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Chinese Social Networking Sites 101

Zoe S. theBeijinger 2019-04-02


As most Western social networking sites are not accessible in China, a lot of expats turn to their reliable (*ahem*) VPNs for their social media fix. Yet China has its own host of popular social networking sites which offer alternatives to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram, many of which are arguably better than the Western version, offering more options and integration.

To be honest, I’m an avid lover of Chinese versions of things in general and when it comes to Chinese social media, I’ve yet to be let down in terms of finding fun and entertaining content.

Why Use Chinese Social Networking Sites?
It takes a bit of getting used to Chinese social networks, and there are a lot of cultural differences you may come across while browsing. However, using Chinese social media has many benefits, such as;

  • Learning the language (most are only in Chinese!)

  • Learning about and understanding Chinese culture

  • Getting in the loop with your Chinese friends

  • Keeping up with local trends and being aware of what’s going on around you

  • Discovering new Chinese music to accompany you on your commute

  • Staying up to date on potential job opportunities

  • Understanding your audience when seeking a potential business opportunity in social media marketing. With Chinese social networking sites, you have one of the biggest audiences in the world!


With the multitude of different social media platforms out there, it’s hard to know where to get started and which ones will interest you.

Ready to dive in? Take a gander at this Chinese Social Media 101 to help you to get started.

Note: many of these social networking sites will ONLY be available on the Chinese app store. They may also be available on a foreign store, but the content may be different. If you want to view Chinese content on the Chinese app version, make sure to head to your Chinese market store!

Douyin 抖音
Remember Vine? And that short-lived but beautiful era that had the micro-video sharing app taking up so much of our time? The now-defunct app's legacy lives on through a multitude of YouTube compilations, but there’s only so many times you can re-quote and re-watch it.

If you too have a low attention span and you enjoyed the short mindless video clips that Vine offered, look no further. China’s most popular app Douyin (and it's Western version TikTok) has become one of the world’s most popular social networking sites with millions of users all over China, and the world.

Kuaishou 快手
Facebook desperately tried to roll out its live stream function on the go in the West a couple of years back but despite its best efforts, it just couldn't quite catch on. Over in the East, however, there are thousands of people making their living from live streaming every second of every day.

Kuaishou is just one such live streaming platform, where people upload short videos for the world to see. It's also one of the few platforms that allows foreigners to live stream following restrictions that the government rolled out in early 2017 barring non-Chinese citizens from using live streaming apps.

Weibo 微博
Founded in 2009, Weibo is perhaps China's best known social media platform and is basically a combination of Facebook and Twitter, allowing users to write posts of up to 140 characters, attach hashtags as well as upload pictures, videos, GIFs etc., and follow individuals (often celebrities with millions of fans).

Because of its popularity, Weibo is heavily monitored by the government and content tends to revolve around a user's personal life rather than current affairs or politics. The platform currently has over 500 million registered users.

WeChat 微信
For the first time user, WeChat may simply appear to be a Chinese version of WhatsApp – a way to contact your friends and family via chat, voice messages, video calling, and stickers (GIFs). At a second glance, however, users quickly learn that WeChat has developed into much, much more, so much so that you hardly need to leave the app to do anything else. Whether you want to hail a cab, book train tickets, do your shopping, and top up your mobile phone balance, it's all here, conveniently in one place.

Youku 优酷
Youku is basically China’s version of YouTube. It is a video sharing platform, and one of the top video sharing apps in China. Rather than amateur content, Youku’s videos tend to err on the side of professional, and perhaps best of all, users can download and stream films and TV shows via the Youku app.

What about you, what social media platforms do you use?

READ: How This Expat KOL Went From 0 to 2 Million Followers in 3 Months


Photos: kashmirnarrator.com



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