A bizarre trend sweeping through China has unemployed youths paying fees to pretend to work in rented offices for absolutely no financial gain. Millions of Chinese people report to their office jobs every day, but while the overwhelming majority get paid to do so, some actually pay fake companies to allow them to pretend to work there. In exchange for a daily fee of between 30 and 50 yuan ($4-$7), these specialized companies offer anyone the chance to experience various working environments, complete with desks, lunch facilities, and free Wi-Fi. While most simply allow clients to chill in their facilities, those looking for an extra layer of realism can pay extra for fictitious tasks, fake managers, and even staged employee rebellions. These so-called “pretend-to-work companies” have been growing in popularity this year to meet a growing demand among unemployed youths. Read More »

A growing number of young Chinese looking for low-maintenance companionship are turning their attention to jars of activated yeast that only need flour and water. So-called static pets such as stones, mango pits, paper boxes, and even toothpaste have become very popular with Chinese youths looking for low-commitment companionship to compensate for their stresfull daily lives and careers. However, one such static pet has been seeing massive popularity in the Asian country, “pet yeast”. Nicknamed “face worm” by netizens, the yeast can be “raised” in a simple container by feeding dry yeast with flour, water, and a bit of sugar. After stirring the ingredients, all you need to do is wait a few hours to see the yeast grow into a sticky, bubbling mass that emits a typical wine-like aroma. Apparently, this is enough for young people looking for easy companionship. Read More »

A young Chinese woman recently went viral after sharing the dramatic physical transformation she experienced during her pregnancy, changes that have since subsided. Li Wei, a young woman from Kunming, in China’s Yunnan Province, was ecstatic when she first learned that she had become pregnant. She even looked better, her skin cleared up, and she had this incredible energy. Doctors told her it was normal to feel more radiant, a phenomenon known as the “joy of pregnancy”, because of elevated estrogen and progesterone levels. However, by the fifth month of her pregnancy, Li noticed strange changes to her face; her nose got a lot bigger, and her fine wrinkles became noticeably deeper to the point where she couldn’t recognize herself in the mirror. But this was only the beginning. Read More »

A seasoned paraglider miraculously survived a rare and dangerous phenomenon that saw him being sucked up by clouds to an altitude of 28,210 feet (8,600 meters). Photos and videos of Chinese paraglider Liu Ge trying to keep his cool (pun intended) as he experienced dangerously low levels of oxygen and temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius (-40° Fahrenheit) went viral on social media this week. In them, the experienced paraglider’s clothes and face are covered with ice, and he struggles to breathe and keep from passing out because of the low oxygen. On May 24th, Liu Ge took off from about 3,000 meters in the Qilian Mountains, on the border between western Gansu and northeastern Qinghai, but as he was paragliding, a cumulonimbus cloud appeared behind him and he ended up being lifted higher and higher, above the clouds. Read More »

Chinese robotics company Unitree showcased the fighting capabilities of its G1 robot model in what was advertised as the world’s first-ever humanoid robot fighting competition. Remember Real Steel, the 2011 sci-fi flick starring Hugh Jackman as a struggling ex-boxer turned robot fighting coach? It was set in the “near future”, but who would have thought that we would really have robot fighting competitions just over a decade later? Just last week, Unitree, a robotics company based in China’s Zhejiang Province, held a unique kickboxing competition to show the capabilities of its G1 robot. Standing only 130 cm (4ft 3in) tall and weighing 35 kilograms (77lbs), the G1 is a small, lightweight robot capable of smooth, fluid movements, and displaying impressive balance and recovery ability. And what better way to showcase these features than having G1 robots go at it as part of the world’s first ever robot fighting competition?! Read More »

A Chinese woman with severe vitamin D deficiency caused by excessive sunscreen use suffered a bone fracture just by rolling in her bed. Doctors at the XinDu Traditional Medicine Hospital, in Chengdu, China, recently reported the unusual case of a 48-year-old local woman who had apparently suffered a bone fracture just by casually rolling in bed. According to Dr. Long Shuang, tests performed at the hospital showed that the unnamed woman’s vitamin D levels were extremely low, which had accelerated bone loss and caused the onset of severe osteoporosis. Further investigation revealed that the patient had avoided sunlight since childhood, rarely wearing short-sleeved shirts and always applying sunscreen when going outside. Her case was presented as a warning for other sunscreen enthusiasts who might be overusing it and thus affecting their bone health. Read More »

Chinese doctors were recently baffled by the curious case of a young woman who suddenly became unable to speak English, a language she had been fluent in. Last week, Wan Feng, the director of the Department of Neurosurgery at Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital in Guangzhou, China, posted a video of a 24-year-old woman who had suddenly fallen ill during class one day and developed a very curious symptom – the woman had been proficient in English prior to the classroom incident, but after, she could only speak Mandarin and Cantonese. The young woman could still read and understand English perfectly, but for some reason, she could no longer speak the language at all. Read More »

A Chinese woman was allegedly forced to take off her heavy makeup after facial recognition scanners at an airport failed to confirm her identity. A short clip showing a young woman using wet wipes to clean her face of makeup while being scolded by airport staff went viral on Chinese social media last week, sparking all sorts of humorous comments. According to the boarding pass shown in the video next to the woman’s ID, the video was shot in September of last year, at Shanghai Airport, but only recently attracted attention online. During the short clip, the woman holding the camera (presumably an airport official), scolds the young girl, telling her that she needs to wipe off all the makeup until she looks like the picture on her identification document. Read More »

Dico’s, a popular Chinese fast food restaurant chain, has been attracting a lot of attention because of its newest menu item, charred-looking chicken strips that don’t have the most appetizing appearance. Since 2015, Dico’s has been celebrating ‘Krispy Day’ by adding one or two crispy items to its menu, but this year, their newest additions have been attracting more attention than usual, mostly because of their unusual look. The “Black Gold Pepper Crispy Pork” became available at Dico’s restaurants across China at the end of last month, and it has been going viral on social media ever since. Not only do the crispy strips look charred, but their shape has been drawing comparisons to human poop and inspiring hundreds of funny comments online. Although the company has clarified that the meat is covered in a special “black gold coating” that causes it to turn black when deep-fried, most people are still not very tempted to try the new menu item. Read More »

Beijing recently held the so-called “world’s first humanoid robot half marathon,” but instead of putting humans to shame, the participating robots only showed off their weaknesses. Robotics companies, especially Chinese ones, have been busy showing off their revolutionary creations, like SE01, a robot capable of mimicking a natural gait, Star1 – the world’s fastest robot, or the NEO Gamma, an AI-powered humanoid butler, but a recent running event held in Beijing proved that they still have a long way to go. The 2025 Beijing Yizhuang Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon featured a special running lane for the 21 different robots registered to take part in what was marketed as the world’s first-ever humanoid robot half-marathon. It was supposed to showcase the huge progress made by Chinese robotics companies, but judging by some media reports, the event was a massive failure. Read More »

A number of hair salons in China have introduced AI-powered shampooing machines that can reportedly wash and rinse clients’ hair in just 13 minutes. The AI revolution is just starting, but it seems the hair care industry is already using artificial intelligence to automate the hair-washing process in hair salons. According to several Chinese news outlets, AI-powered hair-washing devices have been spotted at hair salons in various districts of China’s Guangzhou Province, with some referring to their growing popularity as an “AI-shampooing craze”. The innovative machines reportedly rely on infrared sensors to detect the user’s scalp and then select the right shampoo and shampooing method based on the person’s hair type. Read More »

The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge spanning 625 meters (2,051 feet) above the Beipan River, in China’s Guizhou Province, is set to become the world’s highest bridge upon completion, in the second half of 2025. The mountainous province of Guizhou is well-known for its complex terrain and the incredible bridges traversing it. Guizhou is home to more than half of the world’s top 100 highest bridges and has set the record for the world’s highest bridge more than once. This year, the Chinese province will once again claim the record for the third consecutive time! The first was in 2003 when the Beipanjiang Guanxing Bridge became the first suspension bridge in the world to surpass the 1,000-foot height threshold. The second time was in 2016, with the innovative Beipanjiang Duge Bridge, and this year, it’s doing it again with a bridge over the deepest part of the Beipan River Valley, a place known as the Huajiang Grand Canyon, or the ‘Earth Crack’. Read More »

A Chinese-made toilet brush designed as a parody of American President Donald Trump has seen a massive spike in domestic sales as a result of the tit-for-tat tariff war between China and the US. The yellow Trump toilet brush isn’t new. It dates back to the US President’s first term in office, when Chinese factories were churning out all sorts of Trump-themed products because of his popularity, both in China and in the US. A lot has changed since then, though, and today, many Chinese are buying the funny toilet brush as a way to ridicule the American president after he set massive commercial tariffs on Chinese goods. Chinese media is reporting a significant increase in Trump toilet brush sales as part of a trend called “Yiwu’s counterattack”. Read More »

An increasing number of young adults in China is opting to live in hotels full-time because it is more cost-effective and more convenient than renting or buying a home. Last year, we wrote about a family of eight living full-time in a luxury hotel in Nanyang, China’s Henan Province. Their story made international news headlines at the time, but it was anything but unique. In reality, a growing number of people are negotiating long-term stays in hotels all across the country because it is not only cheaper than renting or buying a home, but it beats having to deal with landlords, signing dodgy contracts, and even having to pay utilities or do any kind of cleaning. The biggest drawbacks are not being able to redecorate or cook, but for many young adults in China, those are not deal-breakers at all. Read More »

A Chinese man who had developed a habit of smelling his dirty socks after wearing them for a whole day has been diagnosed with fungal lung infection. A middle-aged office worker from Chonqing, whose name was not revealed by the media, was recently admitted to the Southwest Hospital of the Army Medical University with a persistent cough. The man told doctors that his cough had worsened in recent days despite taking cough syrup and that his eyes had become bloodshot, which prompted him to seek medical assistance. After conducting CT and MRI examinations, doctors found suspicious shadows in his lower right lung, and a subsequent bronchoscopy showed that the patient suffered from a fungal lung disease caused by an Aspergillus infection. Upon questioning him about the possible causes of the infection, the doctors learned that the man had developed a habit of smelling his own dirty socks. Read More »