When Chinese Culture Gets Mistaken for Korean or Japanese

Within recent years, East Asian pop culture has exploded into mainstream American life — K-pop groups headline major festivals, Korean dramas dominate Netflix charts, and anime and manga from Japan have become cultural staples for Gen Z. Yet amid this surge in visibility, a troubling phenomenon is surfacing: Elements of Chinese culture are increasingly being rebranded or mistaken for Japanese or Korean on social media. This misattribution not only erases the origins of cultural practices but also complicates how Chinese Americans, particularly youth, form and express their identities.

Sophia Bao, a 20-year-old Chinese American, points to a core issue: “Asia is obviously not a monolith, but people tend to group us as such. I feel like the problem lies in difficulty with nuance, drawing the line between different ethnicities. We have different experiences — what you see in the media is just one representation that runs as a stereotype.” Her insight underscores how cultural lumping and media oversimplification contribute to the erasure of Chinese identity in the broader narrative of Asian pop culture.

Take tanghulu, a traditional Chinese street snack of candied fruit skewers, which has recently gone viral on TikTok. Yet, many users mistakenly identify it as Korean, highlighting a growing trend of cultural mislabeling.

 “With the example of Tanghulu and how everyone thinks it’s Korean, people think it’s really cute, and Korean food is very trendy these days, so once a new Asian food comes onto the scene, it’s just based on aesthetics and less on the truth,” observes Baylee Ha, a 20-year-old Korean American.

At the heart of this issue are larger dynamics of sinophobia and soft power, both of which shape the cultural visibility and perception of Chinese identity in the U.S.

Sinophobia and the Legacy of Stereotypes

Sinophobia, an orientalist discourse with a long history, has deep roots in American life. As John Williams, associate professor of history at Colorado College, explains, “Sinophobia means a fear of China or things China.” In a webinar titled “Brainwashed: The Legacies and Perils of American Sinophobia,” Williams describes sinophobia as emerging during the Exclusion Era of the 19th century, intensifying through Cold War anti-communist rhetoric, and amplifying further with China’s rise to global power in the 2000s.

Louisa Gunadi, a 20-year-old Indonesian American, explains, “Since the Trump presidency, there has been a large split between the idea of the Chinese and the Chinese government. There’s a heavy anti-communism rhetoric that has antagonized Chinese people and the Chinese government, and I think it becomes difficult to separate Chinese people from the government.”

For many Americans, perceptions of China remain entangled with notions of mass production and industrial labor. Ha points out, “Now, when people think of China, the first thing they’re going to think of is ‘Made in China’ and not necessarily all of the culture that is there.”

Bao agrees, “There’s an association with Chinese manufacturing that ‘Made in China’ equals bad or cheaply made. Same with older perspectives of China being super crowded and dirty, super polluted, and not appealing to outsiders.”

These stereotypes contribute to the erasure of Chinese culture from contemporary conversations about Asian cultural visibility. While Korean and Japanese culture are celebrated for their beauty, style, and refinement, Chinese culture is often viewed as too familiar, mundane, or politically tainted to be fetishized in the same way. 

Ha also notes that Chinese culture is less mysterious because it has been so embedded in American life for decades, from the widespread presence of Chinese takeout to cultural assumptions where, not long ago, all Asian food defaulted to Chinese cuisine.

The Role of Soft Power and Media Representation

Soft power refers to a country’s ability to shape preferences through its appeal and attraction, and it plays a significant role in this dynamic. South Korea and Japan have invested heavily in exporting their cultures through government-funded initiatives, global media campaigns, and international brand partnerships. China, despite its vast cultural heritage, has struggled to achieve the same cultural cachet.

This misattribution extends beyond tanghulu. Chinese makeup trends (like Douyin style makeup or brands such as Flower Knows) are frequently assumed to be Korean due to Korea’s global dominance in the beauty industry. Similarly, traditional Chinese garments such as hanfu are often misidentified as Japanese, reinforcing a cycle in which Chinese cultural aesthetics are stripped of their origins and folded into broader, often inaccurate pan-Asian categories.

“Korean people are known for makeup and skincare, so any makeup or skincare trend that arises from an East Asian culture is automatically assumed to be Korean,” Gunadi notes. “Also, government propaganda where people have certain perceptions of Chinese culture that it can’t produce something that’s so beautiful in the same way that Korean culture can.”

Ha adds, “Twenty years ago, being Chinese was ‘the Asian to be.’ Being Chinese was the ‘default,’ so it’s not as new as being Korean or Japanese with anime and K-pop.”

This shift in perception affects how Chinese American youth see themselves represented in the media. While there has been a recent rise in Asian American representation in Hollywood, from Crazy Rich Asians to Shang-Chi, the authenticity and nuance of Chinese culture often take a backseat to generalized “Asian” themes.

Gunadi reflects, “‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s,’ with very racialized stereotypes of Asian Americans, mostly caricatures of what they perceived Chinese people to be like.”

Bao expands, “In most parts of America, there are a lot more Chinese people than Korean or Japanese, and so there’s less mystery. Not being exposed to [Korean or Japanese culture] as much makes the fetishization [of those cultures] easier.”

Complicating Identity and Belonging

This cultural rebranding has tangible effects on the identity formation of young Chinese Americans. For many, their culture is so integrated into American society that it no longer feels “special” or worthy of fascination.

“Chinese culture is probably the first Asian culture that’s highly represented in American media, and now it’s skewing more towards Japanese and Korean culture,” says Gunadi. “Because Chinese culture has been so ingrained, they’re not pedestaled the way Japanese or Korean culture is.”

Ha reflects, “I think a lot of Americans are very neutral towards Chinese people, even if they don’t agree with anti-China political sentiment. They aren’t necessarily into China the way I see people being really interested in other countries.”

For many young people, the increased popularity of East Asian cultures has created a paradox: greater visibility for Asians broadly, but less recognition for their specific cultural backgrounds. 

Gunadi notes, “Because I look East Asian, it was gratifying to have things accessible to me and not have people question things that I like that are historically Asian. So as a larger collective of being Asian American, I felt a higher sense of belonging, but on an individual ethnicity and culture, I don’t think there’s an uptick.”

Toward Cultural Accuracy and Appreciation

The rebranding of Chinese cultural elements as Japanese or Korean on social media reflects deeper issues of sinophobia, geopolitical tension, and unequal soft power dynamics. While East Asian culture is experiencing a renaissance in global pop culture, Chinese culture often remains either misunderstood or omitted. 

“In TikTok comments, I always see usernames complaining about the Chinese government. For example, TikToks about Hansen Yang on the Blazers always have users accusing him of being a Chinese spy,” says Bao.

“[It’s] not ideal that in America, to make room for more visibility of Asian cultures, Chinese culture gets sidelined since it’s no longer viewed as the ‘default’ Asian,” Ha concludes.

At a time when global audiences are hungry for Asian culture, it’s critical that all cultures are given the space to be seen, understood, and celebrated on their own terms. That means moving past stereotypes, challenging political biases, and restoring cultural credit where it’s due.