One user says he works at an education institute, and shares a picture of him collapsing in front of multiple mobile phones, tablets, and packets of biscuits.

Another user, May, says she chose to do the trend to show the daily struggles of keeping fit. "I don't own a sports car, or anything Hermes, I only have barbells and protein powder," she says.

One user told the BBC that flaunting one's wealth could actually lead to criticism from other users.

He said: "Most of the Chinese people doing this online aren't doing it because they're wealthy. They are showing their experiences of the past and present, or their personal achievements.

"Showing off their wealth on the internet would lead to ridicule," he says. "The less money you have, the less afraid you will be of letting others see your wealth."

He says that this explains why "the super-rich have not come out to show off".

Increased scrutiny

In China, people are pretty open about how much money they earn.

But those who flaunt their wealth are increasingly viewed with suspicion and some hostility. Wang Sicong, the son of one of China's richest men, Wang Jianlin, came under fire from users in May 2015, after he spent 250,000 yuan ($36,000; £27,000) on a couple of Apple watches for his pet dog.

Since Xi Jinping came to power in late 2012, China has seen a large-scale anti-corruption campaign targeting "tigers and flies" - high and low-level officials who have been accused of bribery or abuse of power.

Questions about the legitimate earnings of China's elite extended to China's entertainment industry in early October when the government fined top actress Fan Bingbing for tax evasion and other offences.

On social media there have been calls for a wider investigation into China's super-rich, to establish whether their earnings are legitimate, so it's perhaps not surprising that the Chinese internet is sending up as much as flaunting wealth when it comes to falling stars.

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