Is the Chinamaxxing economy just beginning?

Drinking hot water, wearing house slippers, and walking with hands clasped behind their backs, a generation of young Western social media users has decided to adopt Chinese daily tradition — and, questionably, declare themselves Chinese. Somewhere between wellness trend and geopolitical provocation lies the essential logic of “Chinamaxxing,” one of Q1 2026’s most-discussed internet phenomena. It is taking the form of a user-generated advertising campaign for China. What began as a niche celebration of Chinese culture on TikTok — and a viral X post resurfacing from April 2025 — has since grown into a full-blown cultural movement which could be directly increasing the market’s soft power influence. But beneath the performative humor lies a more consequential question: whether a meme can function as soft power. For luxury strategists, brand marketers, and consumer analysts watching China’s global expansion, Chinamaxxing is a signal that Western cultural receptiveness to Chinese products, aesthetics, and lifestyles may be reaching an inflection point. The meme works by ordinary people — mostly in the West — posting videos in which they adopt habits, entertainment, aesthetics, and products associated with Chinese daily life, declaring that they are “becoming Chinese” or living through “a very Chinese time” in their lives. “Chinamaxxing feels more like a surface-level, fast-moving phenomenon about visual cues and performative gestures than sustained cultural understanding,” says Lang Xiao, founder of ARTouch Consulting and a cross-cultural strategist. “It may evolve beyond visual or stylistic references into broader lifestyle and behavioral shifts,” she adds. How Chinese culture went viral without a brand campaign Despite its potential to empower domestic brands on the world stage, Chinamaxxing did not emerge from a brand campaign or a government initiative. It moved through the attention economy the way most durable trends do: through individual creators. Chinese-American content creator Sherry Zhu was an early accelerator. Her tongue-in-cheek video series — instructing non-Chinese viewers on how to “become Chinese” through lifestyle choices — racked up tens of millions of views and inspired a wave of imitators. The meme expanded to encompass congee, Tsingtao beer, qigong, traditional Chinese medicine, and hot water — and eventually the “Chinese baddie,” a beauty aspiration shaped by expensive fruits and hot soup. “For many young people in the West, especially in the US, it can be seen as a way of expressing curiosity, escapism, or even subtle disobedience in the context of geopolitical tensions and shifting social climates,” says Lang. China is being viewed more favorably among Americans, particularly the young. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in March 2026 found that 27% of US adults hold a favorable view of China — nearly double the share from 2023. Among adults under 50, the share rises to 34%. The same data shows that fewer Americans now describe China as an “enemy” of the United States than did so last year, with the sharpest movement coming from Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. Young car buyers are also showing openness to Chinese automotive brands. According to a Cox Automotive study published in early 2026, 69% of Gen Z respondents said they would consider buying a Chinese-made vehicle. Is Chinamaxxing China’s answer to the Korean Wave? As Chinese culture finds a global audience at unprecedented scale, observers have been quick to compare Chinamaxxing to the “Korean Wave” — the global diffusion of K-pop, K-drama, and K-beauty that reshaped youth culture across the 2010s. Several analysts, however, argue the parallel is imperfect. China’s auto industry, for instance, has rapidly compressed the decades-long trajectories of Japan and South Korea, scaling from domestic manufacturing to globally competitive EV and tech-led brands in a fraction of the time. Xiao is cautious about overstating the depth of what is happening. “For now, its impact remains largely at an entertaining, ephemeral level rather than indicating a deeper transformation in perception,” she says, though the trend’s staying power remains to be seen. From Pop Mart to Chagee: How Chinese consumer brands are going global The backdrop to Chinamaxxing, however, points to something larger — particularly the recent global expansion of Chinese consumer brands. The Labubu craze of 2025 is perhaps the starkest illustration of Chinese consumer brands’ growing global reach. Pop Mart’s North America revenue climbed roughly 900% year-on-year in Q1 2025, and by mid-2025 the company’s market capitalization exceeded the combined value of Hasbro, Mattel, and Sanrio. Domestic tea chains like Chagee, Mixue, and Molly Tea have established footholds across Singapore, Sydney, London, and Los Angeles. According to CNN, Mixue alone operates more outlets globally than McDonald’s or Starbucks. Hotpot chain Haidilao, meanwhile, runs more than 1,400 restaurants across 16 markets. These are not internet fad brands. They are scaled businesses using social media virality as a customer acquisition tool, building durable brand recognition in overseas markets. Fashion is where Lang sees the clearest early signals of something more lasting. “At a commercial level, we are already beginning to see tangible signs of growing Chinese cultural influence in the West, particularly within fashion,” she says. “Pieces like the Samuel Gui Yang x Adidas suit jacket have quickly sold out, reflecting real market demand. High-profile moments also matter — when Anne Hathaway wore designs by Susan Fang during her film promotion in China, it signaled a growing visibility and acceptance of Chinese designers on a global stage.” Chinese Gen Zers are already proud of the “Made in China” reputation, and Westerners now appear to be matching that sentiment. Chinamaxxing could be laying the groundwork for a generation of foreign consumers with genuine brand familiarity and cultural comfort with Chinese products across fashion, food, wellness, and technology. Along with the Pop Mart boom and TikTok’s global reach, China’s soft power influence may be expanding faster — and broader — than anyone expected.

Is the Chinamaxxing economy just beginning?

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Is the Chinamaxxing economy just beginning?

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag