Study Travel (yan xue)
23 December 2024
This blogpost explores a catchphrase yanxue (study travel) and its intersections with education, policy, and consumer culture, from its roots in project-based learning to its commercialisation as a luxury study experience.
Being both Cool and Cute (ke yan ke tian)
16 October 2024
This essay addresses a catchphrase 'being both cool and cute' (ke yan ke tian) that seamlessly blends contrasting traits and personalities, evoking a modern gendered subjectivity that celebrates versatility and seemingly transcends traditional gender binaries.
'Empowerment' and 'funeng'
3 September 2024
This essay examines how the term 'empowerment' ('funeng' in Chinese) takes on different meanings and implications in various fields and social practices across China and the West.
#RefusingMenstrualShame (#拒绝月经羞耻): Affective Feminist Catchphrases on Chinese Social Media
13 August 2024
This blogpost explores #RefusingMenstrualShame as a catchphrase adopted by digital feminist activists in China, aiming to challenge patriarchal taboos around menstruation whilst sparking both feminist solidarity and anti-feminist backlash.
'Involution' (neijuan)
22 July 2024
This essay discusses a catchword 'neijuan', which originated in scholarly discourse but has seen a dramatic increase in everyday usage to describe the intense pressure and competition in educational and work environments in China.
‘China and the West’
11 July 2024
'Cutting off a Kidney'
28 June 2024
In the context of post-COVID regulation on international mobility for Chinese nationals, Dr Tang Ling examines the catchphrase 'cutting off a kidney', adopted in various media to fuel a narrative and moral panic about a dangerous Southeast Asia.
Digital Mapping of Chinese Catchwords
17 June 2024
With a view to initiating this blog on Chinese catchwords, this essay outlines a few contextual and methodological issues in relation to studying catchwords and catchphrases from a media studies perspective.
Keywords and Catchwords: Notes from China
17 June 2024
Wang Yusu explains what 'catchwords' and 'keywords' mean in relation to Chinese Internet subcultures, and gives an overview of sources and disciplinary approaches.