Young fame: The lives of China’s young Internet stars

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Teenagers in China continue to live digitally, with the Internet becoming a huge platform where youngsters show off their talents to a wide audience.

"I have always loved to dance. I record my dance routines and post them online," said Li Wei, whose dance videos are watched by more than 700,000 fans online.

Li Wei has over 700,000 subscribers on bilibili.com, a popular video website in China. /CGTN Photo

Reports suggest that less Chinese teenagers are watching TV for entertainment. As about 60 percent of them today have their own smartphones, they’re consuming more and more content on mobile video platforms.

Many Internet personalities like Li have won the hearts of their young fans by following a different recipe than what shaped the TV-watching generation. Li says it's not about big budget productions or a perfect celebrity persona.

"How much you can relate to youngsters is the key. I am not a professional dancer; I am not a star celebrity. I'm just a normal person like everyone else. I think that's part of the reason why people like my content,” said Li.

Li Yike calls his music genre “Guichu”. /CGTN Photo

Another big category of content online is music.

Li Yike makes music with just about anything. "It's not like you're on television where people can tell you what to do. You just have to be creative. Chinese people's quality of life is getting better and better, and with it, our demand for entertainment content is growing. As a result, more and more creators will be happy to join the industry and the content will be much more valued," said Li.

Creators make money mainly through brand deals from companies which are also increasingly interested in collaborating with rising Internet stars.

"I have to say it's kind of hard to monetize since...creators put advertising purposed lyrics into it. That's our only way to please to advertisers and make a living off it," said Li.

Li said people like him inspire many kids to want to get into Internet content creation. And for many young people, that’s the dream: turning your hobby into a career.

Zhang Qiushi's popular video game-related content has won him two million online subscribers. "At my college, in my classes, I can't think of a single person that doesn't play games. I have seen many of my friends doing this to make a living. You know I'm pursuing my college study. I don't need that much money to sustain my everyday life. So now it can support me pretty well," said Zhang.

Zhang Qiushi sees making video game-related content as a side project in college. /CGTN Photo

But parents and others wonder: could making videos online be a stable and solid career?

"They think this is not a career. I think it is a career that many people can pursue. But I haven't decided yet. I am still trying to study very hard," said Zhang.

He says this is a burgeoning and promising new industry that is just waiting to have a more mature business model.

"For creators like me, they have to go professional. They have to treat this as a job, so the industry can evolve. Also for the industry itself, it needs to have a standardized industry practice such as contracts," said Zhang.

More youngsters wish to join the industry, driven by the passion for this new lifestyle and new economic models. But behind the glory and fame, this is a profession no easier than any other.