me~

How about 狂热，热潮? Both are nouns, translated literally in English, something along the lines of "extreme hotness", "hot wave". You get the picture of craze and enthusiasm! Not sure what currently is hot, but honestly Chinese tend to forget after a while, so a fad wouldn't last. Oh yeah, I guess there is song called 忐忑 that seems to gather the most attention, you could check out on youtube. Earlier this year, the movie "Let the Bullet Fly" had its time. I'm not very tuned with most current Chinese pop culture. Can't be more of a help. P.S.: Forgot to mention that Pop Rocks used to a fad too in China. However, they are long gone in the Chinese market. If thinking along the line of hippie movement or sexual revolution or even 80's trashy style or big hair, can't think of any Chinese equivalent except China did import some big hair, skinny jeans, wide leg jeans too. Other than those, I remember these were once hot, ... TBC. But when it comes to the Top 2 or 3 fads, can't really nail which ones they are. I think there are videos on youtube featuring Chinese old school fads too. Message me if anything is unclear.

TVB Drama (Hong Kongnese TV show) are always hot. Korean Drama, Japanese Anime, manga and Japanese Drama too. For TVB Drama, the hottest in the 80's were 上海灘，射雕英雄傳（‘83). 拍球女將，赤の疑惑 were really hot Japanese dramas in the 70's and 80's. For Chinese is such big TV watching culture, during 上海灘 showtime, tons of guys started dressing the Chow Yun-Fat (周潤發) look, with the long white scarf. I guess it's something like in the 90's, there's The Rachel cut. For Japanese dramas, since 赤の疑惑, lots of Chinese (Japanese too, of course) became a fan of Momoe Yamaguchi (山口百恵) and Tomokazu Miura (三浦友和). I guess cultural icon Teresa Teng (鄧麗君) must be counted for the wave in late 70's and 80's (in both China and Japan). In '89, a TVB drama called Looking Back in Anger (義不容情) started the fad of folding paper stars. In 1998, another TVB drama, 天地豪情 revisited the fad of folding paper cranes. In the 70's, Joan Chen's first Chinese movie 小花 had an enduring impact on that generation, many viewers were singing the theme song. For toys, many kids born in the 80's and 90's would fondly remember 铁皮青蛙 (a jumping frog made of steel sheet) http://www.dzwww.com/xinwen/xinwenzhuanti/2008/ggkf30zn/ssnyx/200803/W020080327632367991432.jpg Maltesers and Skittles were also big. There were also toys made of sugar (either blew out of melted sugar or sculpted by sugar) or toothpaste tube (tubes used to be metallic). In the 90's, K-Drama Autumn in My Heart was hot. J-Drama Tokyo Love Story. Taiwanese Romance writer Qiong Yao （瓊瑤） made a series of TV shows that captured people's heart, namely, 婉君，庭院深深，還珠格格，情深深雨濛濛 Martial Arts novelists, 古龍 (小李飛刀, 絕代雙交), Louis Cha 金庸（飛雪連天射白鹿，笑書神俠倚碧鴛，岳女劍). Hong Kongnese singer Alan Tan, Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, the Four Heavenly Kings, etc. Enduring J-Anime: Chibi Maruko Chan, Detective Conan, Slam Dunk, ikkyou san, Hana no Ko Lunlun, Touch!, Inuyasha, etc.

Houses and cars - -|||| 杀人游戏??? 三国杀???

Wearing imitation leopard skin , mini skirts, leather pants/jackets and stilleto heels all come and go in women's fashions here in Australia.