Viral app Douyin sells instant escapism to its viewers and producers—at a price
In 1968, artist Andy Warhol predicted that “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” Five decades later, 15 seconds is all it takes if you’re a Douyin user.
Chen Limei, alias “Heihe’s Kidney Sister,” was the ordinary owner of a barbecue stall at a night market in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, before she found accidental fame on the video-sharing app. Braving minus-30 temperatures and charcoal smoke, 28-year-old Chen and her husband often worked until 3 a.m., sometimes making only 100 RMB a night—hardly enough to provide for their 6-year-old son, let alone achieve the dream of owning their own BBQ restaurant.
Then, a seconds-long video of Chen warmly greeting a customer with a melodious “lai le, laodi” (“coming, brother?”) as she grilled her signature beef kidney slices, was viewed more than 5 million times on Douyin. Suddenly, the “Kidney Sister” had 1.3 million fans on the app, some of whom travel thousands of kilometers to Heihe just to film more videos with her.
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15 Seconds to Stardom (Paywalled) is a story from our issue, “China Chic.” To read the entire issue, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine.
Emily Conrad is a contributing writer at The World of Chinese.
Tan Yunfei is the editorial director of The World of Chinese. She reports on Chinese language, food, traditions, and society. Having grown up in a rural community and mainly lived in the cities since college, she tries to explore and better understand China's evolving rural and urban life with all readers.
