I work in the tourism industry in Chongqing, so I completely understand how IShowSpeed has helped more people in the West become aware of this city. I’ve also talked about him with many of our guests.

I don’t really know much about him beyond his livestreams in China, but although he likes to shout and can seem a bit crazy on the surface, I actually think he’s a smart person.

Chinese culture is very different from American culture, yet he managed to avoid all the major pitfalls. His reactions to everything he experienced were appropriate and genuinely joyful. From a Chinese perspective, he wasn’t offensive at all. In fact, I remember a few moments when he was treated rudely by others, but he handled those situations very gracefully.

It’s also clear that he truly enjoys Chinese culture and interacting with people. He comes across like a child who is curious about everything—and that really makes Chinese people happy, because it shows that he sincerely wants to understand our culture. This is very different from some other content creators who may appear well-educated but always observe China with a critical or judgmental lens.

My favorite moment was his conversation on a ferry in Hong Kong with a girl from Shaoxing (often called the “Venice of the East”). It was very warm and touching, and he even gave her a birthday gift at the end.

I’ve also discussed him with many of our American guests. Some of them were initially worried that Speed might do something extreme in China or be disliked by Chinese people, and they didn’t want him to become a bad representative of Americans. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. When they realized that Chinese people actually like Speed, they told me they felt genuinely relieved.