“My hard work has paid off ” – How internet celebrities survive during Covid outbreaks in China

_{Jin, an internet celebrity I interviewed in 2018, tells her stories during the pandemic in China}.

In June 2018 I interviewed Jin, a multi-millionaire internet celebrity in China. 3 years later, Jin has moved from Shanghai to Beijing, bought her first property in her hometown, Chongqing, and invested in a pub with her friend in Shanghai. “My parents are very proud of me”, says Jin.

Jin tells her stories of being an internet celebrity during the pandemic in China.

Jin is still working as an internet celebrity doing live-streaming, since we last spoke in 2018. Her income has increased rapidly since 2018.

“I earned 1 million RMB ( £125,000) in July 2021, for singing for my followers on the internet. After deductions from the social media platform, I can easily earn 4-5 million RMB (£451,500- £564,000) a year.” Jin states.

“I earned 4-5 million Rmb ((£451,500- £564,000) within 2020 during the Covid outbreak in Beijing. “The lockdowns made those rich audiences drew their attentions to live-streams on social media platforms. An old follower of mine, a rich man, spends millions on tipping us in 2020. In China, there are too many those rich people who splash money without having any hesitation.”

“A friend of mine, she’s also doing live-streams in China, earned 1-2 million Rmb (£112,000-225,00) per mouth in during 2020, by singing and dancing for her followers on the internet. You can imaging how much she earned within a year.” Jin reveals.

“I know someone who has bought several properties in Shanghai, each property worth 10 million Rmb. I am only ‘middle class’ among those internet celebrities in China.”

The pandemic in 2020 made Douyin, the Chinese leading video-sharing-focused social network, very popular within Mainland China. The platform shut down its public-debate channels during the outbreak; On the other hand, online dance parties on Douyin became popular during the national lockdowns in China. Many DJs went online and live-streamed their music for the followers, and they received hundreds of thousands of RMB a night in 2020.

Like 3 years ago, sources of Jin’s income largely rely on donations from her audiences on the live-streaming platform.

“In China people prefer to watch Douyin channels rather than traditional TV programms. My audiences are from different age groups including my parents’ generation,” the 24-year-old adds.

In 2020, the unexceptional pandemic some made part-time live-streamers turned their hobbies into a real career as internet celebrities. They live-streamed their everyday lives to audiences, such as cooking, outdoor activities, talk shows and others. They earned a lot more than their day jobs. Says Jin.

As a popular internet celebrity, Jin used to live-stream 6 hours a day in 2018. 3 years later, Jin tries to slow down as she is becoming financially stable. “I didn’t work at all from January to June this year. I am no longer desperate for money, and I don’t want to overwork and damage my health anymore”.

The social stereotypes towards “Internet celebrities” are slowly changing in China. “Nowadays, if you tell others that you are an internet celebrity doing live-streams, people will instantly think you are rich.” Unlike 3 years ago, most of the Chinese people reckoned that being an internet celebrity was an “indecent career”.

“My monthly expenses are quite a lot,” says Jin. “My mom was unwell in 2020, so she moved from my hometown to Shanghai to live. I rent a place for her. I cannot buy properties in Beijing or Shanghai because I am not counted as ‘local urban residents’ to buy properties in these two cities, due to the Limited House Purchasing Order in China. “

“Each month I need to cover my rent in Beijing and my mom’s rent in Shanghai. My monthly expenses are around Rmb 50,000 (£5,640) .”

3 years ago, when I interviewed Jin, she said she was at a crossroads of whether to quit her job as an internet celebrity and carry on with her studies in University, or continue to earn millions of RMB a year within this lucrative industry.

Jin does not regret the decision she made 3 years ago of being an internet celebrity. “I appreciate myself for being so hardworking these years. I am focusing on earning money to provide better lives for my parents and myself.”

In 2018, Jin claimed that her agent did not allow her to have holidays nor to have a boyfriend, because the company said “earning money is the priority”. Jin’s everyday routines are slowly relaxed as she’s now financially independent, when it comes to holidays. However, Jin insists not to have a boyfriend, because “My followers are mainly males. Once they find out that I’m not single, they will not donate money for me anymore.”

“I’ve heard unsuccessful internet influencers who lost their jobs during the pandemic in2020，due to lack of donations and tips from audiences. Being an internet celebrity is a tough job that requires a certain level of stress handling skills. You can be very popular within this month, and the next month you might end up with no one talks to you on the internet.” Jin demonstrates.

Jin’s interview in 2018 : ‘I make £227K a year singing for other people on the internet’