Boiled Apples, Warm Water and a ‘Chinese Era’: The Rise of Chinamaxxing

Almost every other person on the internet has announced the beginning of their “Chinese era”.

They are drinking warm water, brewing tea the 'Chinese' way boiling apples, having congee for breakfast, practising Tai Chi, and watching Chinese dramas.

What began as a niche trend in the United States has quickly travelled across the world, with Gen Z actively “Chinamaxxing” their way through lifestyle habits, aesthetics, and wellness routines.

At its simplest, Chinamaxxing refers to young people, largely in Western countries, experimenting with Chinese lifestyle practices and cultural cues. What started just a few months ago is now a familiar term across social media platforms.

At first glance, it may appear like just another fleeting internet trend. But for analysts, Chinamaxxing offers a window into how younger generations are reshaping their understanding of China, not through geopolitics or trade, but through lifestyle, culture, and everyday practices.

Some reports trace the trend back to 23-year-old Chinese-American creator Sherry Zhu, who began posting videos about the habits she grew up with. She showed followers how to become a “Chinese baddie” through food, wellness routines, and everyday practices.

She later told The Wall Street Journal that she initially expected the videos to be humorous. Instead, audiences became genuinely curious. Engagement grew quickly, and soon influencers across the globe were sharing Chinese recipes, home remedies, skincare practices, and lifestyle philosophies.

But according to experts, this trend is about more than congee and warm water.

Dr Christian Yao, Senior Lecturer in HRM and Global Careers at the Wellington School of Business and Government at Victoria University of Wellington, and a China expert whose insights draw on both lived experience and academic research, says younger audiences are beginning to imagine China differently, not just as a geopolitical actor, but as a source of lifestyle meaning and alternatives.

Born in China and educated in New Zealand, Dr Yao brings what he describes as both insider familiarity and a comparative perspective. He was also a member of the Asia New Zealand Foundation’s Young Leadership Network in 2010 (now known as the Leadership Network)

“That shift is tied to the fact that Gen Z has grown up online, encountering other societies not mainly through news or textbooks, but through influencers, short-form video, and fragments of everyday life that feel intimate and immediate,” Dr Yao says.

“The result is greater familiarity, but not necessarily greater depth. What social media often produces is not understanding of China in its complexity, but a selective and aestheticised version of ‘Chineseness’ that travels well online and speaks to what young people feel is missing in their own societies.”

In that sense, the trend may say as much about Western societies as it does about China.

“China is being used as a symbolic alternative onto which young people project what they feel is lacking, whether that is community, order, wellness, resilience, or meaning,” Dr Yao explains.

“What makes the trend possible is that Gen Z encounters China through a very different media environment from previous generations. So, the trend is best understood as the meeting point between Western disillusionment and digitally mediated familiarity with a stylised version of China.”

The trend has taken over not just the Western countries but even several Asian ones. A social media influencer based in Chennai, India, who wished to remain anonymous said it is curious how suddenly it is trendy to be Chinese while Indian traditional practices also have similiar things. "I remember how my grandmom used to say it is good to squat while we sit, and how we should drink hot water to keep our body healthy. But suddenly it is trendy because everyone is Chinamaxxing," she says confessing that she is also guilty of not doing things until they get trendy. "But it also reminds me to cherish what I know because of my traditions and celebrate it even if it is not recognized by the west, yet," she said.

Internet divided, as usual

Lucy, a student at the Victoria University of Wellington says that though she has not personally started living the 'Chinese life', the large number of reels on her Instagram feed has grown her interest in learning more about the Chinese culture. "I made sure I attend the New Year celebrations this year and meet my friends from China to learn about the culture more than what the social media shows you," she said adding that brewing tea, and the elaborate ritual around it has been her favourite learning.

"It felt like truly living the slow living, savouring everything about your life, the way you would savour the process of brewing the tea and then enjoying it, one sip at a time!" she explains.

But not everyone is convinced and like every social media trend this has also divided the internet.

Social media influencer Mohuya Khan wrote on Instagram that the trend may be more surface-level than meaningful engagement.

“Wearing dupattas, Chinamaxxing, and drinking hot tea is all fun and games until you realise they just want our aesthetics and culture but not our people,” she wrote.

Many social media influencers thoughts that this was an unnecessary trend that simply 'exotified' Chinese culture rather than a genuine appreciation of it. Many others felt it was one step towards more people understanding different cultures.

Dr Yao notes that the spread of the trend is shaped largely by how social media operates.

“Social media rewards what is novel, visually clear, and easy to translate into a simple story,” he says. “China-maxxing spreads not because users necessarily understand China deeply, but because certain stylised versions of Chinese life are easy to recognise, romanticise, and turn into viral content.”

China’s own digital ecosystem also helps amplify such trends. With more than 833 million livestreaming users, over 15 million professional livestreamers, and an online audiovisual sector worth more than 1.15 trillion yuan, content is constantly being refined for visibility and reach.

“What reaches Western audiences is therefore often not China in all its complexity, but the most platform-ready version of it,” Dr Yao explains.

Numbers and perceptions

So, should policymakers in countries like New Zealand pay attention?

Dr Yao says they should not overread the trend, but they should recognise what it signals.

“Younger people increasingly learn about other societies through the internet rather than formal institutions. The right response is not to police curiosity, but to encourage more informed and nuanced conversations about China, Chinese identities, and the difference between cultural familiarity and geopolitical understanding.”

New Zealand’s changing demographics also make this more relevant.

Dr Yao shared that the 2023 Census showed people in Aotearoa speak more than 150 languages, nearly 30 percent of the population was born overseas, and the Asian population increased by more than 150,000 between 2018 and 2023. In Auckland, 42.9 percent of residents were born overseas.

This means cultural exposure is already part of everyday life for many young New Zealanders. In that context, platform-driven narratives about China may resonate more strongly than traditional geopolitical coverage.

The Asia New Zealand Foundation’s recent Perceptions of Asia report reflects this shift. Fifty-six percent of New Zealanders say they know at least a fair amount about North Asia, up from 53 percent the previous year. Social media is also an increasingly important source of Asia-related content, cited by 51 percent of respondents.

Alex Smith, Manager of the Research Programme, said recent data suggests New Zealanders are increasingly engaging with Asia through entertainment and popular culture.

“Our latest Perceptions of Asia report shows that one in three New Zealanders consume Asia-related entertainment at least monthly. Among those under 30, that figure rises to 50 percent,” she said.

Smith noted that the emerging ‘Chinamaxxing’ trend may also reflect a shift in how New Zealanders perceive China, moving beyond traditional political and economic narratives.

“New Zealanders have long engaged with pop culture from South Korea and Japan, but perceptions of China have tended to be shaped primarily by trade ties or concerns around security,” she said. “It’s encouraging to see people engaging with China beyond this dichotomy. That kind of cultural curiosity can lead to a broader understanding of a country that is incredibly diverse and complex.”

She added that the trend may also signal a more effective use of China’s soft power.

“It may also suggest China is developing a better understanding of its own soft power, compared with earlier efforts such as the Confucius Institutes,” Smith said.

Screenshots of some of the Chinamaxxing content on Instagram and TikTok.

Still, the question remains: is this meaningful engagement, or simply romanticisation?

Dr Yao cautions against dismissing the trend too quickly.

“Familiarity is often a positive first step. The problem is not that people begin with simplified images. The problem would be if they stopped there.”

Beyond Western audiences, reactions within China itself appear mixed. Official media have embraced the trend as a sign of cultural appeal, while public responses range from amusement to scepticism about superficial imitation.

“China-maxxing is less about wearing Chinese culture and more about using a stylised idea of China to express dissatisfaction with life at home,” Dr Yao says. “It is turning China into a contrast case through which young people critique their own societies.”

That sentiment is echoed by Zed Xu, a Chinese-born transnational artist based in New Zealand. In a TikTok, she shared that she asked ethnically Chinese respondents how they felt about the trend. Reactions ranged from indifference to mild irritation, with 77 percent saying the trend “kind of irks” them.

She compares the phenomenon to a child playing with a paper boat and announcing they are now a ship captain.

“You might encourage the ambition,” she says. “But you also know it may be fleeting.”

Still, she adds, there may be something quietly positive in all of this.

Whether or not people are truly in their “Chinese era”, she says, one thing remains universally valid.

“Everybody should be drinking hot water. It’s good for you.”

And perhaps that is the story of Chinamaxxing in a nutshell.

It may begin with boiling apples and sipping warm water. But somewhere between curiosity and caricature, it also opens a small window into how younger generations are rethinking China, not through politics alone, but through everyday life.

Sometimes, even a cup of hot water can start a conversation.

-Asia Media Centre