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May 14, 2021

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China鈥檚 elderly influencers cash in on the Internet

Exquisitely garbed in a traditional cheongsam dress, 76-year-old Sang Xiuzhu is one of an unlikely vanguard of elderly influencers storming Chinese social media with videos of glamour in the golden years.

Two years ago she joined the 鈥淔ashion Grandmas,鈥 whose one-minute clips and livestreams of them turning Beijing鈥檚 streets into a catwalk are devoured by millions of fans.

They mix elegance with epithets of wisdom 鈥 on marriage, love and life 鈥 from a generation who are now increasingly integral to both the economy and online culture of China.

鈥淥ur young fans say they are not afraid of aging after seeing grannies like us living fashionable and happy lives,鈥 said Sang.

China is getting old fast and Beijing is faced with the monumental challenge of how to provide for tens of millions of retirees.

But this has also opened opportunities for those who are financially comfortable in their dotage and able to harness the commercial possibilities of technology.

It is an economy worth hundreds of billions of dollars, craving longevity, entertainment and consumer goods, and hooked like everybody else to their smartphones.

The 鈥淔ashion Grandmas鈥 collective has 23 main members, with dozens more fringe contributors across the country, all aged between their late 50s and their mid-70s.

They make money from pop-up ads in their videos and livestreaming product sales. 鈥淭hey can sell 200 units of a product within a minute of starting a stream,鈥 says their agent He Daling.

Their videos also carry messages of inspiration, such as 鈥渂eauty is not only for the young,鈥 or 鈥渆ven the elderly can live a wonderful life!鈥 as well as serious messages such as call-outs of domestic violence.

One of their videos shows a man raising a hand to hit his girlfriend in a store, before a furious older woman grabs his arm and waves for him to be dragged away by security guards.

鈥淒omestic violence is illegal鈥 reads the text on the screen, adding that it is 鈥渟hameful鈥 to hit women.

Another shows a pregnant woman being threatened by her husband before an elegant granny has him pinned back in his chair by bodyguards and gives the woman a hug.

鈥淭he elderly should live how they want and be optimistic,鈥 Sang said. 鈥淎ge is just a number.鈥

鈥楢ctually we know everything鈥

A generation of Chinese born in the 1960s are reaching their mandatory retirement age of 60 for men and 55 for women.

鈥淭hey are richer and highly educated,鈥 said Bian Changyong, chief executive of the Beijing Dama Technology Company, which helps run the elderly influencers鈥 social media.

鈥淭hat improves the 鈥榗ashability鈥 and quality of China鈥檚 elderly Internet industry.鈥

The value of China鈥檚 鈥済rey-haired鈥 economy is estimated to reach 5.7 trillion yuan (US$900 billion) this year, according to iiMedia Research.

Bian said the COVID-19 pandemic had also pushed the elderly deeper online, hunting for shopping and entertainment.

To reach this vast untapped pool of older consumers, Bian鈥檚 company also provides online courses for senior citizens to learn singing, dancing or kungfu through livestreaming channels.

鈥淐hina鈥檚 mobile Internet industry has earned money from every group... men, women, youngsters, parents, but not the elderly,鈥 said Bian.

鈥淭his could be the last structural opportunity of the industry.鈥

Granny Ruan Yaqing, 58, has her own video channel and uses an iPhone to reach over six million fans as she tours Beijing鈥檚 history and culture.

She fell into the world of video-streaming to avoid becoming a 鈥渘agging鈥 presence stuck at home, she jokes.

But she also carries a message on the virtues of age from a golden generation refusing to be pushed into the background of modern China.

鈥淵oung people assume the elderly know nothing,鈥 she says. 鈥淎ctually we know everything.鈥


 

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