Qian Huang 黄倩

Abstract: Scholarship on “non-Western” civilizational discourse in international relations remains largely limited to the versions crafted or endorsed by the state. This paper takes the representation of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Chinese social media as an entry point to exploring vernacular and competing narratives of civilization in global cultural politics. Drawing on data from multiple platforms, I scrutinize visions of civilizational progress, decay, and betrayal, interlaced with contested imaginaries of “China”, “France”, and “the West”, in celebratory and demonizing discourses on the spectacle. First, I argue that ideas of “civilizational standards” have always been co-produced, appropriated, and negotiated by actors from the peripheries, rather than monopolized by the centre. A nuanced and situational reading of the celebratory discourse shows how users employ civilizational and universalist vocabularies to contest locally hegemonic structures, which may simultaneously reproduce and challenge homonationalist logics. Secondly, the paper contributes to the emerging literature on the co-opting of the anticolonial language in reactionary politics, showing that in this case, the accusation of coloniality is turned inwards to target the internal other, whose identification with progressive values is recast as colonial subservience and betrayal. Finally, I show that the trope of “Western civilizational decay” and certain constructions of difference/affinities are instrumental to queerphobic nationalist narratives. However, civilizational signifiers such as “West” and “East” function in digital reactionary discourse less as a tool for narrating cultural distinctiveness than as flexible transnational codes, allowing for transversal alignment to emerge across conventional geopolitical and ideological boundaries.

🚨new open-access article!🚨
what do drastically different representations of the Paris Olympic opening ceremony on Chinese social media tell us about competing narratives of civilization & transversal alignment in digital reactionary politics?
academic.oup.com/isagsq/artic...

Absolutely enjoyed the session!

I look forward to serving the community in the coming years!

Our episode on China’s incel community explored discourse on gender expectations in Chinese society. @qianhuang.bsky.social from the University of Groningen weighs in on how state and incel perspectives differ on articulating women’s roles.

Listen to the full episode: omny.fm/shows/the-li...

How does the Chinese manosphere compare to the Western one? In our latest episode, guests @qianhuang.bsky.social and Ling Tang weigh up on similarities and differences between incel discourse across cultures.

Listen to the full episode: omny.fm/shows/the-li...

In the latest in our series on belief, we’re examining the emergence of incels in the world’s largest manosphere. China’s growing incel community is fuelled by state-approved nationalism and simple demographics—by one estimate, 30 million Chinese men won’t find a life partner. (1/3)

Anger grows in China over reports of online groups sharing explicit photos of women Chinese media said more than 100,000 were members of Telegram group that shared pictures taken without consent

Mass #voyeurism scandal hits #China… how can the misuse of almost invisible cameras be regulated? #surveillance
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

A milestone! I’m awarded a VENI Grant (€ 320k) by NWO for a 4-year project. I will compare digital visibility negotiation practices of public intellectuals in 3 sectors in China and NL to conceptualize cautious labor. I am extremely thankful for the support of RUG FA and so many colleagues/friends.

did I contentify this blog post? yes I did by creating a thumbnail image!

19. @katypearce.bsky.social on Azerbaijani activists managing their visibility, stigma, and family relationships on social media platforms: doi.org/10.1177/1354...

17. Kateryna Kasianenko on Japanese users' visibility practices to support Ukraine during Russia’s invasion: doi.org/10.1177/1354...
18. @Jan Bernadas, @cheryllsoriano.bsky.social, Jason Cabañes & Maria Tarroja on social media bullying and disconnection in the Philippines: doi.org/10.1177/1354...

15. Jing Zeng & Hongbo Fang on Chinese diaspora negotiating issue visibility within Jianzhong Quan: doi.org/10.1177/1354...
16. Aldo Gavril Lim, Cleofe Torres, Sarah Cardey, Anna Macready & Maria Stella Tirol on Filipino men living with HIV managing visibility on Twitter: doi.org/10.1177/1354...

13. Tingting Hu & Tingting Liu on Chinese queer presence in audio drama platform to reclaim and remediate space: doi.org/10.1177/1354...
14. Ausma Bernot, Fan Yang & Sara Davies on the invisible activism under China’s queer necropolitics: doi.org/10.1177/1354...

11. Trang-Nhung Pham & Phuong Mai Anh Tran on the feminism debates surrounding Lisa’s exotic dance in the Vietnamese public sphere: doi.org/10.1177/1354...
12. Rituparna Banerjee & Saumava Mitra on gendered visual politics during state election in West Bengal, India: doi.org/10.1177/1354...

9. Junjian Liang & Lina Hyun on how a meme gains cross-media visibility in Chinese Audiovisual media: doi.org/10.1177/1354...
10. Boyi Huang on Chinese queer subtitling community’s digital visibility management: doi.org/10.1177/1354...

7. @mickvierbergen.bsky.social on underground music and performance scenes in Shanghai negotiate their hybrid visibilities: doi.org/10.1177/1354...
8. Anna Yan Liu & Harsh Taneja on K-pop as a niche genre gaining mainstream visibility in the US: doi.org/10.1177/1354...

5. Jin-A Choi & @saifshahin.bsky.social on the reactions to the Itaewon stampede across Korean and English networked publics: doi.org/10.1177/1354...
6. @fmouillot.bsky.social on the dynamics of knowledge production on social media platforms in East Asian music production: doi.org/10.1177/1354...

We are deeply inspired by and thankful for the contributors and peer reviewers whose work made this possible. We’re immensely proud and grateful. Check out the full list of articles and authors in the following thread

With this, we invite scholars of digital visibility to: 1. Recognize the theory-building capacity of Asian case studies & engage more with emerging Asian scholars; 2. Expand the scope of “digital visibility negotiation” discussion; 3. Use the lens of visibility to conceptualize other phenomena.

After 2 years of dedicated work, our special issue is finally out! We present to you 19 articles in Convergence. Together with my brilliant co-editors — Jing Zeng, Hiromi Tanaka & @saifshahin.bsky.social — we rethink digital visibility negotiation grounded in Asia. Read our intro: shorturl.at/4xLZJ

My latest on social media platforms and logics of knowledge production in East Asian independent music, out in Convergence now:

doi.org/10.1177/1354...

Special thanks to @qianhuang.bsky.social for helping bring this out into the world!

CDCS Symposium: Reframing Leisure, Humor, and Play in Global Digital Culture CDCS Symposium: Reframing Leisure, Humor, and Play in Global Digital Culture

Here is the program of our 4/25 Symposium on Reframing Leisure, Humor, and Play in Global Digital Culture www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/.... @annenbergcargc.bsky.social

During this month’s CKN Knowledge Session, the latest developments around Chinese social media platform #xiaohongshu were discussed🔎.

Many thanks to Dr. @qianhuang.bsky.social and Dr. @carwynmorris.bsky.social for presenting their insights!

Learn more on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9sO...

How do content creators learn about a dozen platforms and push their content into the ‘for you’ page?🤔

In this new OA paper in New Media & Society, I explore transnational creators' algorithmic and visibility practices across multiple Chinese and US-based platforms.

🔗 shorturl.at/f0mAC

Xiaohongshu is teaching young Chinese women how to buy the perfect life Known as China’s “lifestyle bible,” the social media platform is an aspirational living guide or a consumerist trap.

If you are interested in learning more about #Xiaohongshu #RedNote, @restofworld.org has published many in-depth stories about the community:

My story on XHS as an ultra-consumerist app, showing young women a polished, bougie, often-unattainable way of life.
restofworld.org/2023/xiaohon...

Thank you Nicole!

From 2018 but good context: art19.com/shows/tech-b...

Some cultural context: thechinaproject.com/2023/06/07/h...

thechinaproject.com/2022/11/17/p...

thechinaproject.com/2023/06/06/w...

thechinaproject.com/2023/08/10/w...

thechinaproject.com/2023/06/20/w...

U.S. TikTokers flock to Xiaohongshu, baffling and bonding with Chinese users Americans are joining the Chinese social media app en masse to protest an imminent TikTok ban.

Americans are joining the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu AKA RedNote en masse to protest an imminent TikTok ban.

New from @kinlinglo.bsky.social and @violazhou.bsky.social
restofworld.org/2025/tiktok-...

As promised, a reading list about Xiaohongshu is available now with the help of many Chinese social media researchers: qianxeniahuang.super.site/resources/xi.... Special thanks to @carwynmorris.bsky.social for co-editing this. I am only hosting this on my personal website for logistic reasons.

Engaging with #Xiaohongshu ( #RED / #REDnote / #LittleRedBook): A Reading List. @qianhuang.bsky.social and I curated this crowdsourced reading list on Xiaohongshu - qianxeniahuang.super.site/resources/xi... We're happy to add more suggestions! Hosted by Qian to make it accessible in China.