A niche but fascinating deep dive into Chinese folk culture through the lens of short video platforms. Hosted by Lu Huai Hang, this talk brings over Otani Toru — author of China’s Gods of Death and Chinese TikTok Folklore — a Japan-based scholar who’s built a following by unpacking rural rituals, beliefs, and oddities found on Douyin. What started as casually narrating village clips online turned into a full-on research practice, and now a book series. Expect stories behind the research, fieldwork anecdotes, and a look at how “lowbrow” internet content ends up documenting traditions that academia often overlooks. The session will be in Japanese with Chinese interpretation, held at a small bookstore space with limited seating (40 spots), so booking ahead is required.