When I was first asked to come up with a practice-research question, one idea immediately came to mind: the Tuhai-derived culture. Before short-video platforms became mainstream, back when I was still in middle school, my favorite place on the internet was Bilibili—often described as the Chinese equivalent of YouTube. But Bilibili is much more than that. It is deeply embedded in niche subcultures, attracting users of all ages and interests.
It might sound odd, but apart from my peers, my dad is also a huge fan of Bilibili. One of his favorite series is a bizarre documentary where a man cooks rare, even borderline illegal, ingredients for his local community. On the other hand, one of my long-abandoned dreams was to become a Bilibili uploader (commonly known as “UP主”) specializing in a uniquely Chinese video genre: Guichu (鬼畜).
Guichu, literally translated as “ghostly livestock,” is a remix genre that originated on Bilibili. It features rapid-fire edits, pitch-shifted speech, rhythmic repetition, and absurdist humor. The genre draws heavily from Japanese MAD (Music Anime Douga) culture, where fans remix existing media into stylized, music-video-like formats. On Bilibili, Guichu videos are not only comedic but often function as satire and political commentary, capturing the platform’s countercultural spirit.
Unlike YouTube, Bilibili is famous for its danmu (弹幕)—real-time, user-generated comments that scroll across the screen as the video plays. This feature creates a collective viewing experience, as if you’re watching the video live with thousands of others. It transforms passive watching into an active, communal event, making the humor and reactions feel more immediate and shared.
One of my favorite Guichu videos comes from a creator I used to follow religiously. Unfortunately, due to the language barrier and the highly contextual humor, non-Chinese speakers (and even some native speakers) often struggle to understand the jokes. Yet that’s part of what makes it so special—the blend of cultural specificity, remix aesthetics, and community-driven creativity.
【【高能Rap】你从未看过的家有儿女】 https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1fs411t7EK/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=64cf0bbbe19e5dbc407cface6e4090a9