A soulful Chinese ballad plays as the white Zoomer boy squats atop a park bench, solemnly smoking his cigarette. In typical Gen Z speak, the caption on the video reads: “Type Xi I’ve been on since wasian winter started.”
Welcome to the world of “Chinamaxxing,” aka “Becoming Chinese,” a new TikTok trend that’s part meme, part genuine Sinophilia. Basically, it’s Americans adopting mundane Chinese mannerisms and lifestyle habits like squatting in public, drinking hot water, or wearing slippers inside, both ironically and otherwise. “You’ve met me at a very Chinese time in my life” has become a common refrain.
Most of the content revolves around cozy but simplistic habits that can be incorporated into one’s daily life—an alternative to the increasingly elaborate and consumerist self-care routines that have proliferated on American social media over the past few years. Stoically drinking a cup of plain hot water at night seems a lot easier than starting the day with a 10-step skincare routine and a collagen-infused French press with a thousand different syrups and cold foams from a can.
