Recently, several Chinese memes have reached their peak, with many memes experiencing a significant drop upon launch without community support, indicating that the market may shift towards memes that have humor, popularity, and community engagement. Here, I would like to discuss a few of my favorite and currently undervalued Chinese meme concepts:
1. Horse Banknote
Originating from the central bank's issuance of the 2026 Year of the Horse zodiac commemorative banknote, continuing the naming logic of 'Dragon Banknote' and 'Snake Banknote' (Zodiac + 'Banknote'), while 'Horse Banknote' implies 'money coming soon', bringing good fortune. (Honor of Kings) players have bound it to the hero 'Ma Chao', and TikTok leveraged the pun 'Giving Horse Banknotes in the Year of the Horse' to create viral gift videos. On social media platforms, there are those showcasing collections, explaining design details, as well as complaints about premium prices and playing with 'banknote ability metaphysics' (like countering misfortune); it can be used for lighthearted gift-giving in the Year of the Horse, New Year blessings, or discussing collection topics, inherently festive and topical.
Since the launch of the dragon bill, trading commemorative notes during the Spring Festival has become the hottest way to make money every year. The frenzy goes without saying; reservations opened on January 13 and were sold out in an instant. The market price has already skyrocketed to 38 yuan per note, and as the trading sentiment rises, it will continue to increase.
2. Grassland Cow
The 'Grassland Cow' originates from the character Li Shen in (Love and Deep Space) and has become a popular meme featuring a black and white flower-patterned cow with a 'suffering face + grassland background'. The core emotion is to fit the complaints of working people with feelings of grievance, giving up, and self-mockery.
Originating from players mocking Li Shen's 'vertical line between the eyebrows, deep suffering' expression, it was edited into a cow image with a grassland background, becoming the 'Grassland Cow'. With catchy wordplay like 'The cow is crying', 'I really can cow', and 'The cow can't live anymore', it broke through and became the number one universal emotional meme on the internet.
3. Calm down
The one with the lowest market value among these coins is my favorite, but it's also the one currently performing the worst in the market. It originates from Bruce Lee's 1971 interview in Canada, with the core text: Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. Be water, my friend. Water conforms to the shape of the cup, takes the form of the bottle, can flow gently or impact forcefully, conveying the philosophy of martial arts and life that balances strength and softness, adaptability.
Recently, due to netizens using AI to generate contrasting cute/surreal images of meditation and Zen, paired with the phrase 'Calm down, be water my friend', it has spread on social platforms as a popular expression to relieve anxiety and encourage relaxation. Friends send this phrase when feeling frustrated or encountering difficulties, advising not to get stuck in a rut; it is also used for self-deprecation in calmly dealing with sudden situations, conveying a flexible and relaxed mindset. The catchy BGM paired with meditation poses has sparked a wave of creativity on certain platforms.
I personally have only bought 10-20u for fun, among which the Grassland Cow has already increased nearly tenfold since I entered early, while the other two have made a small profit, treated like a lottery for fun, and do not constitute investment advice.
