In January and February 2024, the Chinese beaver became popular on TikTok. Why Chinese? Well, the beaver is an animated character and it speaks Chinese. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the beaver must come from China.
What the beaver says is in Chinese, which is why very few people understand it. But many people find the way the beaver speaks motivating. But what does he actually say?
The Chinese beaver says: (Editor’s translation)
„I have my own principles and I don’t want my whole life to be trampled underfoot. Do you think I’m a simple street vendor? I’ve just been waiting for a chance for three years. I have to prove myself, not represent anything and take back what’s mine!“
In a further translation, the beaver says:
„I know exactly what I want. I don’t want to walk around with my head down forever. I’m tired of begging others. I’ve done it for three years and waited for my chance. I want to be someone again, not to prove to others how great I am, but to show that I’m taking back what used to be mine.
About the Chinese beaver: TikTok meme: origin, provenance
The beaver speaks Cantonese. His patch on his left eye is conspicuous.
The beaver’s speech and scene are based on the 1986 film „A Better Tomorrow“, which was produced in Hong Kong. The director is John Woo.
In one scene, the character „Mark Lee“ (played by Chow Yun-fat) gives a speech to the character Sung Tse Ho (played by Ti Lung) to motivate Sung Tse Ho to do something. This is because Mark Lee has lost his power in the Hong Kong underworld and wants something to be done about the triads.
The beaver was probably created by the user „B teaches animation“ on the Chinese social media platform Bilibili. „B teaches animation“ published the video of the beaver giving Mark Lee’s speech on Bilibili on November 18, 2022. The animated video only reached English-speaking internet users in the fall of 2023 and the beaver became very popular from the beginning of 2024.
The original video of „B teaches animation“ is entitled „All emotions, no skills“. „B teaches animation“ says in the description that the video is a test animation for a friend.
Incidentally, it is not so clear and obvious whether the Chinese beaver is really a beaver. It could also be a bear or a marmot.
Chinese beaver: motivational speech
The Chinese beaver quickly became popular on the Internet. Although hardly any Western Internet users speak Chinese. But the mood, tone and vibe are just right. What the beaver says must be motivating. That’s why many TikTok users thought that the Chinese beaver was giving a motivational speech.
In numerous TikTok videos, Tiktokers report that the beaver has motivated them to keep learning, not to give up and to stay on the ball.
More about the Chinese beaver
A cryptocurrency called „Chinese Beaver“ has also already been launched.