For many internet users today, the Chinese century is upon us, whether you expected it or not.

From DeepSeek’s AI breakthroughs to an "artificial sun" with the potential to power the country, jokes about China’s innovations surpassing the West are on the rise.

In true internet fashion, there’s already a meme for this moment — a viral TikTok skit in which a man arrives in paradise only to shrug and say, "No, it’s fine… I just didn’t think it’d be Chinese."

The phrase has since become the go-to reaction every time you encounter something and unexpectedly realize that it's Chinese. Here's a look at the history of the meme.

Where Did The 'When You Get To Heaven But It's Chinese' Video Come From?

In November 2022, Catholic TikToker @papist_dalton posted a video joking about entering heaven but being taken aback because it's Chinese.

The video creator is seen walking into the frame wearing a flannel shirt and looking around at a hazy Chinese scene as vaguely oriental music plays. He shrugs and says, "No, it's fine. I just… I just didn't think it'd be Chinese." Over two years, the video received roughly 549,500 plays and 68,500 likes.

@papist_dalton Why is there a filter for this lmao #catholic #biblememes #christianhumor #catholictiktok #christiantiktok ##catholichumor #religion #chinesehumor #chinese ♬ Pops by Traditional Chinese Music Arrangement(151163) – ginmugi

How Did 'When You Get To Heaven But It's Chinese' Become A Meme?

The video was reposted to Twitter several times in 2024, often in conjunction with memes about encountering something and unexpectedly learning that it's Chinese.

For example, a December 2024 post showed X user @narrenhut quote tweeted a post about Idaho's large Chinese immigrant population in the late 1800s with an exploited and recaptioned version of the original video's thumbnail, reading, "When you get to Idaho but it's Chinese."

In a similar vein, X user @jeremylovesyall quote tweeted a post about a new Chinese poster for the film Zootopia 2, writing, "no it's fine I just didn't think it'd be chinese is all."

What's With Jokes About The 'Future' Being Chinese?

A series of Chinese technological innovations in 2024 and 2025 led to jokes about the "future" being Chinese, as seen in a Twitter post by content creator Liv Agar that commented on the U.S. imposing tariffs on computer chips from Taiwan.

X user @terminallyOL posted a similar meme in response to learning that Elon Musk is pushing for the U.S. to exit NATO and the UN, saying, "no no, this century is fine, I just didn't think it'd be chinese."

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For the full history of When You Get To Heaven But It's Chinese, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.