Part of Eye on Digital China, Signals highlights slower trends and underlying shifts, connecting the dots beyond the daily ...

Eye on Digital China is an independent publication by sinologist and China trend watcher Manya Koetse, offering analysis and ...

This is a topic that has sparked outrage and continued discussion in China over the past weeks. On September 19, a major ...

Manya is the founder and editor-in-chief of What's on Weibo, offering independent analysis of social trends, online media, and digital culture in China for over a decade. Subscribe to gain access to ...

A look back at the three major phases of China’s social media — and why What’s on Weibo is evolving into Eye on Digital China ...

Labubu is not ‘Chinese’ at all—and at the same time, it is very much a product of present-day China. Labubu – the hottest toy of 2025 – is making headlines everywhere these days. The little creature ...

What began as K-pop fan outrage targeting a snarky commenter quickly escalated into a Baidu-linked scandal and a broader conversation about data privacy on Chinese social media. For an ordinary person ...

This week, trending topics in China were dominated by two themes: Trump and the Chinese New Year. Unsurprisingly, it’s clear which of the two is the most significant for most people: the Spring ...

China’s Xiaohongshu (Rednote) has seen an unprecedented influx of foreign “TikTok refugees” over the past week, giving rise to endless jokes. But behind this unexpected online migration lie some ...

The assassination attempt on former US President Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign event has become a major topic on Chinese social media, where Trump’s swift reaction and defiant gesture after the ...