This post is the investigative companion guide to “The Labubu File: A Chinese Toy Story” from the ‘Mandarin Unpeeled’ podcast. If you haven’t listened yet, I recommend starting there and following us for the full story. You can find it wherever you get your podcast.
While scrolling through the wonderful (and sometimes weird) world of social media, I came across a phrase that stopped me in my tracks: “Cloud Pet Inhaling” (云吸宠).
Upon further investigation, I discovered what this bizarre-sounding phrase actually means: ‘cloud’ signals that it’s digital, and ‘inhaling’ carries a double meaning — the addictive pull of smoking (smoking in Chinese= inhale cigarettes), and the cozy act of holding a pet close to your face, literally ‘inhaling its fluffiness’.
In short, it’s a digital pet fix.
This trend is gaining momentum among China’s youth — a way to seek instant emotional comfort without the hassle of ever owning a pet.
But this goes far beyond watching a few cute cat or puppy videos—it’s a more intentional and structured way to connect with specific pets, and sometimes even interact as though you were their owner.
This quirky fad is part of a bigger cultural movement: Xiao Que Xing (小确幸) — ‘small but certain happiness’. (more on that in the podcast) It’s about swapping the endless hustle for tiny, tangible pleasures that offer control, joy, and emotional relief.
Some see it as mindful living, others as soft hedonism — joy tinged with a quiet awareness of life’s uncertainties.
It’s no surprise young people are chasing these small delights. China’s hyper-competitive society can be exhausting. But there’s another layer: these “ordinary” pleasures are historically new.
A few decades ago, many of the things we now take for granted — supermarkets, indie cafés, collectible toys, ambient lighting — simply didn’t exist. (Yes, the first supermarket in my hometown didn’t open until I was in 4th grade— and I’m not even that old!)
So when youth watch “cloud cats,” make an elaborate brunch, wander city alleys with an “internet-famous” coffee, or journal under sunset lamps, they’re designing moments of stability, joy, and control in an unpredictable world.
So… is this trend for you? Or maybe some of the other ones sound more appealing:
Indie/boutique milk tea shops
Immersive cooking or skincare routines
Lounging at home… doing NOTHING
Blind boxes and collectible toys
Citywalks through unfamiliar alleys
Ambient or sunset-mimicking lighting
In the end, xiao que xing is about the little joys we can hold, smell, sip, or watch, in a world where big happiness is never guaranteed. Sometimes, happiness really is this small — maybe that is the whole point.
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