Chinamaxxing: is the trend really about China or Gen Z fleeing Western fatigue?

The iconic wrapper of White Rabbit, a six-decade-old Chinese milk confectionery, has recently gone viral in the West.Shared this month in a post on X, formerly Twitter, the retro packaging was hailed as an “absolute masterstroke of graphic design”.Its distinctive waxy paper – featuring a White Rabbit against a red circle, with blue-and-White Rabbit motifs lining both edges – has since racked up more than 6 million views and 260,000 likes.In the comments section, online users from around the world have shared custom creations such as tattoos, phone cases and T-shirts inspired by the wrapper.The aesthetic frenzy surrounding this piece of candy wrapper is part of a wider trend that has swept Western social media: Chinamaxxing.08:22Why ‘becoming Chinese’ has gone viral among Americans despite US-China tensionsYoung foreigners – especially Gen Z Americans and Europeans – are “maxing out” on Chinese lifestyle elements, posting videos of themselves sipping hot water, drinking goji berry tea, eating congee, practising tai chi and wearing viral Adidas “Tang” jackets with traditional pankou toggles and mandarin collars.