BECOMING CHINESE
From hot water and house slippers to hanfu, Ba Duan Jin and morning congee — the world is falling in love with Chinese daily life. Here is how to live it for real on your next trip.
What Is "Becoming Chinese"?
It is not about changing nationality. It is a global, good-humored movement where people adopt Chinese daily habits — hot water, slippers, congee, Ba Duan Jin — and playfully announce they are "turning Chinese." What started as one TikTok joke in December 2025 became the defining China-travel mood of 2026.
On December 6, 2025, 23-year-old Chinese-American Sherry XiiRuii posted: "If you saw this video in your feed, it means you are Chinese." Her list of habits — drink hot water, wear house slippers, never go to bed with wet hair — earned millions of views. Her account gained 740,000 followers in three months.
Co-creator Emma Peng (27, raised in Henan, based in San Francisco) riffed on the 1999 film Fight Club: "I am so glad I met you at such a Chinese stage of your life." Her 3M-view videos made the trend a meme with a script — and a declaration: "My culture can be your culture."
Becoming Chinese and Chinamaxxing are two sides of one wave. Chinamaxxing (the "-maxxing" meme suffix) means "extreme Chinese-ification" — thermos hot water, moxa foot soaks, 8PM bedtimes. Together both hashtags have passed 4 billion combined views.
The trend's real power: it converts online imitation into real travel. Fans of Sherry's videos started adding Xi'an and Chengdu to their itineraries. China's 2026 inbound boom — 22.9 million visitors in H1, 77.7% visa-free — is partly powered by people who wanted to test "Chinese life" in person.
The Becoming Chinese Checklist
The ten habits foreign netizens swear by — each one trivially easy to try on your trip, and each one instantly recognizable to locals as "the Chinese way."
Carry a thermos and ask for re-shui (hot water) at any restaurant, station or convenience store — it is free everywhere. Britons and Americans report real stomach improvements after weeks of it.
Sherry's most-quoted rule: never walk barefoot indoors. Hotels, homestays and even many offices provide slippers at the door. One fan bought three pairs and never looked back.
The eight gentle qigong moves are everywhere: parks at 7AM, office stairwells, viral tutorials. Parisians now train in groups. Join a park group — locals will gladly coach you for free.
A bucket of warm water (add moxa or ginger if you like) before bed. Traditional Chinese Medicine says it helps sleep and circulation. Cheap, portable, and one of the trend's most-loved rituals.
Warm rice porridge with pickles, century egg or pork floss — the ultimate "Chinese morning." Western fans swapped smoothies for congee and say they feel full until noon. Try it at any breakfast shop before 9AM.
One of Sherry's signature winter drinks: apples simmered until soft, often with goji berries or dates. A viral "sick-day" comfort drink that foreigners now brew at home — try it at a Chinese dessert shop.
The ancient "wrist stress ball" — a pair of walnuts turned in the palm for dexterity and calm. A beloved hobby of Chinese uncles, and now a viral self-care gadget abroad. Buy a pair at any antiques market.
London bloggers now carry goji-berry thermoses; a thermos that keeps water hot for 8 hours is a Chinese-made global hit. In China, free hot-water dispensers sit in every train station and airport.
The famous chili crisp ("Godmother sauce") has become a staple on foreign tables — on congee, eggs, noodles. A must-buy souvenir, from any supermarket for about 10-15 CNY.
"Protect your Jing" — TCM's preventive medicine. Fans now brag about 10PM bedtimes and 6AM park walks. The joke: "I met you at a very Chinese stage of my life" = I sleep before midnight now.
Why Did the Whole World Start "Turning Chinese"?
Four forces pushed a meme into a lifestyle movement — and then into airplane bookings.
Roughly 65% of the world's population lives in sub-health. TCM's "preventive treatment of disease" — hot water, sleep, gentle movement — offers a cheap, doable counter to burnout. A 26-year-old British nurse did 42 days of hot water plus Ba Duan Jin: her gastritis eased and her H. pylori count halved.
In the 2025 Global Soft Power Index, China overtook the UK to rank No.2 worldwide — and its culture and lifestyle scored highest among 18-24 year-olds. Hollywood stars show off cupping "rainbow backs"; Wired reports a whole generation "wanting a bit of Chinese flavor."
Unlike old "China crazes" that gawked at exotic symbols, this trend is participatory: people don't just watch — they wear slippers, brew tea, spin walnuts. As Global Times put it, China's cultural influence has moved from "going out" to "going deep in."
The online craze met an offline welcome: unilateral visa-free entry for 48 countries, a 240-hour transit policy for 55 countries at 65 ports. In 2026 H1, 22.9 million foreign arrivals — 77.7% visa-free. Over 60% now come to experience everyday Chinese life, not just landmarks.
How a Joke Became a Movement: The Timeline
Sherry XiiRuii's "if you saw this, you are Chinese" video goes viral; a 6M-view video teaches "tuo xie" (house slippers). Google searches for "TCM" suddenly double in the US and UK.
Emma Peng's Fight Club remix pushes the trend mainstream. The hashtag passes 800M views; "you met me at a very Chinese time of my life" becomes a global catchphrase. Netizens declare: "I am no longer Nigerian/Irish — I am Chinese."
Chinese media document the wave; the "Chinese lifestyle checklist" (hot water, walnuts, red scarves) circulates globally. Foreign visitors try hanfu, square dance and morning markets on the ground.
China's Culture and Tourism Minister Sun Yeli names "Becoming Chinese" at the National People's Congress press conference — a viral trend acknowledged at the highest policy level. Sherry quits her programmer job to become a full-time culture creator.
2026 H1 sees 22.91M foreign arrivals (+20.4%), with visitors in nearly 500 Chinese cities. Shenzhen's port passed 5 million foreign entries 58 days early. The online trend has become a physical phenomenon — and your chance to join it.
Wear the Culture: Hanfu & the Horse-Face Skirt
Nothing says "I have turned Chinese" faster than traditional clothing. Hanfu — the flowing robes of ancient China — is no longer costume: it is a global fashion phenomenon.
Caoxian, a county in Shandong, is the world's hanfu capital: ¥13 billion in 2025 sales, 2,800+ companies, ~100,000 workers, and a full supply chain within 5km. In early 2026, overseas orders for its signature mamianqun (horse-face skirt) jumped 10x year-on-year.
The mamianqun — flat front, pleated sides, named after the "horse face" of ancient city walls — now ships to 32 countries. A Kenyan company sells it as festive wear; Brazil stocks it beside luxury labels; a Kenyan model walked two shows in it; Milan called its gold brocade "a living fashion system."
Rental-and-photoshoot studios line the streets of Xi'an (Datang Everbright City), Beijing (Summer Palace), Suzhou, Hangzhou and Chengdu. Typical cost: 100-500 CNY for outfit, hair styling and props. Russian model Eliza calls wearing hanfu "wearing history — it feels amazing."
The cheongsam (qipao) is the other icon — sleek, modern, worn for city photo shoots. Chinese-style makeup ("zhongshi zhuangrong") — clean skin, elegant eye detail — is trending in beauty vlogs. Eliza's verdict: "Chinese makeup is graceful and detail-focused."
Chinese Wellness, Tried in Person
TCM is the heart of the trend — and it is strikingly accessible for visitors. TikTok's #moxibustion tag alone has passed 100 million views. Here is how to experience the four pillars safely and authentically.
Eight flowing qigong moves. Join a park group at dawn — free, friendly, unforgettable. 15 minutes a day, no equipment. Parisians now do it in groups; Mexican retirees have 6AM clubs.
Glass cups + suction = the famous "rainbow back" Hollywood stars flaunt. A session at a TCM clinic or foot-massage parlor costs about 50-150 CNY. The marks fade in days — that is the point.
Warm moxa smoke over acupuncture points — the ancient therapy behind Hubei's Qichun (Li Shizhen's hometown) billion-yuan moxa industry. Try it in a foot-massage shop or TCM clinic; moxa sticks make a great suitcase-friendly souvenir.
The national pastime: a 60-minute reflexology session is 60-150 CNY at any neighborhood parlor — clean, professional, walk-in friendly. Gua Sha scraping uses a jade tool on the neck and back; it is also sold as a beauty tool worldwide.
Look for 足疗 (zuliao, foot therapy) shops with a clean storefront and a posted price list. For acupuncture or herbal medicine, go to the TCM department of a public hospital (三级甲等 = Grade 3A, the top tier). Tell practitioners about any health conditions, and avoid DIY cupping or moxa on broken skin. TCM hospitals in Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai are used to international patients and often have English signage.
The Tokens of a Chinese Life
Every viral trend has its props. These are the five cultural tokens that define the Becoming Chinese aesthetic — and where to find them on the ground.
Nearly every Becoming Chinese video uses the same soundtrack — a sentimental Chinese ballad whose "earthy" melody reads as pure China to foreign ears. Ask any KTV: they'll play it for you.
Chili crisp is on every foreign blogger's table — stirred into congee, eggs, noodles. The "Godmother" brand is a national treasure and the perfect 10-CNY souvenir from any supermarket.
For New Year luck, fans wear red scarves — the color of celebration, prosperity and protection. Buy one at any street market; wear it while sipping hot water for full effect.
Yingge — the drum-heavy, warrior-makeup dance of Chaoshan — became an overseas sensation after videos of the performers' painted faces went viral. Catch it at festivals in Guangdong and Fujian.
A British resident of Shenzhen became a viral sensation praising tanghulu (candied hawthorn) — "the sour-sweet balance is perfect." Candy fruit sticks are sold on every tourist street for 5-15 CNY.
From cooling liangcha (herbal tea) in Guangzhou to goji-and-date brews nationwide, "medicinal" drinks are the trend's fuel. Tea shops and dessert houses serve them hot — say "bu yao tang" for no sugar.
Real People Who Actually Became Chinese
Six stories from the ground — proof that "turning Chinese" is less about a passport and more about a thermos, a pair of slippers and an open mind.
Sherry's childhood friend once mocked her thermos of hot water. Today Claire carries hot water to work every day and is planning her first trip to China. Fans call Sherry "Mother Sherry" — and Claire is the poster child.
Four years in Shenzhen: thermos in winter, slippers at home, studying TCM's "dampness" concept. She swapped iced everything for warm drinks — and her chronic stomach issues eased. Next goal: learn to wrap zongzi for Dragon Boat.
She ranks "Chineseness" in three levels: beginner = ate tangyuan; advanced = knows they're for Lantern Festival; max level = eats them with rice wine (mijiu) from Xiaogan, Hubei. "I'm not a laowai — I'm a laonei."
A history PhD in Wuhan who practiced martial arts in Senegal, his Chinese surname comes from his kung fu master and his given name from the I Ching's "Flying Dragon in the Heavens." He uses moxa and cupping, and can identify Chu incense herbs by smell.
He went from iced drinks to morning tea, wears slippers everywhere ("Guangdong boy"), spent a Spring Festival in a Guizhou mountain village, and after a lion-dance injury learned the proverb "hurt bones, rest a hundred days." Dream: study tai chi at Wudang.
A Spanish teacher at Wuhan University, married into a Chinese family for 16 years, with 350K followers documenting sweet red-bean soup and her mother-in-law's pork rib-lotus root soup. Her line: "I'm not Becoming Chinese. I'm already Chinese."
Three Itineraries for Your Chinese Transformation
However many days you have, there is a route that takes you from tourist to "practically Chinese."
Temple of Heaven at 6:30AM to join tai chi and Ba Duan Jin groups. Lama Temple for incense. A hanfu photoshoot at the Summer Palace. Hutongs for breakfast congee and house-slipper shopping. Night: hot-pot with new Chinese friends. Fly home with a thermos and a red scarf.
Xi'an: Datang Everbright City at dusk in hanfu — the most cinematic "turning Chinese" photo you will ever take. Terracotta Warriors, then a mamianqun fitting. Fly to Chengdu: People's Park teahouse, foot massage, a TCM clinic for moxa, hot-pot with locals, and a panda-visiting morning. End with a Chinese haircut and a "I'm basically local" photo set.
Shanghai's qipao tailors and wet markets → Suzhou's silk and gardens → Hangzhou's West Lake morning walkers → Guangzhou's liangcha shops and Cantonese breakfast culture → Wudang Mountain for a tai chi retreat. Two weeks of daily Chinese habits until the slippers feel like yours.
8 Pro Tips for Turning Chinese IRL
48 countries are visa-free for 30 days; 55 countries qualify for 240-hour transit at 65 ports. Verify your nationality against the latest list before booking.
Every supermarket sells insulated bottles from 30 CNY. Bonus: you'll look instantly local, and it becomes the travel souvenir you actually use daily.
WeChat is how China talks, pays and books. Bind a foreign card for WeChat Pay, enable the built-in translator, and add a local contact — you'll feel Chinese within a day.
Parks at 6-7AM are where the real China lives: tai chi, Ba Duan Jin, fan dancing, singing groups. Free, friendly, and the single most authentic "becoming Chinese" experience available.
"Re shui" (hot water), "zhe ge duoshao qian" (how much is this), and "bu yao la" (no spice) will unlock 90% of daily interactions and endless smiles from locals.
Popular studios in Xi'an and Beijing fill up by mid-morning. Reserve the night before, arrive at opening time, and pick your best outfit before the crowds do.
Mobile payments dominate, but keep 200-500 CNY cash for tiny stalls and street vendors, plus a foreign card bound to Alipay as your main fallback.
A guide who speaks both languages turns day one from confusing to transformative: they'll take you to the right markets, teahouses and massage shops, and translate your "becoming Chinese" moments into stories.
Becoming Chinese: Your Questions Answered
What does "Becoming Chinese" actually mean?
It is a viral social media trend, not about changing nationality. People worldwide humorously adopt Chinese daily habits — drinking hot water, wearing house slippers, doing Ba Duan Jin, eating congee — and playfully declare they are "turning Chinese." It reflects genuine admiration for a lifestyle many find healthier, calmer and more grounded.
How did the trend start?
On December 6, 2025, Chinese-American TikToker Sherry XiiRuii posted a video declaring "if you saw this video, you are Chinese," sharing habits like hot water and slippers. Her account gained 740,000 followers in three months, and the hashtag has since passed 800 million views on TikTok alone.
Is Becoming Chinese the same as Chinamaxxing?
They are sister trends from the same wave. Chinamaxxing uses the "-maxxing" meme suffix for "extreme Chinese-ification," while Becoming Chinese frames the same lifestyle shift as a playful identity change. Combined, both hashtags have passed roughly 4 billion views, and both are now driving real inbound travel.
Can I really try hanfu as a foreign visitor?
Absolutely — it is one of the most popular experiences. Hanfu rental and photoshoot studios operate in Xi'an, Beijing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Chengdu, typically 100-500 CNY including styling. The horse-face skirt (mamianqun) is also a real global fashion item: Caoxian made ¥13 billion of hanfu in 2025 and overseas orders jumped 10x in early 2026.
Is Traditional Chinese Medicine safe for tourists?
Gentle practices like foot soaking, cupping, gua sha and Ba Duan Jin are low-risk and widely available. For acupuncture or herbal prescriptions, use the TCM department of a public hospital (Grade 3A preferred) and disclose any medical conditions. Avoid DIY cupping or moxa on broken skin.
Do I need a visa for a Becoming Chinese trip?
China offers unilateral visa-free entry to citizens of 48 countries (30 days) and a 240-hour visa-free transit policy for 55 countries at 65 ports. Many visitors also use group tours or e-visas. Confirm your nationality's current status before booking.
What should I pack to live like a local?
Travel light and buy local: a thermos, cotton house slippers, comfortable walking shoes and a small reusable bag are all cheaper to buy in China. Add a power bank and your passport. Everything else — hanfu, red scarves, moxa sticks, Lao Gan Ma — is a souvenir waiting to happen.
How do I find real local experiences instead of tourist traps?
Follow the locals' clock: parks at dawn, wet markets before 9AM, teahouses mid-afternoon, food streets after 8PM. A bilingual local guide can translate, negotiate and take you to neighborhood spots you'd never find alone — the fastest route to genuinely "becoming Chinese."
Tomorrow, You Turn Chinese
A thermos of hot water, a pair of slippers, a hanfu photoshoot, a morning of Ba Duan Jin in the park — your Chinese era starts with one well-planned trip. Let us build the itinerary that turns you into the best version of yourself.
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