https://www.collapselife.com/p/china-is ... nd-its-not
China is winning wars and it's not even fighting
Influencers, algorithms, and Western disillusionment are reshaping the battlefield.
What these trips, and others like them, achieve is more than viral entertainment. They work to actively rewrite the story of China that Americans know through the Tiananmen Square massacre, forced labor among the Uyghurs, the surveillance state, the social credit system, and more.
Pew research suggests that while most Americans still have negative views of China, the share with a favorable view has risen six percentage points since last year and nearly doubled since 2023. Younger Americans have more positive views of China than their older counterparts, with about a third of adults under 50 (34%) holding favorable opinions of China, compared to just 19% of those over 50.
By early 2026 the effect had a name: Chinamaxxing. On TikTok and Instagram, Gen Z users began posting videos of themselves “becoming Chinese” — drinking hot water for digestion, shuffling around in slippers, queuing for congee, even adopting the occasional floral quilted jacket. NPR, The New York Times, and CNN all ran explainers on the trend, noting it reflected not just curiosity about China but deep disillusionment with American hustle culture, crony capitalism, and political dysfunction.
“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; - Exodus 20:5