Recently, American YouTube sensation Darren Jason Watkins Jr., better known as IShowSpeed (or simply “Speed”), made headlines with a high-energy, high-visibility tour of China.
Born in 2005 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Speed began uploading gaming content to YouTube in 2016. Now 20 years old, he is renowned for his dramatic, often chaotic style, marked by explosive reactions and over-the-top antics across a mix of gaming and IRL (in-real-life) streams fflmed around the world. With over 37 million subscribers, Speed is one of the most recognizable English-speaking streamers globally. Since 2022, Speed has livestreamed his travels to about 25 countries, drawing millions of fans worldwide and positioning himself as an unlikely yet effective cultural ambassador.
From March 24 to April 9, 2025, Speed embarked on a whirlwind 17-day tour of China. Over the course of the trip, he livestreamed 50 hours of content, amassing more than 90 million views on YouTube. His six-hour stream in Shanghai alone pulled in 5.6 million views. Throughout his journey, Speed offered his global audience a window into China’s dynamic culture and technology. He captured Shanghai’s dazzling skyline, climbed the Great Wall in Beijing and visited Shaolin monks in Henan Province. He also spotlighted everyday moments: sampling street food, riding high-speed trains and interacting with delivery drones.
Chinese netizens have largely embraced Speed’s trip, applauding him for showing a modern, clean and peaceful image of China to the world. His tour has been widely seen as a success in promoting cultural understanding and offering a more nuanced view of the country to Western audiences.
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