What in the World - Chinamaxxing: How ‘being Chinese’ became cool online

Download Chinamaxxing: How ‘being Chinese’ became cool online

As usual, we have been spending far too much time on social media, watching endless videos and scrolling for days.

One thing that keeps on coming up is people talking about ‘Chinamaxxing’.

This all about Gen Z celebrating and recognising their Chinese technology and Chinese brands…and then choosing to use more of these Chinese-made products than they have before. But it’s going further than that. It’s now a trend to embody a supposed ‘Chinese’ lifestyle.

We chat with Shawn Yuan from our Global China Unit and BBC reporter Nathalie Jimenez to hear about how this trend is going down with the Chinese community around the world. Plus two content creators share their thoughts with us - Chao Ban and Yunyun Gu.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
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Presenter: Iqra Farooq
Producers: Emily Horler, Julia Ross Roy, Chelsea Coates and Emilia Jansson
Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal
Editor: Verity Wilde

Published on Thursday, 12th February 2026.

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