Meet China’s Emerging Livestreaming Influencers
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SHANGHAI — In China‘s competitive social media landscape, a new crop of influencers is quickly capturing the attention of picky Chinese netizens.
They may not hold as much sway as “Lipstick King” Austin Li, but their rise to fame only took one successful livestreaming session or two.
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On Xiaohongshu, China’s answer to Instagram, socialite Teresa Cheung and seasoned actress Dong Jie quickly found their second act as livestreaming stars. On Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, former contemporary dancer Jin Xing and “Crazy Rich Asian” Hongquanxing Wang continue to gain followers as funny online personalities.
To better understand China’s ever-changing social media scene, WWD takes a look at eight influencers on Douyin and Xiaohongshu who are generating hype.
Teresa Cheung
Xiaohongshu: 1.04 million
Douyin: 700,000
Born in Hong Kong to Shanghainese parents, Teresa Cheung was destined to be an influencer: She started shopping at Lane Crawford at four, and began wearing Chanel as a teenager. Cheung went on to study abroad at FIT, which she later recounted in her popular newspaper column: “I didn’t even have to study at school. I just read WWD.” In 2018, the 55-year-old Cheung launched a WeChat Official account documenting her lifestyle and quickly amassed a large following. Last week, Cheung’s first Xiaohongshu livestream, which lasted almost six hours, garnered nearly 1 million views, with GMV topping the 50 million renminbi, or $7 million, mark.
Famous for her wavy luscious mane, Cheung was most successful in selling high-end hair care products from brands such as My Organics and Gotukola.
Her “Rose Is a Rose” beauty box series, which features brands such as 111Skin, Malin+Goetz, Augustinus Bader and Evidens de Beauté, also quickly sold out during the livestream. Cheung’s next livestream will go live on June 18, coinciding with the 6.18 shopping festival, one of China’s most important online shopping bonanzas.
Dong Jie
Xiaohongshu: 2.51 million
The Chinese actress Dong Jie became one of the first Chinese celebrities to launch a livestreaming channel on Xiaohongshu last January.
After being discovered by Chinese director Zhang Yimou in the 2000s, Dong’s career was in full swing until a cheating scandal 10 years ago. Dong tried to revive her career in 2021 by participating in the popular reality show “Sisters Who Make Waves,” but her real break came unexpectedly when Xiaohongshu approached the 43-year-old Dong last October and asked her to become a livestreaming anchor on the social-commerce platform.
Dong quickly became known for her serene and zen livestreaming approach, along with her minimal and relaxed style. Dong also came to be known as a champion of Chinese designers on her platform, quickly selling out pricy items from Ms Min, Uma Wang, Märchen, Swaying, Jacque Wei and Soft Mountains.
Dong’s eight-hour-long livestream on May 25, which was themed “Love Life,” gained more than 2.2 million views. According to Xiaohongshu, Dong’s April livestream reached 60 million renminbi, or almost $850,000, in GMV.
Jingchu Zhang
Xiaohongshu: 1.01 million
Douyin: 640,000
Jingchu Zhang is a Chinese actress known for her roles in “Rush Hour 3,” “Protege” and “Peacock,” which won the Silver Bear at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival. After becoming a victim of a cyberbullying scheme more than years ago, Zhang disappeared from the public eye. Last year, Zhang gained popularity online for documenting her healthy post-COVID-19 lifestyle.
Referring to herself as “sister,” the 43-year-old Zhang is known for her candid livestreaming style, where she routinely shares her experience learning English and workout sessions. Zhang’s first e-commerce livestream in May, which promoted self-help books, workout gear and healthy snacks, lasted seven-plus hours, attracted more than 800,000 million viewers and sold over 10,000 items.
Tianzhen Yang
Xiaohongshu: 3 million
Douyin: 4.2 million
Tianzhen Yang, who started out as Fan Bingbing‘s assistant and later became a celebrity agent, decided to step into the limelight herself in recent years. She quickly gained popularity as an outspoken reality star and livestreaming host in 2019. Riding the wave of a burgeoning e-commerce economy, Yang launched a livestreaming agency four years ago, creating successful social media accounts for celebrities such as Dong Jie and Ouyang Nana. Yang is also known for her plus-size fashion collection Plusmall.
Calling herself “the best celebrity agent in China,” Yang brands herself as a successful businesswoman who offers useful social tricks and communication advice. Yang launched her first livestreaming session on Xiaohongshu in April to promote products such as scented candles and feminist titles. The five-hour-long livestream received more than 480,000 views on the platform.
Jin Xing
Douyin: 172.5 million
Jin Xing, a noted Chinese contemporary dancer, talk show host and actress, who’s also widely known as China’s first transgender celebrity, initially launched her livestreaming career on Taobao three years ago before jumping ship to Douyin last year.
Known for her feisty personality, Jin confessed that she began livestreaming to support her contemporary dance company while promoting her June livestream. Jin’s 6.18 livestream will feature high-end skin care brands such as Helena Rubinstein, SK-II and La Mer.
Sida Jiang
Xiaohongshu: 297,000
Douyin: 166,000
Sida Jiang leaped to fame as a contestant on the reality series “U Can U Bibi”; he is also one of the few openly gay Chinese public figures. After leaving the reality show, Jiang became the host of the online talk show series “DV Project,” known for its confessional interviews with Chinese celebrities and personalities.
Jiang’s first foray into Xiaohongshu livestreaming came last Singles’ Day, when he topped the platform’s livestreaming chart within six hours, selling more than 8,000 items with an average unit price of more than 877 renminbi, or $124. Arc’tyrex, Salomon, Lemaire, Diptyque and Le Labo are some of the popular items featured on Jiang’s “Goddess Supermarket”-themed livestream.
Zhu Lan
Xiaohongshu: 280,000
Douyin: 639,000
Founded by Zhu Lan, a fashion designer and Dong Hua University guest lecturer with more than 20 years of experience in bridal design, the Douyin account “Lan Yi made-to-order fashion” is known for its quick takes on celebrity style. Zhu used her petit-mains know-how to explain technical details of elaborate garments, in particular how runway samples are tweaked to fit a celebrity’s personal needs.
Zhu also used her online following to draw attention to her namesake fashion collection, “Lanyi made-to-order fashion.”
Often modeling the pieces herself, the collection draws inspiration from celebrity red carpet styles. The brand’s bestsellers are slimming corset tops priced around 500 renminbi, or $70.
Hongquanxing Wang
Xiaohongshu: 784,000
Douyin: 3.42 million
A former child star, Hongquanxing Wang reinvented himself on Douyin in 2020 as a “Crazy Rich Asian” whose Beijing mansion is stocked with luxury goods.
Labeling himself as a Louis Vuitton VIP, Wang is often seen in full-on Louis Vuitton looks and a rapper-style oversize jade pendant while enjoying exclusive VIP events and trips in China and abroad.
Wang is also a successful Douyin livestreamer who mainly sells Chinese skin care brands. According to the local data agency Chanmama, Wang’s livestreaming GMV reached 50 million renminbi, or $7 million, in the last 30 days.
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