Douyin Dive: A Video a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Long before COVID-19 struck, you probably had already been receiving tons of blogs about healthy lifestyles or what kinds of food can’t be paired together, forwarded by your parents in your “Sweet Love Family Group Chat.” However, with all those different pieces of information and rumors mixed up out there, it is easy for someone who has no professional medical background to fall prey to click-baiting content. We do have to admit, though, that social media, has become the primary and quickest way for the public to absorb knowledge, with video platforms reigning supreme. So the question is: Are there any trustworthy and intriguing channels that can help people learn some useful health care tips in their spare time? As it just so happens, there are! 

夹性芝士 Jiaxing Zhishi

Sex education has always been a touchy topic in schools or at home, especially here in China. Even though it is a part of the curriculum, it will usually only be touched upon briefly, before being pushed aside in favor of other courses that will contribute more to preparing you for your exams. Websites like Pornhub may introduce you to the world of kinks, but they won’t answer the questions you are likely to face more frequently, and which are more essential to your health and safety. 夹性芝士 Jiaxing Zhishi gives information on a wide range of topics, including things like why you shouldn’t believe all the descriptions in pornographic novels, whether it is ok to sleep naked, what the difference is between sex, gender, and sexual orientation, and how to identify and prevent STDs.

Anything related to sex could be the topic for their next video, and their manner of delivering their content manages to find that sweet spot between reading scripted academic reports and infusing the video with delightfully dirty jokes. By featuring actors in white lab coats and dubbing the videos with the emotionless voice of Siri, Jiaxing Zhishi successfully makes most of the sexual topics not NSFW anymore, and the clever use of puns and props keeps their audience hooked while educating them at the same time. The thousands of views and likes suggest how eagerly the public is attempting to make up for the sex education classes they missed out on at school, and Jiaxing Zhishi is an especially great place for women and other sexual minorities to discuss their sex life and acquire essential knowledge without feeling like they are breaking a taboo.

丁香医生 Dingxiang Zhishi

Started as an internal forum for medical staff, 丁香医生 Dingxiang Yisheng has now become one of the longest-standing Chinese platforms focused on personal health. Their official WeChat account remains the main hub of their content production, but they have also expanded their influence to video streaming platforms, to insure that the knowledge crucial to everyone’s wellness is more accessible to the public. Since most of Dingxiang Yisheng’s videos are adapted from their text content, they are probably more suitable to being regarded as visual podcasts. You won’t miss any important information even if you only listen to the audio during your daily commute. And with professional talents endorsing and contributing to the content, even some of the most obscure topics can be broken down into comprehensible info for the public. For example, to help people get a better understanding of Alzheimer's, Dingxiang Yisheng interviewed a number of people about their most precious memory instead of simply elaborating on the symptoms of the disease. After watching their channel, you can also go to their online archive to dig up more information, or even consult the doctors online to solve health problems that may be troubling you in your life.

冰寒护肤 Binghan Hufu

In this day and age, taking care of your exterior beauty is just as important as taking care of your internal health, to say the least. Yet most of the content you see online is paid for by cosmetics manufacturers and full of promotional gimmicks, while at the same time lacking the dermatological analysis necessary to verify the validity of the products. 冰寒哥, owner of the 冰寒护肤 Binghan Hufu channel, is currently working on his PhD in dermatology at Tongji University. His videos are like a series of online skincare classes that help you review all your skin issues more scientifically and rationally, which will save you from purchasing dazzling yet useless or even harmful products.

Disclaimer: All the aforementioned channels may produce content for content marketing reasons and only represent themselves. If you have any health problems or are feeling ill, we suggest you go see a doctor in person

Read: Beijing Health Kit Now Shows COVID Test Results From All Over China

Images Courtesy of corresponding content creators