CCTV’s New Year’s Gala 2016 Liveblog
It is time for the CCTV New Year’s Gala, Chunwan; the special annual evening variety show that captures millions of viewers on the night of Chinese New Year. What’s on Weibo provides you with the ins...
View ArticleThe Trending Question: Where did Kang Kang Go?
It is the first day of the Year of the Monkey. One day after the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, Weibo netizens have one burning question: whatever happened to the show’s official mascot Kang Kang the...
View ArticleChinese Famous Actress Calls China’s Infant Rooms “Disastrous”
The Weibo post of popular Chinese actress Ma Yili about China’s useless baby care facilities in public places has received the support from thousands of netizens who all agree that something needs to...
View ArticleCCTV: Bride Prices in China Are Sky-High
Getting married is a costly affair in China. Especially in China’s rural areas, families on the men’s side are expected to pay staggering prices to the bride’s family before marriage. Earlier this...
View ArticleHow Ren Zhiqiang Disappeared From China’s Social Media
Chinese opinion leader Ren Zhiqiang is no longer on Weibo as of February 28. After critiquing the Party for the second time within six months, his accounts across China’s social media were closed by...
View ArticleZhang Guoli Weibo Controversy (Updated)
An awkward media moment has got Weibo talking. When CCTV reported that actor and director Zhang Guoli advocated for stronger monitoring of web dramas at China’s plenary sessions, the actor posted that...
View ArticleChinese TV Drama ‘The Imperial Doctress’ Brings 15th Century Female Doctor...
Top TV drama ‘The Imperial Doctress’ (明代女医师) brings the most famous female doctor of the Ming Dynasty to the TV screen. Tan Yunxian (谈允贤), who lived from 1461-1554, has become a recurring topic on...
View ArticleOverview of China’s 2016 Top TV Dramas
The titles of Chinese TV dramas consistently pop up in the daily top trending lists of Sina Weibo. After featuring an overview of the most-watched Chinese TV dramas in 2015, What’s on Weibo has now...
View ArticleChinese People Attacked with Milk Powder in Amsterdam
Pictures and a video of Dutch men emptying boxes of milk powder over Chinese tourists in Amsterdam have become trending on Chinese social media networks Weixin and Weibo. Many netizens are angry with...
View ArticleAmerican Student Gets 15 Years of Hard Labour in North Korea For Stealing Poster
The 21-year-old American student Otto Warmbier joined a Chinese tour group to Pyongyang in late December, where he was later arrested and given 15 years of hard labour for crimes against the state. The...
View ArticleDutch Soccer Superstar Cruyff (克鲁伊夫) Passes Away, Chinese Fans Respond With...
International media have reported that the Dutch ‘soccer superstar’ Johan Cruyff (克鲁伊夫) has died at the age of 68 due to cancer. As the news was immediately shared thousands of times on Chinese social...
View ArticleMainland China’s ‘First Gay Movie’ in Cinemas Soon
Seek McCartney (寻找罗麦) is the first gay movie to be on screen in mainland China. Its long-awaited release is noteworthy, especially since a popular Chinese gay drama was recently pulled offline by...
View ArticleNew Weibo Celebrity Papi Chan: More Than Fame and Money
With now over 8 million followers on Sina Weibo, Papi Chan is the new kid on the block when it comes to China’s online celebrities. Although China’s ‘online celebrity economy’ is often criticized, Papi...
View ArticleTrip Down Memory Lane – Little Mole’s New Adventure with Panda
Following the recent establishment of the Czech-China strategic partnership during Xi’s visit to Europe, CCTV has presented a new cartoon production of the famous Czech Little Mole with a new Chinese...
View ArticleWelcome to Sina Weibo, Stephen Hawking!
Following David Cameron, Tim Cook and many other prominent international figures, scientist genius Stephen Hawking has now made his entrance on China’s social media platform Sina Weibo. On April 12,...
View ArticlePapi Jiang: “I’ll Watch My Words”
After Chinese online celebrity ‘Papi Jiang’ (aka ‘Papi Chan’) recently became the target of state censorship, she has now publicly stated that “as a media personality”, she will have to pay more...
View ArticlePapi Jiang Video Ad Auctioned for 22 Million RMB (3.4 M$)
How far would a Chinese company go to connect their brand connected to Papi Jiang, China’s rising Weibo superstar? Today’s auction showed that people are willing to pay millions to get an ad in of the...
View ArticleReading Nation: China’s Most Popular Books
What are the most popular books amongst Chinese readers? In light of World Book Day, What’s on Weibo gives an overview of the most popular books and readings habits in China. Starting from the 21st of...
View Article“Watermelons Will Not Respond to Your Knocking” Sign Goes Viral on Chinese...
A sign asking customers ‘not to knock on watermelons’ in an Italian supermarket has recently caused much upheaval on Chinese social media, where many people think the no “watermelon knocking” policy is...
View ArticleReactions to Brexit in Chinese (Social) Media
News of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union is fully dominating international headlines and has become the number one trending topic on Sina Weibo. As Brexit is now also making front-page...
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