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46 China Instagram Accounts You Should Follow Right Now

“China Instagram accounts” may sound like an oxymoron at first — after all, access to the platform has been blocked for years now in the Chinese mainland.

But Instagram accounts by content creators both within and outside China documenting food, visual culture, fashion, and slices of life from the country have flourished on the ‘Gram. We’ve done our best to sift through and pull out some of our favorites:

Art & Design

Lu Yang is one of the most exciting artists to come out of China in recent years. Her works, with titles like “Uterus Man” or “Material World Knight,” channel themes of horror, religion, and anime/video game culture.

 

Asian Dope Boys is a China-based multi-disciplinary art collective led by Tianzhuo Chen. Expect art installations, DJ sets, and assorted weirdness.

 

Paradise Systems is a publisher of “exemplary comics from the United States and China.” It’s vague, but it’s definitely the good kind of vague.

 

Chop Suey Club is a contemporary Chinese design and art platform, serving up intersectional chunks of China-inspired goodness.

Music

https://www.instagram.com/p/B80DDIhHhd6/

You know him, you love him: it’s Masiwei, pretty much everyone’s favorite member of the Higher Brothers (unless you’re a Knowknow fan). A perfect gateway account into the wide world of Chinese hip hop.

 

And a follow up dose — Lexie Liu shot to fame as a newcomer on hit TV show Rap of China, and has proven she’s here to stay.

 

Which segues us nicely into Queen Vava. Vava was a breakout star on the first season of Rap of China, and kind of paved the way for Lexie Liu in a country that had never had a female hip hop icon.

 

Another iconic female in China’s music scene, 33EMYBW dabbles in a number of creative industries, working in art and fashion when she isn’t crafting mind-blowing futuristic music.

 

Also blurring boundaries is music producer, “hyperpop” star, game creator, and visual artist Gao Jiafeng.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAxHXxND2rX/

Looking for a bewildering mix of music, candid club shots, life observations and Photoshopped weirdness? Female Fujian rapper Lows0n‘s Instagram account serves up all that and more.

 

Click follow on this one for a blend of music videos, band shots, and slices of everyday Sichuan life from one of the most exciting bands in China right now: Hiperson.

Food

Shanghai Girl Eats is a mainstay of Chinese food-watchers. The Shanghai-born, US-raised blogger posts about all kinds of food, but shows lots of love for her native cuisine.

 

LUCKYRICE is one of our favorite food channels here at RADII. @thedaniellechang and others gather to “celebrate Asian culture through the lens of food” — do yourself a favor and put them in your feed.

 

Chengdu Food Tours is the leading voice in, you guessed it, Chengdu food tours. But even if a trip to the Sichuan capital isn’t on the cards for you any time soon, this account is a great way to learn more about the province’s infamously spicy cuisine and feast your eyes on what this region has to offer.

 

UnTour Food Tours is another tour company account that — regardless of how likely actual travel is looking for you in the near-future — does a fantastic job of transporting you to restaurants across China.

 

Chinese Plating is very niche, and we do mean very. As its name suggests, it’s dedicated to the plating of Chinese dishes, or as its bio puts it, “documenting 20th century Chinese food design through archive materials.” Yum!

 

Simple and straightforward. Pictures of awesome food. And they have a TikTok!

 

Sichuanese chef and Fly By Jing boss lady Jenny Gao‘s account isn’t exclusively for food content, but you can expect lots of gorgeously shot photos and Chinese food porn from her travels between LA, Chengdu, and Shanghai.

 

No Sweet Sour is a Norway-based Chinese food blogger whose specialty is food from Yunnan, the Chinese province that borders Myanmar and Vietnam. Her posts are as eye-catching as they are informative, and she includes links to full recipes on her blog.

 

Lifestyle and food vlogger Li Ziqi is an enormous star in China, and now she’s coming for the rest of the world. Her videos of life with her grandma in rural Sichuan will soothe your tired mind.

Fashion

Yuhan Wang’s muted, billowing designs take cues from England’s Victorian era, serving us feminine looks that we’ve never quite seen before.

 

On the other end of the spectrum, Antwerp-based Shuting Qiu’s designs embrace the loud, dynamic, and in-your-face side of women’s fashion.

 

Valentina Li is a face painter whose work in the fashion field will no doubt stun you. Her avant-garde designs are worth hours of scrolling.

 

For independent Chinese fashion, Labelhood was arguably the incubator that started it all. The platform helped of the brightest design talents launch their careers, including Next in Fashion contestant Angel Chen, futuristic menswear designer Xander Zhou, and Lady Gaga favorite Windowsen — plus a host of up-and-coming names that they regularly showcase on their Instagram.

 

Though of few words, Drop China offers a fantastic lens onto the everyday outfits of some of China’s most fashionable city slickers.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA4eWrWlqSJ/

Temper Magazine is another loud voice on the topics of new-school Chinese fashion and youth culture, as well as related fields.

 

Siyuan Gao is serving looks. That’s all there is to it. Worth a follow.

Photography

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-xdJ1aARlO/

Hailun Ma is one of our favorite photographers. Her work re-imagines the traditions of her native Xinjiang through lenses of fashion and street culture.

 

Feng Li’s photography is visually arresting, with an unpolished and unscripted feel that points to a latent countercultural energy running through his subjects.

 

Jumbo Tsui is a visionary photographer who you should probably be keeping up with. His striking work has been featured in Vogue, Elle, and soon, your feed.

 

Luo Yang is a fast-rising photographer in China, whose work is “identified by its unflinching, intimate look at the lives of young Chinese people.”

 

Yiming is a Nanjing-based photographer and 3D artist, focusing on neon cityscapes that blur the line between reality and fiction.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9mfMRSpFfI/

Lin Zhipeng is another attention-grabbing artist in China’s photography scene. His work reflects, in his own words, “a certain zeitgeist of the post-’80s and ’90s generation Chinese youth.” We’re inclined to agree.

 

Beijing Silvermine is actually a goldmine. Described as “an archive of negatives salvaged over the last ten years from a recycling plant on the edge of Beijing,” the account provides fascinating glimpses into everyday family life in China from days gone by.

 

Missionary Magazine is an independent publication focusing on LGBTQ+ issues, art and photography in China.

Travel

Even if you’re not able to travel, take a visual trip through the countryside on Wild China Travel’s Instagram, where the hustle and bustle of Shanghai and Beijing give way to the clear waters and sweeping valleys of China’s lesser-known destinations.

 

China Insider curates stunning videos and imagery from across China. Expect unique cultural moments, dexterous street food vendors, and plenty of tourists on precarious rope bridges.

 

Kevin Cook, better known by the name of his YouTube channel Monkey Abroad, is the travel blogger you can’t help but love. His infectious positivity takes him all around Asia, but he goes deep when it comes to China, hosting documentaries in rural villages and helping viewers navigate the language and culture.

 

If you’re looking for lush shots of beautiful landscapes to help you plan your next trip in China, @cocoanext is the account to follow — the National Geographic-featured photographer seems to be equally active in the most bustling cities and the most remote mountains.

Sports and Wellness

Even if you’re not a sports fan, you probably have heard of Zhang Weili. The strawweight fighter made history when she became the UFC’s first-ever Chinese champion just 42 seconds into her Championship fight with Jessica Andrade, and later put up one of the most gruesome battles in the history of womens’ MMA to defeat Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Zhang is certainly one to keep your eye on.

 

For something completely different, try Chen Kang. The IFBB athlete placed 5th in Mr. Olympia last year and has become something of a national hero. All titles aside, though, check out that quad definition….

 

New York-based Traditional Chinese Medicine Nutritionist and chef Zoey Gong‘s posts traverse introductions to TCM, cooking tutorials, and reading materials such as Erotic Aspects of Chinese Culture.

Offbeat

We all need a reminder sometimes to lighten up and not take ourselves too seriously. Rich Kids English Police is that reminder, where “recording China’s globalization” is a tongue-in-cheek way of saying they post people’s most confident English language missteps.

 

Shanzhai Lyric is like Rich Kids English Police, but for people’s shirts. Enjoy.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCexRJQpcm2/

Shanghai Observed is a new-school classic, documenting uncanny and offbeat moments in and outside of the city of Shanghai.

Everything

You didn’t think we’d forget, did you? We hope you’ve gotten something from this list. If you have, you’re basically guaranteed to get something from following our Instagram account, where we post our favorite original content as well as highlights from China’s new wave. C’mon, you know you want to.

Think we missed something? Leave your recommendations in the comments below or tag us over on Instagram itself.

Chinese Martial Artists Must Stop Calling Themselves “Masters”, According to Official Decree

The Chinese Wushu Association, the only organization to govern martial arts in China on a national scale, has issued a statement against glorifying your own kung fu, advising that practitioners should not refer to themselves as “kung fu masters” or as “head” of a specific kung fu style.

The statement may be long overdue — the trend of challenge matches between kung fu “masters” and modern MMA fighters started as a one-time viral event, but has since spiraled out of control.

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It all began in 2017 when Xu Xiaodong called out “thunder-style” tai chi master Wei Lei. What began as Xu asking for proof of Wei’s supposed supernatural abilities, culminated in a bare-knuckle challenge match, which Xu won convincingly in ten seconds.

The brawl sparked a debate in China about the virtues of Chinese martial arts versus modern sport combat. Some criticized Xu for embarrassing Chinese culture, while others lauded him for his practical approach. Putting himself in the spotlight, Xu navigated social and legal punishment, from death threats to fines, to a shrinking social credit score which stopped him from renting property or riding on high-speed trains.

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Nonetheless, he kept on going. In January 2019, Xu Xiaodong bludgeoned another supposed “master” into submission. Just months later, he battered a “pressure point” wing chun “master” to a pulp in under one minute.

Just recently, another renowned “master” Ma Baoguo faced a short and embarrassing knockout against 49-year-old amateur kickboxer Wang Qingming.

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Apparently, the Chinese Wushu Association has had enough.

“Some people proclaim themselves as ‘wushu masters’ only to pursue their personal fame through staging fights to get public attention, which will seriously damage the image of Chinese martial arts,” read the statement.



Wu Bin, former deputy president of the Chinese Wushu Association, had already denounced Ma as knowing nothing about wushu, and not being able to represent Chinese martial arts. But the new statement aims to reach wider, stopping fraudulent and ego-born martial arts at the root.

If martial artists across China really do stop calling themselves things like “thunder style tai chi master”, Xu Xiaodong may rest easy at night, knowing he’s made a difference.

Image: “Tai Chi Master” (1993)

Watch: Instagram Live Chat on Black Lives Matter and Asian Communities

In partnership with Black Livity China, RADII is hosting a live chat on our Instagram between hip hop artists Bohan Phoenix and MC Tingbudong this weekend.

Since the start of the latest Black Lives Matter protests in the US and around the world, discussion has swirled for weeks in both the media and on online platforms in mainland China.

Within the country’s hip hop community — which many feel owes its success to the genre’s origins in Black culture — reactions have varied widely. Some of the most famous rappers from China have been largely silent on the issue, while others have been passionately outspoken. And beyond the world of hip hop, the movement has raised many questions around Asian communities’ support of Black Lives Matter.

Born in Hubei province in China and raised in New York, Bohan Phoenix is an acclaimed bilingual rapper who has worked with the likes of Higher Brothers and Vava. MC Tingbudong (aka Jamel Mims) is a Washington DC-born rapper, poet and activist who became a key part of the late ’00s Beijing hip hop scene after spending a year in the Chinese capital through a Fulbright scholarship.

blm instagram radii live conversation

The discussion will be about the Black Lives Matter movement and Asian communities around the world, and how public figures as well as everyday people can be better allies in the movement.

Tune in on July 12, 2020 at 9am Eastern Standard Time (or July 12 at 9pm Beijing Standard Time) to watch the chat live on our Instagram.

Here’s What the World’s Largest Exam Will Look Like Amid Coronavirus

Large gatherings around the world have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. But in China, more than 10 million high school graduates will sit the gaokao, the national college entrance examination, on Tuesday and Wednesday after a month’s postponement.

The exams are seen as extraordinarily stressful under normal circumstances, but this year they come with the added pressure of taking place against the backdrop of Covid-19. Authorities have introduced strict mechanisms to prevent a possible spread of the virus as 18-year-olds spend hours in closed testing centers over the span of two days.

First, there will be a mandatory temperature check at the entrance. Below 37.3°C? You are good to go. If not, no worries — those with a higher temperature or cold symptoms will not be turned away. Rather, they will be quarantined in backup testing rooms if well enough to complete the exam. Anyone showing symptoms during the exam will also be transferred to individual testing sites, which will, in principle, not host more than one person at a time. Testing time lost in the process will be made up.

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Face masks are, of course, required in public areas at examination sites, but most test takers are allowed to remove them while taking the exams. Students in mid- and high-risk areas — which now means parts of southern Beijing — aren’t as lucky, as they are required to survive hours-long tests with masks on in the midst of the capital’s sweaty summer.

Each testing room will also accommodate fewer students than usual for social distancing purposes, with the total number of sites increased to help accomodate for the new measures. Beijing, for example, only allows for 20 students per room, as opposed to 30 in previous years.

This year will see an increase of gaokao takers by 400,000 from last year. Nationwide, there are more than 7,000 examination sites, and those administering and proctoring the tests total 945,000. Students and staff have been asked to monitor and record their temperature every day from two weeks ahead of the examination dates.

Related:

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Post-Gaokao Travel Up 500% as China’s Students Relieve Exam Stress
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Other countries have canceled or postponed college admissions exams due to Covid-19. In France, for instance, the baccalauréat (“bac”) was called off in April — for the first time in history since its introduction under Napoleon Bonaparte — while tops US universities have decided not to require standardized testing scores for admissions.

This isn’t the first time the gaokao has been postponed however. In 2008, it was rescheduled in Sichuan province due to the devastating Wenchuan earthquake in May of that year.

It would not be a stretch to say that the gaokao is the most important written exam in the lives of many Chinese, partly because it requires years of preparation, and candidates can only take it once annually. Underprivileged students, especially in rural areas, have traditionally seen attending prestigious colleges as a means to relocate to larger cities and ameliorate economic conditions — which is perhaps why some have chosen to retake it year after year, as Jack Ma did three times, or to attend infamously high-pressure gaokao “factories” like Maotanchang just to score a few points higher.

Related:

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Recent reports have also revealed more than 200 cases of identity theft pertaining to the gaokao. In Shandong province, college graduates were found to have enrolled using other people’s identities, illegally taking their admission spots from them.

Another challenge to this year’s examinations is the weather. The gaokao normally takes place in June, and was actually moved from July in 2003 because of the mid-summer heat, floods, and typhoons that effect much of the country at this time of year and are currently playing out in several regions of China. It is also worth noting that 12th graders have barely attended in-person classes this year, since the pandemic ensured many schools in the country have been largely closed since the January winter break.

Did Ex-EXO Pop Star Luhan Just Get Married?

Another day, another Luhan scandal.

When he’s not out destroying Chinese sci-fi or producing bangers with ex-bandmate Kris Wu, the former K-pop and current “little fresh meat” star is busy breaking hearts with rumors about him and his actress girlfriend Guan Xiaotong.

The pair were first confirmed to be dating in October 2017 when Luhan introduced her in a Weibo post that literally shut down the popular Chinese social media platform. Now, the word is they’ve tied the knot.

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This week, a new rumor circulating on Weibo claims that the pair might have registered to be married in secret over the weekend. Some news outlets are also reporting that the “groom” bought an 80 million RMB (11 million USD) apartment as part of his wedding plans.

Luhan Married rumors screenshot Radii China

From Weibo account 小颖劈叉兔

Rather than believe the rumor, however, it seems that most fans are choosing to 吃瓜 (chi gua, “eat melon”) on this one, a slang term for internet users who watch from the sidelines rather than engage with a particular story. The reason? We’ve been here before. Several times.

According to one gossip-fatigued Weibo user, “This couple gets married every day.”

Considering how frequently these rumors fly, with the pop star himself occasionally stepping in to dispel them, it’s safe to say that Luhan probably didn’t get married last weekend. When he does, the Luhan stans — and hopefully Weibo’s servers — will be ready.

Wǒ Men Podcast: How Porn Helped Me Through Lockdown

The Wǒ Men Podcast is a discussion of life in China hosted by Yajun Zhang, Jingjing Zhang and Karoline Kan. Previous episodes of the Wǒ Men Podcast can be found here, and you can subscribe to Wǒ Men on iTunes here.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected many people’s lives and had a detrimental impact on businesses around the world. But some industries have inadvertently benefited from the outbreak — such as pornography. Despite the fact that porn is legally prohibited in China, such restrictions don’t stop many people from looking for adult content, most of the time by using a VPN to bypass the country’s internet censorship.

For this episode we talked to Annie Huang, who shares why she uses pornography as a healthy entertainment option to help relieve stress. She also explains why women should consider their sexual desires as normal needs, rather than something to be ashamed of.

Listen below on Mixcloud, or find Wǒ Men on iTunes here.