If you’ve been scrolling on social media lately, you might encounter many videos titled “You met me at a very Chinese time in my life.” The clips display people drinking hot water, taking traditional Chinese medicine, or taking off shoes when entering a home. These people are participating in a trend known as Chinamaxxing, a portmanteau that combines “China” with the Gen Z suffix, “maxxing,” meaning excessive optimization.
In many ways, Chinamaxxing represents the latest cultural pattern. Historically, westerners have taken certain aspects of different cultures and stripped them of their spiritual or philosophical roots to brand them as fitness trends or health-related products. Some examples are Tai Chi and Qigong, traditional Chinese martial arts that have previously been presented as aesthetic workout routines.
This trend started when a parody of a line from the 1999 film “Fight Club” went viral on TikTok. The original line, “You met me at a very strange time in my life” was altered to “You met me at a very Chinese time in my life.” The idea behind the trend involved users who were somewhat familiar with Chinese culture creating videos based on stereotypes, and putting the line as the top text in the video. From there, influencers started sharing their adaptation of the joke.
One major reason why this trend gained so much traction was the Chinese culture’s ability to attract global audiences in the media. During the brief January 2025 TikTok ban, many users worldwide migrated to RedNote, a Chinese social media platform. As more individuals learned about traditional wellness habits and cuisine through lifestyle videos on RedNote, natural curiosity sparked the trend’s popularity.
While some people see this as a nostalgic, fun, and seemingly innocent trend, many others feel that this trend carries deeper problems. At its core, this trend degrades complex cultural traditions and experiences into a list of stereotypes, condensing thousands of years of Chinese tradition into a handful of aesthetic habits. This became especially clear during Lunar New Year, when numerous non-Chinese participants in the trend posted videos teaching Chinese traditions they had only recently learned and are not qualified to advise the public about. These creators have received backlash for oversimplifying and even misrepresenting Chinese culture, with many Chinese Americans expressing discomfort at the sudden appropriation of heritage they had historically been shunned for.
Similar to any trend romanticizing a region or group of people, the emphasis is placed on aesthetics. Numerous social media creators have posted videos wearing traditional Chinese clothes while avoiding mention of their cultural significance, which can be interpreted as a disrespectful mockery of the way Chinese culture has been cultivated over thousands of years. The idea of being “diagnosed as Chinese” or “turning Chinese” simply because it was popularized by Western creators is seen as offensive and can have negative effects throughout the Chinese diaspora.
Although the adoption of culture for clicks is harmful, this trend creates a meaningful opportunity for dialogue surrounding appropriation and appreciation online. Rather than blindly recreating a video, individuals should take the time to research the historical accuracy and cultural significance of portrayed traditions. By choosing to learn from creators online who belong to the group they are representing, individuals can foster genuine appreciation for the unique food, clothing, or customs of a culture.