I moved to China in 2018 and have integrated pretty well, I think? But especially the 90s and 00s are a mystery to me, while my Chinese friends & colleagues did live through that period, grew up in it, shaped by it (as I was by the 90s and 00s in the Netherlands).

It’s very hard to relive that. Wikipedia doesn’t feel anything, and likewise, many books cover history but not daily life.

That’s why KFC’s ad from 2011 — about the 90s generation growing up — is so good, “You Say I Say Post-90s” (你说我说90后). I actually learned about it in my Chinese language textbook and then I had to look it up. Not easy to find as the original website doesn’t exist anymore.

KFC basically invited everyone to submit videos with their views on the 90s generation, and the result is a fantastic edit of those entries.

Friend (post-80): “I was never into fast food or anything like that, but I went to KFC more than McDonalds. KFC expensive at the time, like if you could eat there you were rich! We never considered health, maybe ate there once a month? If I got good grades my mom took me there.”