Drinking hot water, wearing cotton slippers, cooking porridge and soup, practicing Baduan brocade... Recently, a "Chinese lifestyle list" was screened on overseas social media, and many foreign netizens became obsessed with "Becoming Chinese". Becoming Chinese "does not actually mean changing one's nationality, but rather refers to foreign netizens expressing their interest, love, and identification with Chinese culture by imitating and experiencing the Chinese way of life. Since the beginning of this year, the trend of "becoming Chinese" has become popular on overseas social media. This cultural craze, which began in the "cloud," is like a prism reflecting the attractiveness of Chinese culture and a new landscape of cross-cultural communication. From remote observation to immersive participation, "becoming Chinese" has attracted the attention and participation of foreign netizens on overseas social media, presenting the charm of Chinese culture and the increasing influence of China on a global scale from a micro perspective. "Starting tomorrow, you will become Chinese. ”In early January of this year, a Chinese American video blogger posted a video on overseas social media, sharing winter health habits based on traditional Chinese medicine such as keeping warm and avoiding raw and cold foods, and initiating an invitation to "become Chinese". This video quickly gained a lot of attention, with a cumulative view count of over one million. Many foreign netizens expressed their desire to become Chinese after watching the video and began to experience the "Chinese lifestyle" in a stylish way. Soon, a group of "new Chinese" emerged on the overseas social media platform - some people changed their habit of drinking yogurt, ice cream and other cold drinks for breakfast, drank hot Congee, hot soup, and said frankly that they "enjoyed it very much". "Now when it comes to breakfast, they want to drink Congee". Some people say that they are "in the stage of being very Chinese", and clocking in every day is a Chinese way of life: wearing cotton slippers, boiling apple water, wearing red scarves for good luck in the New Year... Some people also learn to make dumplings, learn to cook Chinese food, and send posts on Chinese social media to ask Chinese "old iron" people how to make it more delicious. For these foreign netizens, 'becoming Chinese' is like a key, opening the door to the treasure trove of Chinese lifestyle and culture, allowing them to 'dig deeper and more' and constantly surprise themselves. In addition to Chinese health preservation methods, Chinese cuisine, clothing, and entertainment activities also attract foreign netizens to try and experience. What's even more interesting is that this trend has gradually evolved into an interactive cycle of "two-way rush". Many enthusiastic Chinese netizens enthusiastically share their Chinese lifestyle "tips" on social media platforms and chat with foreign netizens "along the internet" about daily life. A Chinese netizen commented: "These foreign friends may not have been to China, but they have become our 'cloud relatives' through short videos and the Internet." At present, the "becoming Chinese" craze continues to heat up in overseas social media. More and more foreign netizens start from a cup of hot water and a bowl of hot Congee to experience the fresh "journey" of Chinese culture. A topic that becomes popular on social media platforms requires traffic and popularity. 'Becoming Chinese' has attracted the attention and participation of foreign netizens on overseas social media, presenting the charm of Chinese culture and China's increasing global influence from a micro perspective. ”Professor Zhang Yuqiang from the Communication University of China analyzed in an interview with our reporter that in the past, foreign countries, especially Western people, often held a distant and curious attitude towards China. Nowadays, they actively break out of stereotypes, immerse themselves in the Chinese way of life, and understand Chinese culture. This is closely related to China's continuous rise in comprehensive national strength and increasing international influence. From remote observation to immersive participation, foreign netizens are not just playing with memes. Behind their behavior of "unlocking" various Chinese lifestyles, there is a subtle change in their mentality and cognition of China and Chinese culture. The cross-cultural exchange triggered by 'becoming Chinese' indicates that with the rapid development of China's economy and society and the significant improvement of people's living standards, the real daily life of Chinese people, which is safe, rich, and happy, is attractive to many foreign people and has gained more and more understanding, affirmation, and recognition from them. Meanwhile, in recent years, with the increasingly frequent flow of personnel and goods between China and foreign countries, on the one hand, China's content supply to the global market continues to expand and become more abundant, and on the other hand, foreign people are gradually adapting to the new lifestyle and cultural experiences brought by Chinese products. ”Zhang Yuqiang said. By not only becoming a Chinese in spirit, but also launching a "China Tour" offline, China continues to optimize its entry policies, expand its visa free "circle of friends", and build the Hainan Free Trade Port, among other measures, effectively promoting extensive exchanges and deep contacts between China and the world. The daily life that Chinese people take for granted has become a living carrier of China's development and culture. From the "Xiaohongshu immigration wave" and "city not city" spreading "out of the circle" in 2025, to the "become Chinese" trend in 2026, the way China interacts with the world is becoming more specific, vivid, and down-to-earth. Nowadays, in addition to becoming Chinese spiritually, many foreign people also choose to "travel to China" to gain a more intuitive and in-depth understanding of China. Recently, with the start of the new season of ice and snow, many foreign bloggers are eager to share "Frozen" across China on social media. Some Latin American tourists fly half the world to Northeast China, experiencing a temperature difference of over 40 degrees Celsius and admiring the magnificent world of ice and snow; Some European snow enthusiasts make a special trip to Altay, Xinjiang to experience the ultimate joy of speeding on 11.17 kilometers of snow trails; Some American bloggers, after experiencing the "off-season snow addiction" of "eating ice cream outdoors and having ice fights indoors" at a ski resort in Guangzhou, Guangdong, were shocked by the hardcore strength of the indoor skiing industry in southern China and exclaimed, "China really has everything. In Hainan, located at the southern end of China, there is another hot scene. Blue sky and sea, coconut groves and golden sands, foreign faces can be seen everywhere. Since the beginning of this year, with the closure and operation of the Hainan Free Trade Port throughout the island, the level of convenience for inbound tourism has continued to improve, and the Hainan inbound tourism market continues to be booming. At present, there are 86 visa free countries entering Hainan, and there are 92 international and regional passenger routes at the airport. Many foreign tourists not only appreciate the natural scenery and urban landscape of China, but also have a strong curiosity and interest in the daily lives of Chinese people. In Northeast China, some foreign tourists specially wrap themselves in floral cotton jackets with local characteristics, go to the morning market early in the morning, and experience the steaming hot "fireworks atmosphere" of China; In Hainan, a Russian girl enthusiastically followed a Chinese middle-aged woman to a square dance and smiled, saying, "This is cool." "In recent years, China has continuously expanded and improved its level of opening-up to the outside world. A series of measures such as continuously optimizing entry policies, expanding visa free 'circle of friends', and building Hainan Free Trade Port have effectively promoted China's extensive exchanges and deep contacts with the world. ”Zhang Yuqiang said. Data shows that China has currently implemented unilateral visa free access for 48 countries. Since the implementation of the 240 hour transit visa free policy one year ago, 40.6 million foreign nationals have entered China at various ports, a year-on-year increase of 27.2%. Among them, the number of people eligible for the 240 hour transit visa free policy has increased by 60.8% compared to before the policy optimization. Zhang Yuqiang pointed out that as more and more foreign tourists embark on "China tourism", they have the opportunity to see and experience a more authentic, three-dimensional, and comprehensive China with their own eyes, and record and share what they see and hear in the form of photos and short videos. In this process, the daily life that Chinese people have become accustomed to has become a living carrier of China's development and culture, presenting a unique charm from the unique observation perspective of foreign people. These real and vivid images, as an important component of China's image, continue to refresh the world's perception of China. In fact, China never imposes its own way of life or culture on others, but presents it objectively to foreign people with an open and inclusive attitude, and engages in sincere interaction. Behind this attitude is our growing cultural confidence. ”Zhang Yuqiang said. Cool "and" trendy "have become the" new impressions of China "for the younger generation overseas. While promoting the" going global "of Chinese culture, we can also confidently" invite in "and invite people from all over the world to experience and explore China. Recently, many Americans, especially the younger generation, feel that they have entered a" very Chinese era "and everyone wants to" get a touch of Chinese flavor ". The article provides an example that, thanks to Chinese applications, some American consumers no longer browse their own third-party shopping platforms but directly choose "China Shopping"; Many American netizens have also joined Chinese social media platforms, and by pressing the "translate" button, they can experience various pleasures brought by Chinese jokes. The article believes that this interesting trend can largely be understood as admiration for China and Chinese culture. Nowadays, "cool" and "trendy" have become the new impressions of China for many young people overseas. From "Ne Zha 2" topping the global animated film charts to Labub becoming the "top stream" in the global entertainment industry, from the phenomenon level craze caused by the domestic 3A game "Black Myth: Wukong" worldwide to the popularity of Chinese micro dramas in many overseas countries, China continues to bring a refreshing experience to the world. According to the 2025 Global Soft Power Index released by a British institution, China's culture and lifestyle are highly recognized among young people aged 18 to 24. Nowadays, the continuously rising trend of 'becoming Chinese' has added a new 'traffic code' to the 'going global' of Chinese culture, and has also established a new paradigm for people to people exchanges between China and foreign countries. Some argue that the reason why foreign netizens have actively joined the trend of experiencing "Chinese style life" may lie in the fact that it is not a top-down cultural output, but a bottom-up cultural resonance, an equal and lively cultural exchange. Behind the viral trend of "becoming Chinese" on overseas social media platforms, there is a common aspiration for a better life among people. Because in the 'Chinese way of life', there is not only the unique wisdom of the Chinese people, but also the common aspiration for beauty that is shared by all mankind. Against the backdrop of the increasing subjectivity of Chinese culture, the practical forms of cross-cultural communication and cultural exchange and mutual learning are becoming increasingly diverse. ”Zhang Yuqiang believes that the trend of "becoming Chinese" has brought new thoughts and inspirations for the exchange and mutual learning of different civilizations. While promoting the 'going global' of Chinese culture, we can also confidently invite people from all over the world to experience and explore China. In addition, as China continues to expand its opening-up, we can invest more efforts and develop more projects to promote global cultural exchange and mutual learning, attracting more people to participate in it on the widest possible scale. We look forward to foreign people observing and interpreting China's life practices, development achievements, and cultural heritage from different cultural perspectives. We also look forward to providing the world with a broader space for dialogue, promoting mutual learning, prosperity, and beauty among different civilizations in sincere dialogue. ”Zhang Yuqiang said. (New Society)