January 24, 2022 • 21 mins
We're coming up to the Spring Festival in China, so please consider this to be your Chinese New Year gift. It's the compilation episode of the favourite WeChat stickers from the guest of Season 02. With electronic communications, it’s no longer good enough to learn how to compose compelling messages; you need to be fluent in the language of images. Without including things like emojis and emoticons in our messages, they can come across as cold, blunt, and rude. And there’s arguably no medium where this is more important than on WeChat, where the use of gifs is almost universal. So take a listen to how the guests of Season 02 answer the question: “What is your favourite WeChat Sticker,” and reflect on your own fluency in these new visual languages. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:19 - Main 20:12 - Outro Subscribe to the PREMIUM version, see the visuals, and/or follow the full transcript for this episode at https://mosaicofchina.com/season-02-compilation-08-wechat-stickers.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
[Trailer]Katherine WONG: They look like ballerinas
from the 70s.
[Intro]OF: Welcome to Mosaic of China, a podcast
about people who are making their mark inChina.
I’m your host, Oscar Fuchs.
So today we’re taking about WeChat stickers,which makes this kinda the craziest of these
(00:23):
10 compilation episodes from Season 02.
And I say that for two reasons.
The first is that it’s a bit crazy to devotean entire episode to something that’s 100%
visual.
So if you don’t have access to the imageson social media, listening to today’s compilation
will be a slightly bewildering experience.
And the second reason it’s crazy is thatif you are following on social media - specifically
(00:48):
if you’re in one of the listeners groupson WeChat - then you’re going to be deluged
with a reminder of all the favourite stickerschosen by the guests of Season 02.
So as much as I’ve tried to engineer thesegroups to be as low-impact as possible, today
is where all the rules are temporarily suspended,and you’re suddenly going to find yourself
in the most obnoxious place on WeChat.
(01:11):
So with that warning in place, let’s listento how the guests from Season 02 answered
the question (01:15):
“What’s your favourite WeChat sticker?”
[Main][Voiceover]
OF (01:20):
Murray King, the public affairs leader from Episode 29.
[Clip]MK: It's a great question actually, because
I communicate more by stickers than by text.
So there's a series of WeChat stickers whichis called 小刘 [Xiǎo Liú], Little Liu.
Yeah.
MK (01:38):
And it's actually, you know, a couple of characters.
There’s a duck, and there's a cat, and Ithink there are a couple of other characters
that occasionally make an appearance.
And I just think that the designs are brilliant.
And it's just super fun, and a little bitnaughty.
And yeah, that's me.
OF (01:54):
Now, here's a funny thing.
When I interviewed a diplomat in Season 01- he worked for the New Zealand consulate
here - he was always careful about stickers,because they can be misconstrued.
And when you give me this cheeky naughtiness,that's kind of what he was slightly worried
about.
So he doesn't use WeChat stickers.
Do you think if you were still a diplomat,you would have these stickers?
MK (02:17):
I think these are cheeky and naughty, but they're not even close to crossing the
line of being inappropriate.
Although there are some others that are probablyless appropriate.
I think if I was still a diplomat, I wouldbe more careful about using WeChat.
OF (02:30):
At all.
MK (02:31):
And I would certainly be careful about what I used.
But I think these are harmless enough.
I think the world has changed a lot as well.
OF (02:38):
Yeah.
MK (02:39):
You know, people are communicating more primitively, and yet in a more sophisticated
way through things like videos and photos.
OF (02:46):
Yeah.
MK (02:47):
And abbreviations, and emoticons, and gifs, and things like that.
OF (02:50):
Yes.
Let's go into the societal history about hieroglyphics,because that's what we're doing really, using
gifs and using emojis, right?
MK (02:57):
Right, right.
OF (02:58):
Very good, these are super cute.
MK (03:00):
You'll be converted quickly, because there's a great range of stickers.
All of my stickers are 小刘 [Xiǎo Liú]now.
OF (03:09):
Beautiful.
[Voiceover]OF: DJ BO, the DJ from Episode 23.
[Clip]BO: OK, now let's talk about this Oscar.
OK, send it to me first.
BO (03:19):
Got it?
OF (03:20):
OK.
BO (03:21):
Well, let's talk about this.
So when I first listened to your podcast,and I heard this question, I really hated
this question, because I generally don't likeWeChat stickers.
Because I like when people are talking withtheir heart, when they're really being sincere
and truthful.
So I like to write without spellcheck.
(03:41):
I like to use full words.
And when people are picking up WeChat stickers,they're obfuscating in a way.
They're trying to be clever, but they're actuallynot even being clever, because it's not their
own words or ideas.
You're not engaging with the person, you'reobfuscating.
I don't like that.
One of my favourite DJ jobs every week is,I DJ - Saturday mornings, usually starting
(04:05):
at 7am - at F45, which is like a CrossFitgym and studio.
And I would have to message the accountantfor the money for the DJs each week.
And for some reason, the manager saw my communicationwith the accountant and said “Please don't
be rude to the accountant”.
(04:25):
And I was really shocked.
Because I wouldn't talk too much, but I wouldjust say, you know "Please send this amount
of money”.
And I reflected on it, and I was like, maybeit's because I don't use WeChat stickers.
There's no panda bowing, or any of the otherones that get used.
There's no little cat, you know, running ina circle, or some ****. And I was like “I
need to start engaging with this a bit”.
(04:49):
But I also really respect copyright as muchas I can.
OF (04:52):
Ah.
BO (04:53):
So I decided that I wanted to use video or pictures, but only from public domain sources.
And I love silent movies, especially.
And so I started making my own WeChat stickers.
And it started…
they weren't necessarily very good, but Istarted getting better at it.
I invented something called ‘poetremes’.
OF (05:11):
Oh.
BO (05:12):
A poetry meme, where I would take certain video, and I would add poetic elements to
it.
OF (05:21):
That's really interesting as a concept, right?
So not to distil something into somethingsmall and visual, but actually to open something
up.
BO (05:29):
Yeah, I eventually want to start selling them on WeChat, and that's how I'm gonna make
my fortune.
I'm just kidding.
But I've really enjoyed doing that.
So I'll watch a movie that's in the publicdomain, and I'll take snapshots and I'll cut
it up into clips that I can then use to makemy own WeChat stickers.
And now I have a huge collection of them.
So I've really turned 180 degrees from whatI believed initially.
OF (05:52):
Thought-provoking.
[Voiceover]OF: Cassandra Chen, the heavy metal bar owner
from Episode 16.
[Clip]CC: So it's two of our regular customers drinking
from a horn and doing cheers to each other.
Yeah.
And this was at one of the Viking Nights?
CC (06:12):
Yes.
OF (06:13):
Yes, they look the part, I must say.
[Voiceover]OF: Seth Harvey, the education coach from
Episode 19.
[Clip]SH: There are two types of WeChat stickers,
right?
There's ones that are pulled from like famouspop culture shows or cartoons and things,
but you can actually make your own stickers.
So my girlfriend sends me ones of her thatshe's made of herself.
(06:34):
So then I find it really useful to send herselfback to her.
Like a little bit sarcastically.
[Voiceover]OF: Jamie Barys, the street food expert from
Episode 02.
[Clip]JB: My Beijing guides are really tech savvy.
And I still don't know how to make my ownWeChat stickers, but they have made several
for me.
My favourite one that they made is… my husbandcame to a team building dinner, and they just
(06:59):
took a couple pictures of him and made itinto a gif.
And it just says in Chinese underneath it: 高富帅 [gāo fù shuài]. (07:01):
undefined
So like “Tall, rich and handsome.”
I don't send it to people, but I just loveit.
It's so great.
OF (07:12):
Wow.
[Voiceover]OF: Michelle Qu, the improvisational comedian
from Episode 20.
[Clip]MQ: I made it by myself.
Very good.
So you did the makeup.
MQ (07:25):
Yeah.
OF (07:26):
And what does it say?
MQ (07:28):
回眸一笑百媚生 [Huímóu yīxiào bǎimèishēng]
she turned back, with so much charm”.
[Voiceover]OF: Chang Chihyun, the humanities professor
from Episode 03.
[Clip]CC: I love to use myself to create WeChat
stickers.
OF (07:48):
OK, and what does it say?
It says…
CC (07:52):
Over my dead body.
And I am the body.
OF (07:54):
It's a funny way of saying…
CC (07:56):
No.
[Voiceover]OF: Cocosanti, the drag performer from Episode
05.
[Clip]C: The one I use the most is a flipping-the-hair-back
kind of sticker.
I use that too often, and it's mostly becauseI know when I was younger, I used to do that
all the time.
I'd be like, yep.
OF (08:18):
And it's the tongue placement too.
C (08:19):
Yeah, that’s…
It's literally the face that I make all thetime.
OF (08:23):
Oh that’s great.
C (08:24):
That is the sticker that I use the most.
[Voiceover]OF: Danma Jyid, the Tibetan social enterprise
leader from Episode 10.
[Clip]DJ: A little happy monk.
OF (08:35):
Oh, he's a Buddhist monk.
DJ (08:36):
Yeah, Buddhist monk OF
by the clothing.
[Voiceover]OF: Sean Harmon, the beer company CEO from
Episode 09.
[Clip]SH: I don't know why I love this sticker,
but if you talk to my colleagues, they willsay that I certainly overuse this sticker.
It's Denzel Washington in Training Day, andhe just says “Boom”.
(08:57):
I don't know why, it just makes me laugh.
And when you get good news at work, or somethinghappens, where you know, you land an account
and…
Yeah, to celebrate a bit, just give an oldDenzel “boom”.
OF (09:07):
OK, I'm gonna use this one.
That's a great one.
SH (09:10):
It's also a great movie, if you haven't seen it.
OF (09:11):
I haven't seen it.
SH (09:12):
Check it out, it’s worth watching.
OF (09:14):
It’s an action movie, is it?
SH (09:17):
Yes, but with great dialogue.
OF (09:19):
OK.
SH (09:20):
Try it.
[Voiceover]OF: Zhao Huiling, the Africa travel vlogger
from Episode 28.
[Clip]ZH: So it's my newly favourite sticker.
It's a smiley face.
But it's a very awkward smiley face, withthe eyes all twitched up.
OF (09:41):
Oh.
ZH (09:42):
Basically, you know, the brave face that we have to throw on, as adults in this world.
Knowing the negativity is out there, you juststill have to continue.
OF (09:55):
Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Crystyl Mo, the fine dining expert from
Episode 26.
[Clip]CM: Well, this is just a handy sticker.
Because in WeChat groups, often people willaccidentally send something, or say something
inappropriate.
And you just need to have a sticker for thatoccasion.
(10:18):
It literally happens every day.
So that's just a fun one.
Can you quickly describe it?
CM (10:24):
So this is a sticker that has just a giant button that says ‘unsee’.
So this person is just frantically tappingthis button.
Unsee unsee unsee unsee.
Like, please just take me back to five secondsprevious in time and let me not have seen
that thing.
OF (10:38):
I've never seen this used.
I love it.
CM (10:41):
I hope you’ll start using it.
OF (10:43):
Totally, how can I not?
[Voiceover]OF: Alex Shoer, the clean energy entrepreneur
from Episode 11.
[Clip]AS: So my favourite WeChat sticker is ‘mind
explosion’, is the best way I can describeit.
And it's the scientist with the mind exploding.
It can change the dynamic of a conversationvery quickly.
(11:06):
[Voiceover]OF: Ajay Jain, the car designer from Episode
21.
[Clip]AJ: The one I send quite often - and I've
been known to send it to my friends - is the‘Happy Friday’ sticker.
I don't actually look for the sticker, itjust comes up when I write ‘TGIF’.
And it's become a thing that I send a wholebunch of friends, ‘Happy Friday’.
(11:29):
Super cute.
It’s so simple, but I've never seen it before.
[Voiceover]OF: Douglon Tse, the island businessman from
Episode 15.
[Clip]DT: It's Elmo behind a flame wall.
So it looks like Elmo from hell.
Because sometimes people say things in groupchats, and I have nothing to say.
(11:49):
And this is the only sticker I found that'sapplicable to anything, whether it's good
news or bad news.
Because you can't tell if he's in torture,or he's celebrating; if he's excited, or if
he's upset.
So the applicability is very high.
Which means that I use it a lot.
Well, I do have this, and I haven't used it enough because of the ambiguity.
(12:10):
I'm like “Oh, when do I actually use it?”
But I should just use it at all times.
[Voiceover]OF: Casey Hall, the fashion journalist from
Episode 22.
[Clip]CH: It is a sticker of Elon Musk on stage
in Shanghai doing a really awkward dad dance,looking like a bit of a tool.
(12:31):
The reason that I like this sticker so muchis that I use it in so many different contexts.
Oh.
CH (12:38):
I mean, I use it in celebration, like “Yay".
I also use it as like “Well, that was weird”.
I also use it when I want to say that something'sfailed.
It's the one sticker that can mean so manythings.
OF (12:56):
Oh, you're right.
It's like a blank canvas upon which you canput whatever emotion you're feeling.
CH (13:01):
Exactly.
And you might not realise it at first glance,but you can use it in 100 different scenarios.
OF (13:07):
Yes, I see that.
Amazing.
[Voiceover]OF: Jiyoung, the transgender teacher from
Episode 30.
[Clip]J: I mean, I have a lot.
But at the moment, my favourite one is thislittle pig that says ‘amazing’ with a
rainbow behind it.
Because it's still quite queer, but it's vagueenough that my co-workers will not be able
(13:29):
to tell that it's queer.
Yes.
J (13:31):
So I like that I can use it in versatile circumstances.
[Voiceover]OF: Noxolo Bhengu, the African community organiser
from Episode 14.
[Clip]OF: What is your favourite WeChat sticker?
NB (13:43):
That is my life most of the time.
I'm like “What do I do?
This is just too much”.
OF (13:49):
That’s a good one.
[Voiceover]OF: Zhang Yuan, the performance art exhibitor
from Episode 07.
[Clip]ZY: Let me send you.
OK, here It is.
Oh, OK.
Now hang on, let me see, it says ‘大脑一片空白[dànǎo yīpiàn kòngbái]’.
ZY (14:06):
Yes.
OF (14:07):
OK, phew, I could read it.
What does that mean?
ZY (14:10):
That means “nothing in my head”.
OF (14:11):
Oh, I like it.
So if somebody asks you a question, you don'twant to or you can't answer, you just send
that.
ZY (14:18):
Yeah, yeah.
It's like “I cannot think of anything”.
[Voiceover]OF: Katherine Wong, the Peruvian healer from
Episode 04.
[Clip]KW: They look like ballerinas.
From the 70s.
Yeah, I love this sticker because it describesthe feeling of excitement and happiness that
(14:40):
I have sometimes.
OF (14:41):
I'm actually drawn most to the one right at the back.
And she is concentrating very, very carefully.
KW (14:48):
I didn't see her.
[Voiceover]OF: Jo McFarland, the product sourcing leader
from Episode 18.
[Clip]JM: Oh my goodness, how do we describe this?
They're like The Golden Girls.
And they're kind of like shimming their chests.
Is that the best way to say it, Oscar?
OF (15:09):
Yes.
JM (15:10):
And that, to me, is a fun sticker.
Because I have a lot of fun in Shanghai, andI've got a lot of girlfriends that make me
smile, and all the great people that I'vemet while I'm here.
[Voiceover]OF: Vladimir Djurovic, the brand naming expert
from Episode 13.
[Clip]VD: I never use stickers.
(15:30):
But I use, a lot, the emoticons.
And my favourite one is the determined onewith the bandana.
I hope you will give me a pass.
OF (15:40):
Well, this is a particular WeChat emoticon.
There isn't something which is in the usualemoji which comes close to this one, right?
VD (15:47):
It's true.
I never realised that.
OF (15:50):
Yeah.
That's why it passes the test.
You can still use that.
VD (15:54):
Thank you.
OF (15:55):
That’s just an exception.
[Voiceover]OF: Salome Chen, the investor and developer
from Episode 24.
[Clip]SC: I like the one with sunglasses.
Because I enjoy mocking people slightly.
Oh.
SC (16:12):
Yeah.
OF (16:13):
So this is you saying “Cool”.
But really, you're saying “Hmm”.
SC (16:17):
Huhuhuh.
[Voiceover]OF: Louise Roy, the childbirth and lactation
specialist from Episode 06.
[Clip]LR: My favourite WeChat sticker is actually
one that says ‘Google it, you lazy ****’.OF: Yes, you need to do a “Bing it” too.
LR (16:37):
Yeah, ‘Bing it, you lazy ****’. OF
[Voiceover]OF: Stéphane Wilmet, the head of consumer
insights at L'Oreal from Episode 01.
[Clip]OF: You know, in the West, we have this image
of the hamster in the hamster wheel, runningand running and running on the wheel, but
going nowhere.
(16:58):
But here in China, I feel that it's alwaysup, up, up, up.
For me, this one sums up what I experience.
You’re always going somewhere better, morechallenging, at a pace that accelerates.
Up or out.
There's no going nowhere or no standing stillhere.
OF (17:16):
Mmm.
[Voiceover]OF: Björn Dahlman, the Swedish clown from
Episode 17.
[Clip]BD: It's a pink dragon hugging a girl, and
there’s a story to it.
In 2015, I met this Chinese girl on what wasthen called ‘China Love Cupid’, I think.
(17:37):
This was before the Tinder era.
She didn't speak English at all, so it wasthis total cliché of trying to communicate,
trying to figure out "Are we dating, or what?”
She was talking about marriage on, I think,the fourth date.
You know, all the clichés were there.
But she looked like that little girl in thesticker, and when I talked to her I felt like
(18:00):
a big pink fluffy dragon.
So to me, that series of dragon and littlegirl stickers became our little story.
So it's a sticker attached to memories, morethan anything else.
Beautiful.
Thank you.
BD (18:16):
Yeah, it was beautiful.
OF (18:17):
How long did it last in the end?
BD (18:19):
I don't know if it even started.
We're still in touch, though, as friends.
It's no drama.
Just, I wish I could speak Chinese.
OF (18:29):
Well, it's chicken and egg, you know.
Once you have a Chinese girlfriend, that'swhen the language comes to you, right?
BD (18:35):
Yeah, and you know that's what the Chinese teacher said at the school.
“OK, step number one, find girlfriend.
Step number two, here's your textbook.”
[Voiceover]OF: Wendy Saunders, the architect from Episode
12.
[Clip]WS: I got this from a friend, and it's just
super funny, I think.
And it always makes me laugh because it'sjust these two women, fighting but not really
(18:59):
fighting.
If you've lived here…
OF (19:01):
You’ve seen it.
WS (19:02):
You’ve seen this.
And it's kind of people like these Shanghainesefishwives.
OF (19:07):
They’re feisty.
WS (19:08):
They’re feisty.
They're fighting, but they're not really fighting.
They're just kind of annoying each other.
And if you look, they're like trying to kickbut not really kicking.
They know they shouldn't be kicking.
So it's kind of really funny, because youcan just imagine that being your neighbour
right?
OF (19:22):
Yes.
[Voiceover]OF: Michael Kinsey, the fire engineer from
Episode 25.
[Clip]MK: So this sticker is actually formed of
three parts - three stickers - that you haveto sort of put together in the right order.
And it's of this small, fat, Chinese childbelly dancing, almost.
So I love this because it's quite happy.
(19:44):
It was one of the first ones I've seen whichare multi-component stickers.
Yes.
MK (19:48):
And I use it, I guess, when I want to say that I'm happy, or to perhaps exemplify
my dancing style.
OF (19:55):
Well, I would like to see you dance like this.
Very good.
And it's cheating as well, because it's three,not one.
MK (20:03):
True.
OF (20:04):
Can you actually send one of them?
It must be a bit weird.
MK (20:06):
I’ve sent them in the wrong order once, and it was like “Oh, recall, recall,”
you know?
[Outro]OF: I know from last season that for some
people the bit about WeChat stickers is yourfavourite aspect of the entire show, and for
some it’s the least.
If you’ve made it this far through today’sepisode, I’m hoping that you fall into the
first category, so thank you very much!
(20:29):
Please consider this my Chinese New Year giftto you, and for everyone who is listening
to this on their Spring holidays, I hope you’retaking some time to relax and look back on
what has been another challenging year.
Mosaic of China is me, Oscar Fuchs, with artworkby Denny Newell.
I’ll see you again in the year of the Tiger.
[Clips]SW: Thank you very much.
JB (20:51):
Thank you, it’s been a pleasure.
CC (20:53):
My pleasure.
KW (20:54):
Thank you so much.
C (20:55):
Oh hey, thanks.
LR (20:56):
Thank you very much.
ZY (20:58):
Thank you.
JZ (20:59):
Thank you.
SH (21:00):
It’s been a pleasure.
DJ (21:01):
Thank you.
AS (21:02):
Thank you.
WS (21:03):
Thank you.
VD (21:04):
Thanks.
NB (21:05):
Thank you.
DT (21:06):
Thank you.
CC (21:07):
Thank you.
BD (21:08):
Hehe, thank you.
JM (21:09):
Thank you very much.
SH (21:10):
My pleasure, thanks.
MQ (21:11):
Thank you.
AJ (21:12):
Thanks a lot.
CH (21:13):
Thank you.
BO (21:14):
Thank you very much.
SC (21:15):
Thank you.
MK (21:16):
Thank you.
CM (21:17):
Thank you.
VF (21:18):
Thank you so much.
ZH (21:19):
Thank you for having me.
MK (21:20):
It was my pleasure.
J (21:21):
Thank you so much.
[Trailer]Katherine WONG: They look like ballerinas
from the 70s.
[Intro]OF: Welcome to Mosaic of China, a podcast
about people who are making their mark inChina.
I’m your host, Oscar Fuchs.
So today we’re taking about WeChat stickers,which makes this kinda the craziest of these
(00:23):
10 compilation episodes from Season 02.
And I say that for two reasons.
The first is that it’s a bit crazy to devotean entire episode to something that’s 100%
visual.
So if you don’t have access to the imageson social media, listening to today’s compilation
will be a slightly bewildering experience.
And the second reason it’s crazy is thatif you are following on social media - specifically
(00:48):
if you’re in one of the listeners groupson WeChat - then you’re going to be deluged
with a reminder of all the favourite stickerschosen by the guests of Season 02.
So as much as I’ve tried to engineer thesegroups to be as low-impact as possible, today
is where all the rules are temporarily suspended,and you’re suddenly going to find yourself
in the most obnoxious place on WeChat.
(01:11):
So with that warning in place, let’s listento how the guests from Season 02 answered
the question (01:15):
“What’s your favourite WeChat sticker?”
[Main][Voiceover]
OF (01:20):
Murray King, the public affairs leader from Episode 29.
[Clip]MK: It's a great question actually, because
I communicate more by stickers than by text.
So there's a series of WeChat stickers whichis called 小刘 [Xiǎo Liú], Little Liu.
Yeah.
MK (01:38):
And it's actually, you know, a couple of characters.
There’s a duck, and there's a cat, and Ithink there are a couple of other characters
that occasionally make an appearance.
And I just think that the designs are brilliant.
And it's just super fun, and a little bitnaughty.
And yeah, that's me.
OF (01:54):
Now, here's a funny thing.
When I interviewed a diplomat in Season 01- he worked for the New Zealand consulate
here - he was always careful about stickers,because they can be misconstrued.
And when you give me this cheeky naughtiness,that's kind of what he was slightly worried
about.
So he doesn't use WeChat stickers.
Do you think if you were still a diplomat,you would have these stickers?
MK (02:17):
I think these are cheeky and naughty, but they're not even close to crossing the
line of being inappropriate.
Although there are some others that are probablyless appropriate.
I think if I was still a diplomat, I wouldbe more careful about using WeChat.
OF (02:30):
At all.
MK (02:31):
And I would certainly be careful about what I used.
But I think these are harmless enough.
I think the world has changed a lot as well.
OF (02:38):
Yeah.
MK (02:39):
You know, people are communicating more primitively, and yet in a more sophisticated
way through things like videos and photos.
OF (02:46):
Yeah.
MK (02:47):
And abbreviations, and emoticons, and gifs, and things like that.
OF (02:50):
Yes.
Let's go into the societal history about hieroglyphics,because that's what we're doing really, using
gifs and using emojis, right?
MK (02:57):
Right, right.
OF (02:58):
Very good, these are super cute.
MK (03:00):
You'll be converted quickly, because there's a great range of stickers.
All of my stickers are 小刘 [Xiǎo Liú]now.
OF (03:09):
Beautiful.
[Voiceover]OF: DJ BO, the DJ from Episode 23.
[Clip]BO: OK, now let's talk about this Oscar.
OK, send it to me first.
BO (03:19):
Got it?
OF (03:20):
OK.
BO (03:21):
Well, let's talk about this.
So when I first listened to your podcast,and I heard this question, I really hated
this question, because I generally don't likeWeChat stickers.
Because I like when people are talking withtheir heart, when they're really being sincere
and truthful.
So I like to write without spellcheck.
(03:41):
I like to use full words.
And when people are picking up WeChat stickers,they're obfuscating in a way.
They're trying to be clever, but they're actuallynot even being clever, because it's not their
own words or ideas.
You're not engaging with the person, you'reobfuscating.
I don't like that.
One of my favourite DJ jobs every week is,I DJ - Saturday mornings, usually starting
(04:05):
at 7am - at F45, which is like a CrossFitgym and studio.
And I would have to message the accountantfor the money for the DJs each week.
And for some reason, the manager saw my communicationwith the accountant and said “Please don't
be rude to the accountant”.
(04:25):
And I was really shocked.
Because I wouldn't talk too much, but I wouldjust say, you know "Please send this amount
of money”.
And I reflected on it, and I was like, maybeit's because I don't use WeChat stickers.
There's no panda bowing, or any of the otherones that get used.
There's no little cat, you know, running ina circle, or some ****. And I was like “I
need to start engaging with this a bit”.
(04:49):
But I also really respect copyright as muchas I can.
OF (04:52):
Ah.
BO (04:53):
So I decided that I wanted to use video or pictures, but only from public domain sources.
And I love silent movies, especially.
And so I started making my own WeChat stickers.
And it started…
they weren't necessarily very good, but Istarted getting better at it.
I invented something called ‘poetremes’.
OF (05:11):
Oh.
BO (05:12):
A poetry meme, where I would take certain video, and I would add poetic elements to
it.
OF (05:21):
That's really interesting as a concept, right?
So not to distil something into somethingsmall and visual, but actually to open something
up.
BO (05:29):
Yeah, I eventually want to start selling them on WeChat, and that's how I'm gonna make
my fortune.
I'm just kidding.
But I've really enjoyed doing that.
So I'll watch a movie that's in the publicdomain, and I'll take snapshots and I'll cut
it up into clips that I can then use to makemy own WeChat stickers.
And now I have a huge collection of them.
So I've really turned 180 degrees from whatI believed initially.
OF (05:52):
Thought-provoking.
[Voiceover]OF: Cassandra Chen, the heavy metal bar owner
from Episode 16.
[Clip]CC: So it's two of our regular customers drinking
from a horn and doing cheers to each other.
Yeah.
And this was at one of the Viking Nights?
CC (06:12):
Yes.
OF (06:13):
Yes, they look the part, I must say.
[Voiceover]OF: Seth Harvey, the education coach from
Episode 19.
[Clip]SH: There are two types of WeChat stickers,
right?
There's ones that are pulled from like famouspop culture shows or cartoons and things,
but you can actually make your own stickers.
So my girlfriend sends me ones of her thatshe's made of herself.
(06:34):
So then I find it really useful to send herselfback to her.
Like a little bit sarcastically.
[Voiceover]OF: Jamie Barys, the street food expert from
Episode 02.
[Clip]JB: My Beijing guides are really tech savvy.
And I still don't know how to make my ownWeChat stickers, but they have made several
for me.
My favourite one that they made is… my husbandcame to a team building dinner, and they just
(06:59):
took a couple pictures of him and made itinto a gif.
And it just says in Chinese underneath it: 高富帅 [gāo fù shuài]. (07:01):
undefined
So like “Tall, rich and handsome.”
I don't send it to people, but I just loveit.
It's so great.
OF (07:12):
Wow.
[Voiceover]OF: Michelle Qu, the improvisational comedian
from Episode 20.
[Clip]MQ: I made it by myself.
Very good.
So you did the makeup.
MQ (07:25):
Yeah.
OF (07:26):
And what does it say?
MQ (07:28):
回眸一笑百媚生 [Huímóu yīxiào bǎimèishēng]
she turned back, with so much charm”.
[Voiceover]OF: Chang Chihyun, the humanities professor
from Episode 03.
[Clip]CC: I love to use myself to create WeChat
stickers.
OF (07:48):
OK, and what does it say?
It says…
CC (07:52):
Over my dead body.
And I am the body.
OF (07:54):
It's a funny way of saying…
CC (07:56):
No.
[Voiceover]OF: Cocosanti, the drag performer from Episode
05.
[Clip]C: The one I use the most is a flipping-the-hair-back
kind of sticker.
I use that too often, and it's mostly becauseI know when I was younger, I used to do that
all the time.
I'd be like, yep.
OF (08:18):
And it's the tongue placement too.
C (08:19):
Yeah, that’s…
It's literally the face that I make all thetime.
OF (08:23):
Oh that’s great.
C (08:24):
That is the sticker that I use the most.
[Voiceover]OF: Danma Jyid, the Tibetan social enterprise
leader from Episode 10.
[Clip]DJ: A little happy monk.
OF (08:35):
Oh, he's a Buddhist monk.
DJ (08:36):
Yeah, Buddhist monk OF
by the clothing.
[Voiceover]OF: Sean Harmon, the beer company CEO from
Episode 09.
[Clip]SH: I don't know why I love this sticker,
but if you talk to my colleagues, they willsay that I certainly overuse this sticker.
It's Denzel Washington in Training Day, andhe just says “Boom”.
(08:57):
I don't know why, it just makes me laugh.
And when you get good news at work, or somethinghappens, where you know, you land an account
and…
Yeah, to celebrate a bit, just give an oldDenzel “boom”.
OF (09:07):
OK, I'm gonna use this one.
That's a great one.
SH (09:10):
It's also a great movie, if you haven't seen it.
OF (09:11):
I haven't seen it.
SH (09:12):
Check it out, it’s worth watching.
OF (09:14):
It’s an action movie, is it?
SH (09:17):
Yes, but with great dialogue.
OF (09:19):
OK.
SH (09:20):
Try it.
[Voiceover]OF: Zhao Huiling, the Africa travel vlogger
from Episode 28.
[Clip]ZH: So it's my newly favourite sticker.
It's a smiley face.
But it's a very awkward smiley face, withthe eyes all twitched up.
OF (09:41):
Oh.
ZH (09:42):
Basically, you know, the brave face that we have to throw on, as adults in this world.
Knowing the negativity is out there, you juststill have to continue.
OF (09:55):
Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Crystyl Mo, the fine dining expert from
Episode 26.
[Clip]CM: Well, this is just a handy sticker.
Because in WeChat groups, often people willaccidentally send something, or say something
inappropriate.
And you just need to have a sticker for thatoccasion.
(10:18):
It literally happens every day.
So that's just a fun one.
Can you quickly describe it?
CM (10:24):
So this is a sticker that has just a giant button that says ‘unsee’.
So this person is just frantically tappingthis button.
Unsee unsee unsee unsee.
Like, please just take me back to five secondsprevious in time and let me not have seen
that thing.
OF (10:38):
I've never seen this used.
I love it.
CM (10:41):
I hope you’ll start using it.
OF (10:43):
Totally, how can I not?
[Voiceover]OF: Alex Shoer, the clean energy entrepreneur
from Episode 11.
[Clip]AS: So my favourite WeChat sticker is ‘mind
explosion’, is the best way I can describeit.
And it's the scientist with the mind exploding.
It can change the dynamic of a conversationvery quickly.
(11:06):
[Voiceover]OF: Ajay Jain, the car designer from Episode
21.
[Clip]AJ: The one I send quite often - and I've
been known to send it to my friends - is the‘Happy Friday’ sticker.
I don't actually look for the sticker, itjust comes up when I write ‘TGIF’.
And it's become a thing that I send a wholebunch of friends, ‘Happy Friday’.
(11:29):
Super cute.
It’s so simple, but I've never seen it before.
[Voiceover]OF: Douglon Tse, the island businessman from
Episode 15.
[Clip]DT: It's Elmo behind a flame wall.
So it looks like Elmo from hell.
Because sometimes people say things in groupchats, and I have nothing to say.
(11:49):
And this is the only sticker I found that'sapplicable to anything, whether it's good
news or bad news.
Because you can't tell if he's in torture,or he's celebrating; if he's excited, or if
he's upset.
So the applicability is very high.
Which means that I use it a lot.
Well, I do have this, and I haven't used it enough because of the ambiguity.
(12:10):
I'm like “Oh, when do I actually use it?”
But I should just use it at all times.
[Voiceover]OF: Casey Hall, the fashion journalist from
Episode 22.
[Clip]CH: It is a sticker of Elon Musk on stage
in Shanghai doing a really awkward dad dance,looking like a bit of a tool.
(12:31):
The reason that I like this sticker so muchis that I use it in so many different contexts.
Oh.
CH (12:38):
I mean, I use it in celebration, like “Yay".
I also use it as like “Well, that was weird”.
I also use it when I want to say that something'sfailed.
It's the one sticker that can mean so manythings.
OF (12:56):
Oh, you're right.
It's like a blank canvas upon which you canput whatever emotion you're feeling.
CH (13:01):
Exactly.
And you might not realise it at first glance,but you can use it in 100 different scenarios.
OF (13:07):
Yes, I see that.
Amazing.
[Voiceover]OF: Jiyoung, the transgender teacher from
Episode 30.
[Clip]J: I mean, I have a lot.
But at the moment, my favourite one is thislittle pig that says ‘amazing’ with a
rainbow behind it.
Because it's still quite queer, but it's vagueenough that my co-workers will not be able
(13:29):
to tell that it's queer.
Yes.
J (13:31):
So I like that I can use it in versatile circumstances.
[Voiceover]OF: Noxolo Bhengu, the African community organiser
from Episode 14.
[Clip]OF: What is your favourite WeChat sticker?
NB (13:43):
That is my life most of the time.
I'm like “What do I do?
This is just too much”.
OF (13:49):
That’s a good one.
[Voiceover]OF: Zhang Yuan, the performance art exhibitor
from Episode 07.
[Clip]ZY: Let me send you.
OK, here It is.
Oh, OK.
Now hang on, let me see, it says ‘大脑一片空白[dànǎo yīpiàn kòngbái]’.
ZY (14:06):
Yes.
OF (14:07):
OK, phew, I could read it.
What does that mean?
ZY (14:10):
That means “nothing in my head”.
OF (14:11):
Oh, I like it.
So if somebody asks you a question, you don'twant to or you can't answer, you just send
that.
ZY (14:18):
Yeah, yeah.
It's like “I cannot think of anything”.
[Voiceover]OF: Katherine Wong, the Peruvian healer from
Episode 04.
[Clip]KW: They look like ballerinas.
From the 70s.
Yeah, I love this sticker because it describesthe feeling of excitement and happiness that
(14:40):
I have sometimes.
OF (14:41):
I'm actually drawn most to the one right at the back.
And she is concentrating very, very carefully.
KW (14:48):
I didn't see her.
[Voiceover]OF: Jo McFarland, the product sourcing leader
from Episode 18.
[Clip]JM: Oh my goodness, how do we describe this?
They're like The Golden Girls.
And they're kind of like shimming their chests.
Is that the best way to say it, Oscar?
OF (15:09):
Yes.
JM (15:10):
And that, to me, is a fun sticker.
Because I have a lot of fun in Shanghai, andI've got a lot of girlfriends that make me
smile, and all the great people that I'vemet while I'm here.
[Voiceover]OF: Vladimir Djurovic, the brand naming expert
from Episode 13.
[Clip]VD: I never use stickers.
(15:30):
But I use, a lot, the emoticons.
And my favourite one is the determined onewith the bandana.
I hope you will give me a pass.
OF (15:40):
Well, this is a particular WeChat emoticon.
There isn't something which is in the usualemoji which comes close to this one, right?
VD (15:47):
It's true.
I never realised that.
OF (15:50):
Yeah.
That's why it passes the test.
You can still use that.
VD (15:54):
Thank you.
OF (15:55):
That’s just an exception.
[Voiceover]OF: Salome Chen, the investor and developer
from Episode 24.
[Clip]SC: I like the one with sunglasses.
Because I enjoy mocking people slightly.
Oh.
SC (16:12):
Yeah.
OF (16:13):
So this is you saying “Cool”.
But really, you're saying “Hmm”.
SC (16:17):
Huhuhuh.
[Voiceover]OF: Louise Roy, the childbirth and lactation
specialist from Episode 06.
[Clip]LR: My favourite WeChat sticker is actually
one that says ‘Google it, you lazy ****’.OF: Yes, you need to do a “Bing it” too.
LR (16:37):
Yeah, ‘Bing it, you lazy ****’. OF
[Voiceover]OF: Stéphane Wilmet, the head of consumer
insights at L'Oreal from Episode 01.
[Clip]OF: You know, in the West, we have this image
of the hamster in the hamster wheel, runningand running and running on the wheel, but
going nowhere.
(16:58):
But here in China, I feel that it's alwaysup, up, up, up.
For me, this one sums up what I experience.
You’re always going somewhere better, morechallenging, at a pace that accelerates.
Up or out.
There's no going nowhere or no standing stillhere.
OF (17:16):
Mmm.
[Voiceover]OF: Björn Dahlman, the Swedish clown from
Episode 17.
[Clip]BD: It's a pink dragon hugging a girl, and
there’s a story to it.
In 2015, I met this Chinese girl on what wasthen called ‘China Love Cupid’, I think.
(17:37):
This was before the Tinder era.
She didn't speak English at all, so it wasthis total cliché of trying to communicate,
trying to figure out "Are we dating, or what?”
She was talking about marriage on, I think,the fourth date.
You know, all the clichés were there.
But she looked like that little girl in thesticker, and when I talked to her I felt like
(18:00):
a big pink fluffy dragon.
So to me, that series of dragon and littlegirl stickers became our little story.
So it's a sticker attached to memories, morethan anything else.
Beautiful.
Thank you.
BD (18:16):
Yeah, it was beautiful.
OF (18:17):
How long did it last in the end?
BD (18:19):
I don't know if it even started.
We're still in touch, though, as friends.
It's no drama.
Just, I wish I could speak Chinese.
OF (18:29):
Well, it's chicken and egg, you know.
Once you have a Chinese girlfriend, that'swhen the language comes to you, right?
BD (18:35):
Yeah, and you know that's what the Chinese teacher said at the school.
“OK, step number one, find girlfriend.
Step number two, here's your textbook.”
[Voiceover]OF: Wendy Saunders, the architect from Episode
12.
[Clip]WS: I got this from a friend, and it's just
super funny, I think.
And it always makes me laugh because it'sjust these two women, fighting but not really
(18:59):
fighting.
If you've lived here…
OF (19:01):
You’ve seen it.
WS (19:02):
You’ve seen this.
And it's kind of people like these Shanghainesefishwives.
OF (19:07):
They’re feisty.
WS (19:08):
They’re feisty.
They're fighting, but they're not really fighting.
They're just kind of annoying each other.
And if you look, they're like trying to kickbut not really kicking.
They know they shouldn't be kicking.
So it's kind of really funny, because youcan just imagine that being your neighbour
right?
OF (19:22):
Yes.
[Voiceover]OF: Michael Kinsey, the fire engineer from
Episode 25.
[Clip]MK: So this sticker is actually formed of
three parts - three stickers - that you haveto sort of put together in the right order.
And it's of this small, fat, Chinese childbelly dancing, almost.
So I love this because it's quite happy.
(19:44):
It was one of the first ones I've seen whichare multi-component stickers.
Yes.
MK (19:48):
And I use it, I guess, when I want to say that I'm happy, or to perhaps exemplify
my dancing style.
OF (19:55):
Well, I would like to see you dance like this.
Very good.
And it's cheating as well, because it's three,not one.
MK (20:03):
True.
OF (20:04):
Can you actually send one of them?
It must be a bit weird.
MK (20:06):
I’ve sent them in the wrong order once, and it was like “Oh, recall, recall,”
you know?
[Outro]OF: I know from last season that for some
people the bit about WeChat stickers is yourfavourite aspect of the entire show, and for
some it’s the least.
If you’ve made it this far through today’sepisode, I’m hoping that you fall into the
first category, so thank you very much!
(20:29):
Please consider this my Chinese New Year giftto you, and for everyone who is listening
to this on their Spring holidays, I hope you’retaking some time to relax and look back on
what has been another challenging year.
Mosaic of China is me, Oscar Fuchs, with artworkby Denny Newell.
I’ll see you again in the year of the Tiger.
[Clips]SW: Thank you very much.
JB (20:51):
Thank you, it’s been a pleasure.
CC (20:53):
My pleasure.
KW (20:54):
Thank you so much.
C (20:55):
Oh hey, thanks.
LR (20:56):
Thank you very much.
ZY (20:58):
Thank you.
JZ (20:59):
Thank you.
SH (21:00):
It’s been a pleasure.
DJ (21:01):
Thank you.
AS (21:02):
Thank you.
WS (21:03):
Thank you.
VD (21:04):
Thanks.
NB (21:05):
Thank you.
DT (21:06):
Thank you.
CC (21:07):
Thank you.
BD (21:08):
Hehe, thank you.
JM (21:09):
Thank you very much.
SH (21:10):
My pleasure, thanks.
MQ (21:11):
Thank you.
AJ (21:12):
Thanks a lot.
CH (21:13):
Thank you.
BO (21:14):
Thank you very much.
SC (21:15):
Thank you.
MK (21:16):
Thank you.
CM (21:17):
Thank you.
VF (21:18):
Thank you so much.
ZH (21:19):
Thank you for having me.
MK (21:20):
It was my pleasure.
J (21:21):
Thank you so much.
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