China’s Internet may be censored but you could never call it boring.
As expected in the world’s most populous country, the viral sensations of the year ran the gamut:
Online users debated intensely over breastfeeding etiquette, gasped (or smirked) at a steamy sex tape made in a Uniqlo clothing store, soul searched when confronted with the nation’s smog problems, tiptoed around escalators, and showed an outpouring of grief for victims of the deadly Tianjin explosions.
Here are nine stories from the past year that China couldn’t stop talking about.
China’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth’
Journalist Chai Jing’s emotional documentary on China’s toxic air struck a chord with ordinary citizens here. “Under the Dome” clocked up nearly 200 million views in the one week before censors removed it from Chinese streaming sites. Chai explains how the birth of her first child with a tumor sent her on a quest to learn more about the causes and effects of China’s severe smog. Sometimes compared to “An Inconvenient Truth,” the documentary ignited a national debate concerning the oil industry, government regulation and Chai’s true motives.
Meeting ‘Brother Orange’
Young people all over China know the name Brother Orange. After his cell phone was stolen, Buzzfeed editor Matt Stopera saw selfies of a man in an orange grove pop up in his iCloud gallery. Matt turned to the Internet for help tracking down this mystery man, nicknamed “Brother Orange” by Chinese netizens. They found him in Meizhou, southern China. Matt flew out for a visit, which was, of course, meticulously tracked online. It was a match made in Internet heaven.
Roller coaster stocks
The wildest ride in China this year wasn’t at an amusement park, it was the country’s stock exchange. A steady stream of local money fed an equity bubble that popped on June 12. Chinese regulators tried aggressively to stabilize the market but the Shanghai composite still plunged 34% between June and September. At one point, more than half of all listed companies had halted trading, and regulators suspended new market listings. Things seem to be going out on a high note though. Shanghai’s main index is up more than 10% for the year.
Sex in Sanlitun
Everyone in China was talking about the sex tape made in a Uniqlo fitting room in July. The much-shared cell phone video featured a couple getting hot and heavy inside a store in Beijing’s trendy Sanlitun district. In the minute-long clip, a bespectacled man, dressed in black from head to toe, is heard telling a naked woman to kiss him as he tapes their steamy session in the mirror. Uniqlo denied any involvement in the incident. Beijing police investigated and ending up detaining five people.
Death by escalator
A thirty-second clip from a security camera became the most haunting video from China in 2015. The footage showed a mother approaching the top of an escalator with her child when a panel suddenly gives way. Although she manages to push her child to safety, she falls to her death. While online commentators praised 31-year-old Xiang Liujuan for her quick thinking to save her young son, they also questioned why the accident happened in the first place at all. Even more unsettling? A similar incident occurred a week later when a Shanghai man’s leg was amputated after it became trapped when yet another escalator panel collapsed. The accidents sparked numerous videos on social media of people tiptoeing on escalators or riding the handrails in fear of becoming the next escalator victim.
Tianjin explosions
Immense grief and anger characterized the online response to the massive explosions in the port city of Tianjin. Over 160 died, including many firefighters who rushed in to help. The explosions were fed by volatile chemicals stored in the warehouse at the center of the blasts. State media says an investigation into the incident is still underway, with 11 officials accused of negligence. The deaths led netizens to question whether more should have been done to keep Tianjin residents and emergency responders safe.
Sprouting new trends
In September, everything was coming up “sprouts” in Beijing. Sprout hair clips were all the rage for both men and women. One sprout clip vendor told CNN he felt the price — two clips for less than a dollar — was a small price to pay for joy. This Chinese fad was short lived though. As winter arrived, all the sprouts seem to have wilted.
End of the one-child policy
China announced the end of three decades of the one-child policy in October, encouraging all couples to have two children. The new policy — in effect from January 1, 2016 — will benefit 100 million couples. It comes as China battles emerging demographic issues including a rapidly aging population, shrinking labor force, and imbalanced gender ratio. However, experts say the two child policy alone can’t solve all social problems; other public policies are needed to encourage Chinese—especially young urban couples —to have a second child.
Battle over breastfeeding
A photo of a mom breastfeeding on the Beijing subway with a snarky caption set off a furious debate online in November. A passenger posted the original photo on Weibo, China’s equivalent to Twitter, with the caption: “Let me remind you — this is a Beijing subway not a bus running in your village.” But many on the internet attacked the poster — criticizing their nasty attitude and the sharing of a private moment between baby and mother, with many defending the woman’s right to feed her baby in a public space.
