In Myanmar, we conducted an ethnographic investigation into how Chinese digital technology intricately weaves into the fabric of local life. Working together with low-income mobile users in Mandalay—Myanmar’s second-largest city and a key economic hub in the central region—our researcher examined the everyday, situated practices surrounding mobile adoption, leisure, and trade from the perspective of marginalised users. Key moments from the fieldwork include documenting the experiences of second-hand mobile phone users, observing traders in Mandalay’s bustling jade market who engage with Chinese social media livestreamers, and exploring the widespread popularity of the Chinese mobile game Mobile Legends among Myanmar’s youth.