricing policy.

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A Japanese ramen restaurant has faced backlash on social media after announcing a ban on Chinese customers, claiming that 90 per cent of issues with foreign diners involve people from China. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Google Map
China’s crackdowns

China targets wealthy influencers with audits, fines as fiscal pressures rise

Big data is used to flag income gaps for top online stars and overseas earners, as regulators recover billions in unpaid levies amid slumping land sales and value-added tax revenue decline.

Chinese superstitions

Explainer | China folk custom beats women to boost fertility, dire results for not conceiving

Ancient ritual saw women beaten with bamboo sticks, brooms, wooden clubs; in variation of tradition, women were held over a fire.

Mainland China

Video | China’s bookstores are booming, but not because of the books

Bookstores that feature stunning architecture and tasteful interior design are the newest hotspot for aspiring influencers.

This picture taken on December 9, 2025 shows people visiting a bookstore in Tianjin. Towering accordion steps and a fantastical spiral staircase greet visitors to a massive bookstore in northern China’s Tianjin, where its striking interior is a bigger draw for selfie snappers than scholars. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP) / TO GO WITH CHINA-SOCIAL-BOOKS-ARCHITECTURE BY MARY YANG
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China midwife accidentally severs baby’s finger, results in reattachment surgery

Nurse admits blunder, blames newborn’s moving fingers as she cut umbilical cord; infant’s father says wife is ‘distraught’ about incident.

A Chinese midwife accidentally severed a baby’s middle finger during a caesarean section and the infant was transferred to a larger hospital for surgery. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Baidu
Year of the Horse 2026

China factory error gives toy horses’ mouths pouty curves, wins hearts, boosts sales

Sewing mistake spawns unlikely retail hit seen as fitting mascot for approaching Lunar New Year of the Horse.

National Football League

China entrepreneur promises football players a car each, retracts offer after big win

Team members express private discontent after withdrawal of vehicle pledge; soccer association say they ‘understand’ businesswoman’s position.

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Scams and swindles

China teen makes bogus returns on cosmetics platform, profiting US$570,000 from resale

17-year-old makes 11,900 deceptive refund applications after discovering loophole; splurges ill-gotten gains on new mobile phones, friends.

A 17-year-old teenager in Shanghai has been jailed for making 11,900 fraudulent returns on a cosmetics platform, then making US$570,000 in profit by reselling the goods. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock
Mainland China

Video | Chinese-made ‘Are You Dead’ app addresses fear of dying alone

Failing to check in for two days in a row will result in the app sending an email to the emergency contact person.

Apps

China ‘dead or alive’ app allows solo users check in daily, alerts contacts if they miss it

‘Entertaining’ phone app that flirts with taboo notion of death and cost US$140 to develop now valued at US$1.4 million.

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China girl, 12, pens essay to thank ‘second dad’, offers him US$140 after job loss

Youngster says she was left ‘shivering in the wind’ after death of father; love from uncle saved her from the darkness.

A 12-year-old Chinese girl has written a touching essay expressing gratitude to her uncle, or “second father”, following the death of her real dad. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
Insurance

China woman buys US$28 ‘love insurance’, claims US$1,400 after marriage a decade later

Husband says he thought his wife had been scammed when told about policy; couple opt for cash payout over 10,000 roses.

A woman who bought a “love insurance” policy for US$28 in 2016 has claimed US$1,400 a decade later after getting married. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin
Entrepreneurs

Profile | Zhou Qunfei: ex-security guard becomes world’s richest self-made woman entrepreneur

Woman who began life in destitution goes from factory floor to US$16 billion fortune; says success comes from ‘refusal to accept defeat’.

China nurse suspended after posting photos of boyfriend writing reports, sorting IV bags

Woman’s films partner ‘preparing drugs’ for patients to show how ‘considerate’ he is; ‘there is something wrong with her brain’, say officials.

Crime in China

China wife shocked that ‘People’s Armed Police officer’ husband is convicted killer

‘Disgusted’ wife of fraudster introduced to her by an uncle discovers that he is serving a suspended death sentence; has child with another woman.

A Chinese woman has discovered that the husband she believed to be a People’s Armed Police officer was, in fact, a convicted murderer who had assumed a false identity. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock
Chinese superstitions

Explainer | How ancient Chinese ‘borrowing longevity’ custom helps to extend lifespan

In ancient China, people believed that fate predetermined lifespan, yet they also thought life expectancy could be borrowed or exchanged.

Urban legends warn that picking up a red envelope from the street can unknowingly entangle strangers in life extension rituals, incurring karmic debt. Photo: Shutterstock
Chinese superstitions

Explainer | China ‘hair-shaving’ ritual for newborns uses stones, coins, eggs, symbolises success

Ancient custom sometimes saw babies’ eyebrows completely shaved by a highly skilled barber; tradition believed to remove ‘misfortune, evil’.

China’s private sector

Changing tastes: China’s new affluent consumers seek quality not extravagance

Rise of upper middle class reshapes China’s retail market, driving demand for quality goods and creating a battleground for global brands.

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