China's Social Media Trends: Teacher Shaming, Chemical Cabbages, and AI Marketing

The latest edition of the Eye on Digital China newsletter, written from rainy Yokohama, Japan, covers a range of social media trends in China. Notably, a teacher 'shame photo' from Liangshan, Sichuan, sparked outrage after primary school teachers were forced to pose in front of a 'SHAME' sign due to low average exam scores. The Leibo County government apologized and launched an investigation. Separately, a Chinese investigative vlogger exposed workers in Kangbao, Hebei, dipping cabbages into formaldehyde solution, an illegal practice as formaldehyde is a Group 1 carcinogen. Mars-owned chocolate brand Dove faced backlash over a marketing campaign and then a poorly received AI-generated apology. A Shanghai restaurant went viral for serving a 'century-old' shark fin soup at 4,800 yuan per bowl. An eighth-grader from Shanghai earned 18,000 yuan in three days using AI, placing third in a marketing hackathon with her study-companion app 'Being There'. The newsletter also notes a decline in Chinese tourists to Japan, with 18 China-Japan air routes canceling all scheduled flights in August, totaling 1,120 cancellations. The author, Manya Koetse, reflects on her travels in Japan after eight years away.