From Iran to China: An Emerging Trans-Central Asian Corridor 
New documents show how a retail chain’s sales practices helped put guns on US streets 
Singapore a battleground of commodities fraud lawsuits Wearing a black mariner’s cap and with a wall-to-wall bookshelf as a backdrop, Cambridge University professor Alan Macfarlane greets his social media audience with a soft ni hao – “Hello” in Chinese.
In his latest video, Macfarlane follows this signature opening by thoughtfully answering a question pulled from the comments: why has making genuine friends become so difficult?
Few would have expected an 84-year-old British anthropologist and historian from Cambridge University to become a social media heartthrob in China – yet Macfarlane has done exactly that.
Young Chinese affectionately call him “Grandpa Cute” or “Dumbledore”, after the beloved Harry Potter character, while his gentle, jargon-free reflections on education, purpose, anxiety, relationships, artificial intelligence (AI) and cultural understanding resonate deeply in a fast-paced, high-pressure society.
Through an intimate Q&A format, Macfarlane has amassed more than 2.4 million followers in roughly one year since launching on the Chinese social media platform RedNote in 2025, with videos often gaining millions of views.
His channels on Douyin – China’s version of TikTok – and Bilibili, another major video-sharing platform, have also attracted about 170,000 and 540,000 followers, respectively.
Don't Miss:
-
John Lee promises ‘high-quality’ experience for Apec finance meeting guests
-
John Lee urges public to tune in to Legco debate on city’s 5-year plan, policy address
-
Hong Kong prepares reforms, accountability measures ahead of Tai Po fire report
-
Turkmenistan grows its arsenal of Chinese air defences as Russia’s role shrinks
-
India sizes up US F-35 stealth jets in landmark first on home turf