Chinese Nostalgia-Core: Gen Z’s Escape to the 2000s

“You have traveled back to the year 2008, waking to the familiar sounds of ‘Tom and Jerry’ playing on the kids’ channel...” Such stories have evoked memories of a carefree life among younger Chinese, who are now looking to the early 2000s to regain a sense of comfort.

Chinese Nostalgia-Core, a viral aesthetic sweeping social media, has captured the hearts of Gen Z, sparking a wave of collective nostalgia for 2000s China—a simpler time filled with childhood memories and optimism for a bright future ahead. Read more about Chinese Gen Z trends via the link here.