Who Is Xiao Ling, And Why Does He Keep Appearing In TikToks?

Over the past month or so, one can't scroll through TikTok without hearing about the various plights of one Xiao Ling. "This is Xiao Ling," the TikTok will say. "Xiao Ling needs to complete an obstacle course or his whole family will die," "Xiao Ling wants to become the greatest chef in the world," etc.

Of course, the person on the screen is definitely not "Xiao Ling." Usually, it's a well-known character from pop culture, like Walter White or the Fall Guy from Fall Guys. So what gives? Let's get into the history of this bizarre meme.

Who Is Xiao Ling?

The first thing to understand is that while there are real people named "Xiao Ling," none of the memes on TikTok are referencing any real people. Instead, "Xiao Ling" is a name that TikTokers have noted often appears in "movie recap" videos on the app. These videos are usually made by Chinese TikTok users and are characterized by their dramatic summary of the events on screen and stilted English.

Where Did "Xiao Ling" Memes Come From?

On June 10th, 2022, TikToker @I_like_movies___ posted a meme saying, "Imagine if someone named Xiao Ling actually had their whole life narrated with this song in the background."

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7107639693356879110

The song in question was recognizable to TikTokers familiar with the "movie recap" trend on the app. Movie recap videos will often feature a relatively nondescript song in the background, including the one used by @i_like_movies__, which they dubbed the "NPC ahhh" song.

@movierecaps04 Reply to @angeline1anice #MaiselChallenge #MakeItGucci #fypシ #fyp #fypシ゚viral #fypage #fypdongggggggg #movieclips #part3 ♬ original sound – Movie recaps 🎥

After the @i_like_movies__ post, TikTokers took to parodying the stilted movie recaps by summarizing the plots of various well-known pieces of pop culture, calling their main character "Xiao Ling" or "Xiao Mei" and misrepresenting their actions. On June 12th, the account @Xiao_Movies posted a parody of the Star Wars prequels, naming Yoda "Xiao Ling." Later, Xiao Ling videos became a popular vehicle to post gaming clips, characterizing the video game character in the clip as "Xiao Ling" undergoing a harsh trial.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7108413448098188549

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7113226357991296302

How To Make "Xiao Ling" Videos

To make a good Xiao Ling video, you need a little creative inspiration and a clip from a well-known piece of pop culture. The humor of a "Xiao Ling" video comes in how incorrectly one can interpret the actions in a clip while still being relatively plausible if the viewer truly has no idea of the actual plot. Take, for example, @chairgaming22's Breaking Bad parody:

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7108375889137650949

As you're probably aware, Breaking Bad is about Walter White's descent into becoming a drug kingpin, but chairgaming22 dubs Walter White "Xiao Mei" and misrepresents the story to be about Xiao Mei's quest to become the best cook in the world. They also edit scenes together to fit the narrative their telling, such as interpreting White throwing a pizza on the roof as "Xiao Mei" being frustrated his family didn't like the pizza he cooked.

The meme has a lot of potential for creativity: all it takes is a drastic change in perspective, some good writing, and a goofy song to tie it all together.

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For more information on Xiao Ling, check out the Know Your Meme entry here.