Is China Suddenly Cool?

2025-04-24 06:13:20

(MENAFN- Asia Times) IShowSpeed, a 20-year-old American YouTuber and internet star, recently livestreamed hourslong tours of Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai, showcasing the locations to some of his nearly 40 million viewers .

During the March events, IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr., marveled at friendly locals, spotless streets and the high-speed Wi-Fi available on the subway; Chinese fans mobbed him for selfies on the Great Wall.

Beijing's state media lapped up the attention , with one Chinese blogger proclaiming that the American influencer had“eliminated all Western propaganda about China” in the eyes of a new generation.

IShowSpeed's YouTube page attests to this assessment.

“China is so underrated wtf,” reads one top comment .“After watching this video, I realized how foolish my previous views on China were,” reads another.

The providence of such comments isn't clear. Nonetheless, to someone who researches the use of Chinese soft power , I find the spectacle of a young American burnishing China's image to Western audiences hugely significant.

It provides an example of how soft power norms have been upended in recent years – and how China appears to be having some success in winning over the global youth .

Mixing pop and politics

Soft power refers to a country's ability to influence others , not through coercion but through attraction – by shaping preferences through culture, values and public diplomacy. Coined by political scientist Joseph Nye , the term captures how nations project power by making others want what they have, rather than forcing outcomes through military or economic pressure.

Throughout the Cold War and into the 21st century, US soft power didn't have to try that hard. It came wrapped in denim, was broadcast on MTV and blasted from boom boxes. Rock music crossed the Iron Curtain when diplomacy couldn't, with artists like Bruce Springsteen and Madonna reaching Soviet youth more effectively than any ambassador.

And in China, Michael Jackson became a pop icon well before McDonald's or Hollywood blockbusters arrived, symbolizing a glamorous, open America that millions dreamed of.

To many growing up in China in the 1990s, American culture wasn't just entertainment – it was persuasion, aspiration, even subversion.

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