When Chinese rural influencers help Beijing change perceptions

Rural Chinese influencers are gaining popularity on international social media, helping China try to change perceptions of the country. The Chinese Communist Party allows content creators to broadcast on platforms like Facebook and YouTube that are banned in the Middle Kingdom.

Under a blue sky, with the mountains of northern Shaanxi province in China as a backdrop, two women go to pick what look like apricots. It’s about the rural influencer called Xia Jie (meaning Sister Jie) and her sister. They introduce Internet users to the art of choosing ripe almonds from the heart of these small yellow fruits.

This video, posted online on June 22, has garnered more than 40,000 views in four days on YouTube. More than 600,000 people subscribe to Xia Jie’s channel, whose real name is Wang Min, which generates 20% of its revenue.

Such magnificent meadows, fruits, vegetables… Thank you, interestingcommented a subscriber in Russian. I have been following you for years, greetings from Spainadded another in Spanish.

I want everyone to see the progress of our city, to see how beautiful it is and how happy the lives of the residents are. This is what I want to show the world the mostXia Jie says in an audio interview with Radio-Canada from her home in China.

Sister Ma and her partner, who has been responsible for such social media accounts in the past, began filming short cooking videos and uploading them to Chinese social media in 2019. They have more than 800 to date. their assets.

Platforms banned in China

Social media platforms like YouTube are blocked in China. When Xia Jie and her partner are asked if they have been able to see their videos on these platforms, their response is vague, saying they rely on an agency that hired them for the technology and statistics of the videos.

Five years ago, I was thinking about how many blogger videos were viewed overseas and wondering if our videos could also reach an international audience. Then the specialized agency XiaoWu Bros contacted us. It’s incredible. I didn’t think our short videos would reach an international audience.explains Chen Lang, Sister Jie’s husband.

Despite YouTube censorship in China, rural influencers like Xia Jie have amassed thousands of subscribers from around the world through companies that specialize in exporting Chinese content. These agencies, including XiaoWu Bros, which manages the channels of 5,000 people in rural China, recruit influencers and provide subtitles for videos in foreign languages.

They help ensure the widest possible distribution thanks to data on the popularity of keywords from distribution platforms, for example.

I want to help the public better understand that China is a diverse country with rich and varied cultures. Often what is seen abroad focuses on China’s economic development or large cities like Beijing and Shanghai. But China is vast and has many interesting aspects. There are people doing fascinating things that may not exist in the countries where the audience is basedsays XiaoWu Bros marketing director Michael Wong in an interview with Radio-Canada.

The videos are found on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok and generate significant revenue.

The concept of internationally distributed content is increasingly recognized in China, both by official and unofficial media. It is therefore no longer really a question of ignorance or understanding on their part. I think we won’t encounter many barriers in this regard in the futurespecifies Michael Wong.

Xia Jie, for her part, intends to continue to showcase the simplicity of life in her community as well as the region’s cuisine. She must also prepare to receive her many admirers who want to visit her.

Everyone here recognizes me, she said, half embarrassed and fully proud. During holidays and vacations, our house is filled with people from all over China.adds her partner, Chen Lang.

For its part, the XiaoWu Bros Agency plans to expand its international distribution of Chinese content by highlighting the traditional cultures and historical elements of several rural regions.