Notes: Repost because I couldn't figure out how to remove the blog theme, fixed text formatting. enjoy! ✩

Hi! Houkiboshi here sprinkling the blogs page with internet lore✨

It seems that my YouTube feed is done recommending me video essays about people in the USA. So it did the most logical thing of teleporting me to CHINA.

Lemme tell you, I couldn't leave.

It was recently when I came across YT channels like Wonny and Jeff Gao who both cover internet culture in China. Think those YouTube drama video essays but this time, Chinese. If you're tired of learning about characters from the Something Awful forums or disasters on Youtube then… welcome to the disaster realms of Weibo, Douyin and Kuaishou.

Here are my favorites.

The GuoMeiMei Saga by Jeff Gao

VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/xGi1tOZE8wc?si=flwHlYzoZeaZPdFG

If you thought that Jake Paul was nuts then get a load of GuoMeiMei. Obsessed with internet relevance, she's been to jail 5 times for all the insanity she's done in order to get famous.

Her fame stemmed from self-titling herself something so bold that it ruined the image of the Chinese red cross and almost stopped people from trusting the organization entirely. Then she went to jail and apologized. Got out. Became a charity blogger (because it was popular at the time). Became a DJ. And went to jail AGAIN for doing something illegal. Each time she went to jail and got out, she makes a youtube apology video. I think she did it 5 times.

Imagine if Jake Paul had to go to jail, serve sentences, and had to say sorry via YouTube. Rinse and repeat 5 times. (⁠´⁠°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥⁠ω⁠°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥⁠｀⁠)

The Wedding Livestream Disaster of Douyin by Wonny

VIDEO LINK:  https://youtu.be/GqxVZcBSla8?si=PMKW6kufYCHiBOrK

Can you imagine being banned off of Tiktok? Okay what about being banned 630 years off of Tiktok. Well Tao Lulu and Yin Shihang will be able to tell you how to do exactly that. 

On Douyin (Chinese Tiktok) this internet couple livestreamed their wedding and it lasted 15 hours. They made sure their audience was watching the whole time.

98% of it was QVC-esque ads about toilet paper and sanitary pads. The remaining percent was the wedding.

Also there’s a crazy part where they do a bit. They have some women with blankets on their heads and whoever gets picked and unveiled, gets to be Yin Shihang’s wife forever. This is happening during the wedding by the way. That woman under the blanket is not the bride that’s getting wedded. But that’s because--BIG REVEAL!!-- she was another influencer. It was a fakeout. Anyways, go watch her stream while the wedding stream is happening. Like and subscribe (live houkiboshi reaction: (⁠ ⁠ꈨຶ⁠ ⁠˙̫̮⁠ ⁠ꈨຶ⁠ ⁠))

It's a pretty good story. It makes me sad that these are real people's lives. I feel guilty learning about their caricature-like lives and their dystopian obsession with fame. I wish for them to somewhat learn to be self aware of their fame online one day and take better care of themselves…

And last but not the least…!!!!

The Peak Of Chinese Internet War by Jeff Gao

VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/n3D4UHMdqcw?si=ToL4AqOmSpEfYLI3

“This is the most unemployed of all time” one commenter says in the comments. (⁠ ⁠ꈨຶ⁠ ⁠˙̫̮⁠ ⁠ꈨຶ⁠ ⁠)

Yes this one is about Stan culture and fandoms. Stans of Xiao Zhan and the fans of a show he plays a character in clash hard after a fanfiction dropped which the Xiao Zhan stans didn't agree with.

The stans reaction: block AO3 off of China, destroy the site and destroy whole fandoms in an attempt to overpower the internet. Many fandoms fell in their wake. The stans were only stopped by a breed that used the same tactics as them: gamers.

It's an exciting story about fandoms, echo chambers and hive minds. Also the guy they were stanning isn't even on the internet often. He touches grass a lot. His career almost ended and he didn't even know it was happening lol. For being the main source of this fandom war, he is just a blip in this story.

Ending

So there you have it. That's what's been on autoplay in my household recently. I love sites like r/hobbydrama so this one was like that! Now I just need the r/hobbydrama Chinese edition.

Internet culture in other countries is so fascinating. I wonder what goes on in other continents…

Anyways 谢谢 for sticking around for this info. And please be safe when clout chasing on the internet. Try not to get swallowed by internet fame.