The internet has created an array of unique business models and professions, such as content creators and influencers. Whatever you call them, they're people who make a living off creating online videos. Many of them are active on Bilibili, one of China's biggest video platforms.

"Seventy percent of Bilibili's creators with more than 100,000 subscribers are in fact doing it full time. There are two things to consider for full-timers. One, whether they could sustain themselves. Second, whether they can see a bright future. This is not just a gig for a year or two, but a career that can last for five and even 10 years," said Chen Rui, chairman and CEO of Bilibili.

"I think Bilibili has solved both problems. Actually, not a lot of platforms in China really value original content. Most treat the platforms as tools to drive traffic. However, we do direct a lot of traffic to original creators. We have 1,300 people in the company dedicated to managing the creators," added Chen.

The ways most content creators make money are quite limited. The most common way is to make brand-sponsored videos with advertising messages mixed in. "If you're appreciated by your fans, and the quality of your content is good enough, there will be plenty of brand deals for you. The value of these deals, I believe, would be even greater than the salaries of their peers who work in good companies," said Chen.

While Youtube subsidizes its creators with revenues from mid-roll ads, Bilibili has been deliberately avoiding putting ads in videos like other sites. Although it does also have creator subsidies, the pay alone is not enough to support most full-time creators.

"I think the reason why we decided not to have video ads is that we have not yet found a way to balance between creators' income and viewers' experience. Ads could be very distracting if you are watching on a smartphone. But I think we have found a way to insert commercial elements in the videos without affecting viewer experience, which is through creators taking initiatives and finding ways to merge ads with their videos," Chen noted.