Curating Chinese Internet Culture for Global Audiences (Barbarians at the Gate)

“In this episode of the Barbarians at the Gate podcast, David Moser and I [Jeremiah Jenne] catch up with Dutch sinologist Manya Koetse, the creator of “What’s on Weibo,” a platform providing in-depth insights into trends, events, memes, and social phenomena on Weibo, one of China’s largest social media platforms, often dubbed the “Chinese Twitter.”

As a bridge for non-Chinese-speaking audiences to grasp the dynamics of Chinese digital culture, “What’s on Weibo” has evolved over the years. Recently, it expanded to include a premium newsletter while sustaining its mission to decode Chinese social media for a global audience.

Manya elaborates on Weibo’s role in the increasingly fragmented Chinese online landscape, exploring the changing gender and class demographics of Weibo in relation to other platforms such as Bilibili, WeChat, and Xiaohongshu (Red Book). She also discusses how Weibo serves as a social barometer reflecting the shifting tides of Chinese nationalism, commercialism, social unrest, and anti-Western sentiment.”

MediaBarbarians at the GateTopicChinese social mediaYear2025Linkjeremiahjenne.substack.com