Popular YouTube streamer Darren Watkins, known to viewers as “IShowSpeed” or “Speed,” for short, has recently concluded his China tour, livestreaming to millions of Americans a side of China that mainstream American media has often ignored. At a time when tensions between the United States and China continue to increase, Speed’s tour serves as a teaching moment to both the United States and China. Americans don’t want to see million-dollar advertisements showing a spotless presentation of a foreign country, they want to see everyday experiences of the country through the lives of its residents.
When the tour was announced, both American and Chinese citizens were worried about how Speed would act in the country, fearing it would be detrimental to U.S.-Chinese relations. Given Speed’s claim to fame stemming from extreme actions, shown by his loud barking whenever he encounters a triggering post, or how he once jumped over a sports car travelling at full speed, many of Speed’s American fans worried that his radical nature would clash with the Chinese country’s more reserved persona, and potentially give American media a bad reputation.
Fortunately, Speed proved the fears unfounded while destroying the very preconceptions of China that Western media had taken as fact. While Speed made sure to tour more traditional Chinese landmarks such as the Great Wall and Forbidden Palace, he also made it a point to show the modernized side of China. Speed showed viewers a litany of things that American citizens seldom get to see, such as China’s high-speed rail and carts that traveled through buildings, threefold cell phones, late-night drone shows, and even the country’s first flying car. Through his unique presentation combined with his dedication to show American viewers a more authentic picture of China, Speed was able to dispel many viewers’ preconceived notion of China as a technological laggard stuck in the 20th century.
However, the greatest part of China that Speed showcased was not a new tourist attraction or technological development, but the people. Throughout the tour, Speed had collaborations with popular Chinese social media figures ranging from the singer of the hit song SuperIdol to social media star Tony from LC Sign. Through these collaborations, Speed introduced a Western audience to Eastern creators, helping disseminate China’s rich, multifaceted culture, and breaking the isolated bubble his viewers resided in.
Speed was a warm and friendly visitor, interacting with Chinese citizens despite a massive language barrier. Western media frequently portrays Chinese citizens as constantly stressed, robotic, and emotionless. However, Speed’s interviews helped combat this myth, as those who interacted with him were warm, energetic, and enthusiastic. The warmness Chinese citizens greeted Speed broke many viewers’ preconceived notions of a heartless and stress-filled China. At the end of the day, this resulted not only in westerners understanding China as a modern country with top-tier attractions, but also as a country whose citizens’ personalities serve as a reason in itself to visit.
This type of interaction between the West and East would not have been possible thirty or even twenty years ago. It is only through the rise of streaming has people from across the globe have been given a window into worlds far different, yet at the same time so similar to their own. While the media often displays nuisance streamers who create both negative impressions of the country they travel to, and even worse impressions for the natives to have on foreigners, stories like Speed’s show just how powerful streaming can be used as a tool for good.
By the time his last stream concluded, his tour had become so well-received that there were giant billboard advertisements in Chinese cities thanking the streamer. While tensions between China and the United States seem positioned to only rise further as the world gears for another trade war, stories like Speed’s showcase that all it takes is one person to humanize the other side and break through the tension.
