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American students help Zhang Hua and Zhang Dou make online videos that display cultural differences of the two countries.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Quick flicks

Original short videos are exploding in China as traditional media struggle.

That's why people like Derksen, and Chinese students Zhang Hua and Zhang Dou in the United States, are hits online. The college students' humorous videos deal with how their American classmates at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, react to such aspects of Chinese culture as spicy food and dancing in public squares.

They'd previously shared articles about cultural differences online but found they were boring and hard to read.

"I always wanted to do something fun beyond just studying," Zhang Dou says. "So we started making the videos, which are fun and easy to watch."

The roughly 200 videos they've posted since 2014 have received more than 300 million views.

A Chinese fan named Sheldon commented online after watching a video in which they invited US students to taste furu, or preserved Chinese tofu: "I dare not try furu without steamed buns or congee. I admire US students' courage."

In another video, US students took the English test for the Chinese high school entrance exam and some failed. Charles, a Chinese fan, wrote online: "Even native speakers cannot pass the exam! I'll watch it again and this time with my mother."

Zhang Hua, from Nantong, Jiangsu province, who moved overseas at age 17, says: "We did (the videos) just for fun. The warm feedback from the viewers was unexpected."

The first video they made from their own dormitory featured American students trying such Chinese beverages as Wanglaoji herbal tea and Wahaha milk drinks.

"Weird", "disgusting" and "interesting" were some of the words their US friends most commonly used to describe the beverages.