Thanks to the efforts of their fans, artists like South Korean band BTS have their faces everywhere in China (where they are known as “idols”) – from the subway, to media articles and brand collaborations.
In 2016, Chinese fans of Jackson Yee (aka Yi Yangqianxi), a former member of popular Chinese boy band TFBoys, celebrated their idol’s birthday in style. They partied on a cruise in Shanghai, bought a video advert in Times Square and flew cake-shaped hot air balloons over London and New York.
As in other east Asian countries, idol fans in China are changing from passive consumers of products to promoters, striving to personally grow their idols’ popularity, reputation and business value. This development added an estimated ¥100 billion (£613 million) to the Chinese idol market in 2020.
