The smooth "Subject Three" dance moves, accompanied by a remixed version of the song "A Smile in the Martial World," has become one of the hottest dances on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. This trend has also quickly swept through Taiwan as many young people in the island are competing with each other on social media platforms to showcase their skills.

"Subject Three," also known as "Guangxi's Subject Three," originally referred to a part of the driving school exam in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The so-called "Subject Three" dance originated from a wedding in Guangxi where many people joyfully danced and sang.

According to Taiwan media outlets, cultural influence is a relatively new topic for the island of Taiwan. Several decades ago, people from the Chinese mainland idolized Taiwan singer Teresa Teng, director Ang Lee, among others. Now, many elderly people on the island watch Chinese mainland's historical dramas and soap operas, while the younger generation is obsessed with social media apps.

Former chairperson of the Kuomintang Hung Hsiu-chu also joined in the fad, attempting the dance.

A recent media literacy survey released by the Taiwan Golden Car Cultural and Educational Foundation revealed that 50.7 percent of teenagers in Taiwan island most commonly use the information platform TikTok. TikTok, the international version of Douyin, established its operation team in the island of Taiwan in 2018 and quickly became the most downloaded short video app in the island.

"From music, dance, skits, and comedy, to comic editing, movie commentary, street interviews, and mukbang (eating broadcasts), students watch various types of content on Douyin," shared Lin Yan-you, a primary school Chinese language teacher in Kaohsiung. In addition to leisure and entertainment, students also browse educational content such as math tutorials and singing English songs. "If someone sings a line of lyrics, the whole class will sing along," said Lin.

Zhang Hongyuan, an associate professor in the International Trade Department at Chihlee University of Technology, told media that the tastes and emotions regarding clothing, food, housing, transportation, and popular culture are shared between young people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. Because of this shared content, many youths in the island are familiar with various popular phrases on the Chinese mainland internet, despite never having been to the mainland.

Despite the fact that Taiwan authorities relentlessly attempt to ban applications from the Chinese mainland, the cultural experiences and strong emotional connections between people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits cannot be severed, experts stressed.