The More Chinese, The More Global

The Cultural Allure Behind “Becoming Chinese”

By Ray Yang

February marked the Chinese New Year, ushering in the Year of the Horse. An unexpected “mascot” quietly went viral within Chinese-speaking online communities. Draco Malfoy, the antagonist from the Harry Potter series portrayed by British actor Tom Felton, his Chinese translated name, “Ma Erfu,” caught the public’s imagination: the character “Ma” meaning horse, perfectly aligning with the zodiac year, and “Fu” meaning fortune, considered highly auspicious. This serendipitous wordplay turned a fictional villain into a playful symbol for New Year’s greetings.

On the third day of the New Year (February 19th), Tom Felton posted a snapshot on social media. There he stood before a doorway adorned with traditional red banners bearing the couplet: “As Heaven adds its cycles, so Man gains his years; As Spring fills all the cosmos, so Fortune fills the doors.” At the center, where the customary single character “Fu” (福) would usually hang, was a picture of Malfoy’s signature smirk. Below it, almost ceremoniously, were the characters “Ma Erfu” in traditional Chinese, its pinyin, and the English name “Malfoy.” He personally captioned the post in traditional Chinese: “Happy Chinese new year x 新年快乐,” a gesture brimming with sincerity.

The image rapidly ignited conversations online. A British actor, a fictional “villain,” through a simple play on words involving homophones, sparked a wonderfully unexpected chemical reaction with China’s most traditional festival. In the comment sections, Chinese and international netizens shared laughter and exchanged New Year’s greetings. The boundaries of language and culture seemed to soften, becoming delightfully blurred.

This small, quirky incident, appearing as mere internet amusement, is in fact a microcosm of a much larger phenomenon: Chinese culture is entering the global stage in unprecedented ways. It’s no longer the distant, mysterious “Oriental symbol” requiring painstaking interpretation. It has become approachable, participatory, and resonant. It can be a Spring Festival couplet, a character from Harry Potter, a trending topic on global social media, or as simple as a cup of warm water or a bowl of congee in daily life.

As I walked into several Western supermarkets in downtown Toronto, familiar “Chinese flavors” frequently caught the eye: In the refrigerated section of a Loblaws, Chinese pork and chive dumplings occupied prime shelf space alongside their Polish counterparts. In the produce section of a Food Basics, Chinese eggplants, okra, and bitter melon were neatly arranged, with non-Asian faces occasionally pausing to examine them closely. In a Metro freezer, “Hua Hong Chicken” dumplings vied for consumer attention alongside Western-style pizzas.

The persistent emergence of these Chinese markers is hardly coincidental. From the viral “Becoming Chinese” meme on TikTok to the increasing number of non-Asian faces in Toronto’s Chinese restaurants; from young people learning to carry thermoses filled with goji berry tea, to diverse groups practicing Baduanjin and Tai Chi in community centers, a quiet, trans-Pacific cultural current is flowing through the minutiae of everyday life.

“You met me at a very Chinese time in my life.” This line, adapted from the film Fight Club, has become one of the most popular signatures on overseas social media. It carries humor and self-deprecation, yet inadvertently reveals a profound truth: in an era defined by uncertainty, the gentle, restrained, and balanced lifestyle inherent in traditional Chinese culture is becoming a beacon of “certainty” for young people worldwide.

One cannot help but wonder: Why is this phenomenon happening now? And where might it lead?

Culture’s “Soft Landing”: From Symbols to Daily Life

For a long time, “Chinese symbols” in the international eye have largely been traditional icons like pandas, the Great Wall, calligraphy, and kung fu. These symbols are not unimportant, but they are often abstracted from concrete daily existence, becoming museum-like artifacts. When someone says, “I like Chinese culture,” they often refer to something distant, mystical, appreciable from afar but not truly participatory, a “cultural landscape.” It’s akin to visiting the Chinese galleries on the first floor of the Royal Ontario Museum, marveling at over 2,500 exquisite artifacts. Yet, could those visitors imagine that the five-thousand-year-old Chinese civilization is more profoundly embedded as a system of values, a worldview, and a tangible, practicable daily wisdom flowing in the veins of over a billion people?

The “Chinese Lifestyle Trend,” now gradually sweeping the world, presents a cultural facet distinctly different from a “museum exhibition.” It uses the everyday lives of ordinary people as its entry point. Through simple, accessible practices, such as drinking warm water, wearing slippers indoors, cooking porridge, steeping goji berries, practicing mindfulness. It allows people of diverse backgrounds to effortlessly experience this “Chinese-style warmth.” These actions are not performative; they are participatory, verifiable, and beneficial. They are mundane details that Chinese people have lived by for centuries, yet it is precisely these unassuming daily acts that, in 2026, have become remarkably powerful cultural vessels.

Across various media, we see stories: an American girl, switching from ice water to warm, finds relief from morning stomach discomfort; a British blogger sees improved sleep after taking up Baduanjin; a Canadian senior lowers his cholesterol through Traditional Chinese Medicine dietary advice…… Western medical tradition often emphasizes “combat”, using drugs to kill pathogens, surgery to excise lesions. Traditional Chinese wellness philosophy, in contrast, stresses “harmonizing.” It’s like the familiar Tai Chi diagram, guiding individuals through “regulation” and “nourishment” to return to a state of balance. When Westerners discover that a cup of warm water or a bowl of ginger tea can alleviate chronic stomach issues, when they feel physically and mentally depleted by high-stress lives, the “learnability and ease-of-use” of Chinese wellness wisdom naturally draws them in.

This phenomenon also illuminates a core characteristic of Chinese culture: it is life-oriented, not dogmatic. It doesn’t demand acceptance of a complete ideology; it simply invites you to try a way of living. Confucianism speaks of “the Way being in daily use”; Daoism notes that “people use the Way daily without knowing it”; Zen Buddhism teaches that “carrying water and chopping wood are themselves wondrous paths.” Chinese culture has never been about lofty, inaccessible sermons. It is wisdom integrated into the necessities of life, into every gesture and action.

When this wisdom spreads via social media, it needs no translation, no explanation. It merely shows: look, this is how Chinese people live. And then, naturally, the viewer wonders: If I lived like this, would my life be better? When a culture can genuinely integrate into daily life and bring about positive change, it inherently gains the vitality to transcend borders and grow organically. This reveals a profound truth: for culture to thrive and endure, it relies not on “flexing muscles,” but on its intrinsic vitality and appeal that can bridge languages and geographies. Effective cultural interaction often provides a low-threshold, participatory “entry point for practice.” It moves beyond vague proclamations of being “broad and profound,” and instead grounds itself in a concrete demonstration of being “usable for me.”

Echoes of Our Times: Finding Certainty in Uncertainty

The rise of the “Becoming Chinese” trend also has an undeniable historical context.

We live in an age of profound uncertainty. Climate change, geopolitical conflicts, technological disruption, social fragmentation…… everyone feels a certain loss of control. Young people globally face futures more precarious than their parents’ generation. In such times, people instinctively seek something solid, a fulcrum to rely upon. And traditional Chinese culture offers just such a fulcrum.

First, an anchor for body and mind. When the external world churns violently, the first need is to settle one’s own body and spirit. Practices like Baduanjin, Tai Chi, meditation, and introspection (Vipassana) are, at their core, methods to help individuals restore inner order. One Western blogger put it bluntly: “I can’t control politics, but I can at least control what I drink and practice every day.”

Second, a rhythm for life. Traditional Chinese festivals, the 24 solar terms, dietary recommendations according to the season. These seemingly ancient concepts actually help people establish a life rhythm synchronized with nature. In an era where terms like “996,” “involution,” and “lying flat” saturate social media, young people are beginning to reflect: Are we living too fast? Should we slow down, and like the Chinese saying suggests, “act in accordance with the seasons”?

Finally, the warmth of connection. Chinese culture places a high value on “human touch” and “the warmth of hearth and home” , emphasizing mutual aid among neighbors and family unity. In Western societies, increasingly atomized and marked by fraying interpersonal bonds, this kind of warmly connected lifestyle holds great appeal. When a foreign netizen watches a video of an extended family gathered around a hotpot, they see not just food, but a connection and warmth they feel is missing in their own lives.

Media as Catalyst: From “Price Comparisons” to “Symbiosis”

If culture is the seed, then social media is the soil that allows it to germinate and thrive.

Looking back to early 2025, an unexpected “digital migration” became a turning point. Facing a potential ban in the US, a large number of North American users flocked to the Chinese platform Xiaohongshu (Red Note), dubbing themselves “TikTok refugees.” Initially just seeking a new social space, they inadvertently sparked an unprecedented cross-cultural dialogue.

What followed was the famous “transnational price comparison” phenomenon. Chinese and American netizens began comparing their daily expenses. How much is rent? How expensive is healthcare? What are supermarket prices like? How many hours do you work? The unique aspect of this dialogue was its foundation: it was rooted in the most authentic, ordinary details of people’s lives. There was no political agenda, no propaganda intent. When an American girl shared her monthly paycheck, and a Chinese girl shared hers, they discovered a shared reality: both were working hard to make a living and worrying about the future.

This “price comparison” quickly expanded into the realm of lifestyle: Do Chinese people really drink warm water every day? Do Americans really wear shoes indoors? What does a typical Chinese breakfast look like? How do Americans do lunch? As these granular questions found answers, young people from both countries realized: the “other” wasn’t the menacing figure portrayed in media, but a real, relatable human being. By 2026, this “price comparison” had evolved into a wave of practical adoption: “The Chinese Lifestyle Checklist.” Foreign netizens were no longer just watching; they were doing——cooking congee, simmering soups, brewing tea, practicing Qigong. They discovered that these everyday habits from the East could genuinely make their lives better.

This is the logic of cultural transmission in the social media age. It is not top-down preaching, but bottom-up sharing. It’s not abstract ideology, but concrete, lived experience. When culture returns to the sphere of daily life, it ceases to be “their culture” and becomes “our way of life.”

China’s Response: An Open and Confident Stance

China’s response to this wave of “Chinese Lifestyle Fever” is noteworthy. There has been no large-scale official promotion, no deliberate propaganda campaign. Instead, the most effective “promotion” has come from two welcoming policies from the Chinese government: expanding its visa waiver policy and implementing the 144-hour visa-free transit. This has allowed more foreigners than ever to simply “pack their bags and go,” setting foot on Chinese soil themselves. They come, they see, they experience, and they exclaim, “It’s not at all what I imagined!”

One British blogger remarked in a video: “I expected to see that kind of ‘traditional China’ from promotional posters. Instead, I saw a city straight out of sci-fi. The lights, the bridges, the light rail threading through apartment buildings… it’s breathtaking.” An American blogger broadcasting live from the Shanghai Bund said: “Standing here feels like being in a science fiction movie. But it’s real, incredibly real.”

What moves them even more are the Chinese people themselves.

The elderly woman who spontaneously offers directions on the street. The restaurant owner who enthusiastically recommends their “best dish.” The grandpas and grandmas in the park who invite strangers to join their square dance. Unwittingly, they become “cultural ambassadors,” showcasing the kindness and hospitality of a nation.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian, responding to the “Becoming Chinese” trend, stated: “The mix of history and modernity, tradition and fashion, brings a unique and novel experience, continuously enhancing China’s appeal as a global tourist destination and raising international goodwill towards China. We warmly welcome foreign friends to come and experience the Spring Festival in China.”

Dialogue of Civilizations: The More Chinese, the More Global

Will “Becoming Chinese” be just another fleeting online fad, soon replaced by the next viral meme?

Some are skeptical. They view it as young people simply “playing with memes,” a form of “cultural exploration at a safe distance,” a kind of “minimal effort entry into Chinese culture.” Indeed, social media trends often come and go; today it’s “Becoming Chinese,” tomorrow it might be “Becoming Martian.”

But this time, it’s different.

Because its foundation is not the gossip of a celebrity or the marketing of a product. It is the tangible experience of life improvement. When a person’s stomach pain eases after switching to warm water, when their sleep improves with Baduanjin practice, when they feel lighter and more energetic by incorporating dietary principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, they won’t abandon these beneficial daily habits just because a meme fades. These habits will become a part of their lives, just as they have been a part of Chinese life for centuries.

More importantly, when someone starts drinking warm water, paying attention to food therapy, or following the solar terms, they are opening a door. This door leads to a vast and profound cultural universe. They might become curious about The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine (Huangdi Neijing). They might want to understand the astronomy behind the 24 solar terms. They might aspire to read the poetry and lyrics that have been passed down for millennia. The magic of culture is precisely that it never remains on the surface; it invites you to delve deeper, endlessly.

And this is the true meaning of “The More Chinese, the More Global.” It’s not about China wanting to “conquer” the world. It’s about the fact that the core elements embedded within Chinese culture, its gentleness, practicality, inclusiveness, and harmony, are precisely what the world needs right now. The ultimate goal of cultural exchange has never been to “assimilate” anyone. It is to enrich one another through sincere dialogue, and together, face the common challenges confronting humanity. The reason Chinese lifestyles resonate across oceans and mountains is that they speak to the universal anxieties and aspirations of modern people.

Standing here in the early spring of 2026, we observe a fascinating turn of events. Once, Chinese people eagerly looked “outward,” learning from Western lifestyles. Now, Westerners are beginning to look “inward,” embracing Chinese life wisdom. This is more than just the wheel of fortune turning. It signifies a civilization finding its own rhythm in the process of modernization and beginning to offer its values to the world. These values are not grand ideologies or dazzling technological products. They are a pot of tea, a bowl of congee, a folding fan. This recognition allows us to become more composed, more confident. We no longer rush to explain or defend ourselves. We can quietly, peacefully share our way of life with the world.

The dialogue of civilizations will continue in these ordinary yet precious encounters, heading towards a broader horizon. A place where there is no “us” and “them,” only people together in pursuit of a good life. A place where, indeed, the more Chinese it becomes, the more it belongs to the world.