Original study2026Read the paper →
An AI-generated rap song in which ten figures from Chinese history and legend sing about their setbacks has spread widely online in China this autumn, and a mental health specialist says its appeal shows the power of emotional validation.
The song, Guolairen (过来人, roughly “someone who has been through it”), went online on 13 October 2026. According to Chutian Metropolis Daily, it passed one million likes within a day and reached 124 million clicks across platforms. Beijing News, in an article published on 23 October 2026, reported a platform split of more than 75 million plays on Douyin and more than 45 million on WeChat Channels.
Ancient voices, modern struggles
Set in a small tavern, the music video has the poets Du Fu and Su Shi, the Han dynasty founder Liu Bang, and others describe their struggles in plain, everyday language. Du Fu sings about moving house all his life, and the mythical Monkey King compares the band on his head to mortgages, KPIs, and other people’s eyes.
The creator, Wang Kunzhe, told Beijing News that the song cost a few thousand yuan and took three or four days of focused work, with AI used to test lyrics and rhymes. He rejected the idea that it is “chicken soup for the soul”: rather than giving answers, he said, it lets ten people with ten different lives say “I have been through this too”. He said his core audience turned out to be people aged 31 to 40.
A comment section that became a “tree hole”
Chutian Metropolis Daily and Beijing News both report that the comments turned into a huge “tree hole”, a Chinese term for a place to pour out secrets. Chutian Metropolis Daily said millions of listeners wrote about their frustration and exhaustion. Beijing News described strangers replying to comfort one another. Wang said a song can hardly solve anyone’s problems, but it can let people know they are not alone, adding that in hard times people may most need to be understood, not given answers.
Why feeling understood matters
Speaking to People’s Daily Online, the director of the clinical psychology department at Wuhan Mental Health Centre said the song touches a long-overlooked psychological truth: in emotional distress, what people need first is often not an answer but to have their pain acknowledged. The specialist linked that need for understanding to empathy, which accurately senses another person’s inner world without judging or rushing to fix it.
She contrasted this with dismissive comfort such as “stop overthinking” or “others have it worse”, which, according to the specialist, may increase isolation and shut people off from seeking help. Many clients, the specialist said, arrive saying not “I need help” but “I don’t know who to talk to”.
Where support has limits
The specialist stressed that feeling seen is an important starting point for psychological support, but not the end point of all psychological difficulties. The specialist advised seeking professional assessment if low mood or loss of interest lasts more than two weeks, if sleep or appetite change markedly, if social functioning is clearly impaired, or if negative thoughts appear.
In China, the national psychological assistance hotline is 12356. If you are struggling to cope in the UK or Ireland, you can contact Samaritans for free on 116 123.
