IShowSpeed China livestream goes viral debunking Western misconceptions and also showcasing the country’s modern culture.
A new viral moment in China-West cultural exchanges has exploded! Popular American influencer “IShowSpeed,” who has 37 million YouTube subscribers, recently livestreamed his trip to China, grabbing attention worldwide.
In just 6 hours of streaming from Shanghai, he pulled in an incredible 5.6 million viewers and sparked thousands of comments.
This marked IShowSpeed’s first visit to China, and he dove straight into the experience. He explored Shanghai, Beijing, and also other Chinese cities, wearing a traditional floral jacket, watching lion dances, tasting hot pot and the fermented drink ‘douzhi,’ riding shared bikes, and even test-driving the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra. His enthusiasm spread quickly, and viewers across the globe caught his excitement.
IShowSpeed’s raw livestream allowed viewers to experience China firsthand. Many had assumed that China was closed off or backward. Instead, they witnessed a modern, futuristic, and welcoming nation full of warmth and energy.
IShowSpeed’s surprising role as a cultural ambassador began after his viral cover of Chinese singer Da Zhangwei’s “Sunshine Rainbow White Pony” in February 2023. The song’s quirky lyrics quickly became a TikTok meme. Later, when he joined Xiaohongshu (RedNote), his posts gained over 1 million followers in just weeks. Notably, his freestyle rap session on the Shanghai subway went viral, with commuters rapping and even grandmothers beat-boxing as well. This cross-generational harmony created a moment that no government campaign could manufacture.
Following IShowSpeed’s livestream going viral, some critics called him China’s “puppet.” Suggesting he was taking funding from the Chinese government for the trip. To counter these claims, a member on his team his team stated on social media site X (formally known as Twitter) that they accepted no money from the government. IShowSpeed has livestreamed from various countries across the world, demonstrating his global reach.
In fact, IShowSpeed’s approach reflects China’s rise in the digital world. Just as TikTok empowered individual creators over corporate studios, his livestream presented an authentic, fresh perspective on China. As the livestream ended and he boarded his flight home, two things became crystal clear: first, there is a broad misconstruction of China in the West shaped by ignorance of China, and second, the challenge to that narrative wasn’t government spokespeople, but a generation that trusts smartphones over traditional media.
Written by Yi Shen.
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