Why read this: This B2 version keeps the argument of the original feature but shortens the sentences and trims the literary allusions. B2 students meet two habits worth practising: first, reading a 'delayed thesis' — the article's main idea only appears in the last paragraph, not the first — and second, noticing hedged language as the sign of an opinion, not just filler. The article's subject (a TikTok trend students will know) lowers the barrier to entry, so the class can spend its energy on reading moves rather than topic comprehension.
What to notice: Two features reward attention. First, the structure: each paragraph does one job (set up the creators, name the trend, handle the appropriation question, widen the frame to toys and apps, close with a political reading). Students can label each paragraph with a purpose sticker — 'introduces,' 'defines,' 'answers objection,' 'widens,' 'interprets' — and see the article's shape at a glance. Second, the hedging in the closing paragraph ('it is not hard to imagine,' 'can start to look'). Hedging is not weakness; it is the author keeping the reader's room to think. A B2 reader who notices hedging will read opinion journalism far more accurately.
Skills practised: Reading: locating a delayed thesis; matching paragraphs to purposes; noticing hedging words as opinion markers; tracking pronouns across paragraphs ('the trend,' 'this time,' 'the response'). Writing: practising cautious opinion language ('may be,' 'it is not hard to imagine'); building a short paragraph that uses two pieces of evidence to support one idea. Analysis: weighing whether a short trend piece's argument is supported by the evidence it cites.
Why ‘becoming Chinese’ is taking over social media
A TikTok wellness trend flips the usual appropriation script — and may signal a broader mood.
Tap any green word in the article to see its meaning.
A Chinese creatorcreator: A person who brings something into existence, especially through imaginative skill or effort. — 创造者；创作者 on TikTok, Emma Peng, opened one of the app's most unexpectedunexpected: Not expected or regarded as likely to happen. — 意外的；出乎意料的 hits of the year with a complimentcompliment: Complimentary language; courtesy, flattery — 恭维话；礼貌客套；奉承 her viewers did not expect: “You're doing really well at hydratinghydrate: To take up, consume or become linked to water — 补水;水合 yourself. I'm proud of you.” The clipclip: A short section of a film, broadcast, or video; a small device for holding things together. — 片段；夹子 has over three million views. It thanks a growing group of Americans who have started drinking hot water with lemon, eating congee, and swappingswap: To exchange or give (something) in an exchange (for something else) — 交换 cold salads for boiled apples. Peng is one of many Chinese and Chinese-American creatorscreator: A person who brings something into existence, especially through imaginative skill or effort. — 创造者；创作者 whose videos have gone viral: (of online content) spread rapidly and widely across the internet — 爆红 / 走红 this winter. Another creator at the forefront of: in the leading position of; most prominent in — 处于…前沿 the trend, TikToker Sherry Xiiruii, offers her own welcome: “Tomorrow, you're turning Chinese.”
The trend is called “becoming Chinese.” While the name might give pause: cause someone to stop and think, often hesitantly — 令人警觉, the substance is fairly simple. Habits rooted in: based on; having its origin in — 源于 traditional Chinese medicine — warm drinks in winter, indoor slippers, congee rather than yogurt — are being shared as wellnesswellness: The quality or state of being in good health — 健康;康健 advice. The comment sections are full of Americans taking notes on what to try next. Chinese commenterscommenter: One who comments — 评论者, meanwhile, joke about what took everyone so long.
Normally, when a trend involves adoptingadopt: To take up or start using a new idea, method, or approach; to legally take another's child as one's own. — 采用；收养 — or “becoming” — another culture, it is met with cries of cultural appropriation: adopting elements of a marginalised culture by members of a dominant culture, often without credit or understanding — 文化挪用. This time, the usual reaction has shifted. A few users feel uneasyuneasy: Restless; disturbed by pain, anxiety — 不安的;忧虑的: practices they were once made fun of for: mocked or ridiculed for (something) — 被取笑 are suddenly being sold back to them as lifestyle contentcontent: (except in phrases) Satisfaction, contentment; pleasure — 满足;满意. But the response from Chinese creators has been overwhelmingly positive. The joke is that the rest of the world has finally begun to catch on: become popular; finally understand something — 流行起来 / 领悟.
The appetite for: a strong desire or demand for — 热衷 / 追捧 Chinese culture is not limited to wellness. A viral post on X, a nod to: an acknowledgement of; a subtle reference to — 致敬 Fight Club's famous line, reads: “You met me at a very Chinese time in my life.” Posts about chinesemaxxing: internet-trend of maximally adopting a stylised version of Chinese lifestyle aesthetics — 极致模仿中国风 have also been cropping up: appearing unexpectedly or increasingly often — 不断出现 since 2025. These videos show people smoking a cigarette crouched low to the ground: in a deep squat posture close to the floor — 蹲得很低, wearing toggle jackets: jackets fastened with toggle-and-loop closures (a specific coat style) — 牛角扣外套, and copying other Chinese style choices. They do not feel like outright mockery: clear, undisguised ridicule — 公然嘲讽, because there is a kernel of truth: a small but real element of truth inside something otherwise exaggerated — 一丝真相 and real admirationadmiration: A positive emotion including wonder and approbation; the regarding of another as being wonderful — 钦佩;赞赏 in the act. As the Substack writer Minh Tran put it, things have always been made in China, but now Westerners are increasinglyincreasingly: To a greater and greater extent; more and more. — 越来越多地；日益 making themselves in the image of: modelled on; resembling in form or character — 效仿 / 模仿其样貌 the Chinese.
Business has followed the trend. The Labubu mania: the 2025 craze for Labubu collectible plush toys produced by Pop Mart — 拉布布热潮 of 2025 helped Pop Mart, the Chinese toymakertoymaker: A craftsman who makes toys — 玩具制造商;玩具匠 behind the collectiblecollectible: Rightfully subject to payment — 应付的, triple its profits and set off a buying frenzy: a sudden, intense period of widespread purchasing — 抢购潮 that spanned the globe: reached or covered the whole world — 席卷全球. Earlier in the year, as a possible US ban on TikTok loomed, many Western users moved over to Rednote, a Chinese-owned app. They joked about saying goodbye to their “personal spy” — a nicknamenickname: A kind of byname that describes a person by a characteristic of that person — 外号(描述特征) for TikTok. The ban never actually arrived, and most of them stayed on TikTok anyway.
Given the current geopolitical context: the international-relations situation (especially US-China relations) at the time — 地缘政治背景 — a divided United States, and a competition with China that touches many industries — it is not hard to imagine that the “becoming Chinese” trend is about more than hot tea and house slippers. When people feel tired of their own country, the habits of a powerful competitor can start to look less like a threatthreat: A statement of intention to inflict harm; a person or thing likely to cause danger — 威胁；恐吓 and more like an option. Many are now looking beyondbeyond: On the far side of; more than; outside the limits of. — 超越；在…之外 their own borders for new ways of living, and the algorithm is always ready to help.
A Chinese creatorcreator: A person who brings something into existence, especially through imaginative skill or effort. — 创造者；创作者 on TikTok, Emma Peng, opened one of the app's most unexpectedunexpected: Not expected or regarded as likely to happen. — 意外的；出乎意料的 hits of the year with a complimentcompliment: Complimentary language; courtesy, flattery — 恭维话；礼貌客套；奉承 her viewers did not expect: “You're doing really well at hydratinghydrate: To take up, consume or become linked to water — 补水;水合 yourself. I'm proud of you.” The clipclip: A short section of a film, broadcast, or video; a small device for holding things together. — 片段；夹子 has over three million views. It thanks a growing group of Americans who have started drinking hot water with lemon, eating congee, and swappingswap: To exchange or give (something) in an exchange (for something else) — 交换 cold salads for boiled apples. Peng is one of many Chinese and Chinese-American creatorscreator: A person who brings something into existence, especially through imaginative skill or effort. — 创造者；创作者 whose videos have gone viral: (of online content) spread rapidly and widely across the internet — 爆红 / 走红 this winter. Another creator at the forefront of: in the leading position of; most prominent in — 处于…前沿 the trend, TikToker Sherry Xiiruii, offers her own welcome: “Tomorrow, you're turning Chinese.”
The trend is called “becoming Chinese.” While the name might give pause: cause someone to stop and think, often hesitantly — 令人警觉, the substance is fairly simple. Habits rooted in: based on; having its origin in — 源于 traditional Chinese medicine — warm drinks in winter, indoor slippers, congee rather than yogurt — are being shared as wellnesswellness: The quality or state of being in good health — 健康;康健 advice. The comment sections are full of Americans taking notes on what to try next. Chinese commenterscommenter: One who comments — 评论者, meanwhile, joke about what took everyone so long.
Normally, when a trend involves adoptingadopt: To take up or start using a new idea, method, or approach; to legally take another's child as one's own. — 采用；收养 — or “becoming” — another culture, it is met with cries of cultural appropriation: adopting elements of a marginalised culture by members of a dominant culture, often without credit or understanding — 文化挪用. This time, the usual reaction has shifted. A few users feel uneasyuneasy: Restless; disturbed by pain, anxiety — 不安的;忧虑的: practices they were once made fun of for: mocked or ridiculed for (something) — 被取笑 are suddenly being sold back to them as lifestyle contentcontent: (except in phrases) Satisfaction, contentment; pleasure — 满足;满意. But the response from Chinese creators has been overwhelmingly positive. The joke is that the rest of the world has finally begun to catch on: become popular; finally understand something — 流行起来 / 领悟.
The appetite for: a strong desire or demand for — 热衷 / 追捧 Chinese culture is not limited to wellness. A viral post on X, a nod to: an acknowledgement of; a subtle reference to — 致敬 Fight Club's famous line, reads: “You met me at a very Chinese time in my life.” Posts about chinesemaxxing: internet-trend of maximally adopting a stylised version of Chinese lifestyle aesthetics — 极致模仿中国风 have also been cropping up: appearing unexpectedly or increasingly often — 不断出现 since 2025. These videos show people smoking a cigarette crouched low to the ground: in a deep squat posture close to the floor — 蹲得很低, wearing toggle jackets: jackets fastened with toggle-and-loop closures (a specific coat style) — 牛角扣外套, and copying other Chinese style choices. They do not feel like outright mockery: clear, undisguised ridicule — 公然嘲讽, because there is a kernel of truth: a small but real element of truth inside something otherwise exaggerated — 一丝真相 and real admirationadmiration: A positive emotion including wonder and approbation; the regarding of another as being wonderful — 钦佩;赞赏 in the act. As the Substack writer Minh Tran put it, things have always been made in China, but now Westerners are increasinglyincreasingly: To a greater and greater extent; more and more. — 越来越多地；日益 making themselves in the image of: modelled on; resembling in form or character — 效仿 / 模仿其样貌 the Chinese.
Business has followed the trend. The Labubu mania: the 2025 craze for Labubu collectible plush toys produced by Pop Mart — 拉布布热潮 of 2025 helped Pop Mart, the Chinese toymakertoymaker: A craftsman who makes toys — 玩具制造商;玩具匠 behind the collectiblecollectible: Rightfully subject to payment — 应付的, triple its profits and set off a buying frenzy: a sudden, intense period of widespread purchasing — 抢购潮 that spanned the globe: reached or covered the whole world — 席卷全球. Earlier in the year, as a possible US ban on TikTok loomed, many Western users moved over to Rednote, a Chinese-owned app. They joked about saying goodbye to their “personal spy” — a nicknamenickname: A kind of byname that describes a person by a characteristic of that person — 外号(描述特征) for TikTok. The ban never actually arrived, and most of them stayed on TikTok anyway.
Given the current geopolitical context: the international-relations situation (especially US-China relations) at the time — 地缘政治背景 — a divided United States, and a competition with China that touches many industries — it is not hard to imagine that the “becoming Chinese” trend is about more than hot tea and house slippers. When people feel tired of their own country, the habits of a powerful competitor can start to look less like a threatthreat: A statement of intention to inflict harm; a person or thing likely to cause danger — 威胁；恐吓 and more like an option. Many are now looking beyondbeyond: On the far side of; more than; outside the limits of. — 超越；在…之外 their own borders for new ways of living, and the algorithm is always ready to help.
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
According to the article, why has the 'becoming Chinese' trend not been widely called cultural appropriation?
- 02
Why does the author mention the Labubu toys and the Rednote migration?
- 03
In the last paragraph, the author writes that the trend 'is about more than hot tea and house slippers.' What does this mean?
- 04
Explain whether you think the 'becoming Chinese' trend is mostly about health and wellness, or mostly about something bigger. Use two pieces of evidence from the article.
Suggested length: ~80 words
- 05
The author uses careful, uncertain phrases like 'may be' and 'it is not hard to imagine.' Why might a journalist choose this kind of language when writing about a social trend?
Suggested length: ~80 words
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
According to the article, why has the 'becoming Chinese' trend not been widely called cultural appropriation?
- 02
Why does the author mention the Labubu toys and the Rednote migration?
- 03
In the last paragraph, the author writes that the trend 'is about more than hot tea and house slippers.' What does this mean?
- 04
Explain whether you think the 'becoming Chinese' trend is mostly about health and wellness, or mostly about something bigger. Use two pieces of evidence from the article.
Suggested length: ~80 words
- 05
The author uses careful, uncertain phrases like 'may be' and 'it is not hard to imagine.' Why might a journalist choose this kind of language when writing about a social trend?
Suggested length: ~80 words