“Huinantian” (回南天) is back again in Southern China, especially in the Guangdong and Fujian provinces. It is sometimes translated as the ‘damp season’ in China, to differentiate it from the ‘rainy season’ (梅雨) in early summer. It is known for dampness and condensation forming on walls and floors as if homes are sweating from the warm and humid late winter days.
Each year, huinantian gets a mention whenever it falls on the southern provinces. Last year, it became viral because of a service offered by southern netizens on Goofish, the second hand marketplace from Alibaba to write whatever message you want on the wet walls.
- #回南天是什么服从性测试吗Is huinantian some kind of compliance test: 5.98 million views on Rednote, ranking number 2 on the Hot Spot list.
This year, fuelled by a video of the same name as the topic, the start of the damp season returns to China as a buzzword. Videos with the hashtag also include different attitudes from Northerners and Southerners towards the weather.
For marketers and brands that seek to hyper-localise to different regions or harvest the interest towards certain regions, not only are cultures and customs but even the specific weather conditions can be leveraged, especially when they are widely known across the country.
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