The Expat Influencers Taking Chinese Social Media by Storm

From Youtube to Bilibili and Instagram to TikTok, the ubiquity of video streaming seemingly knows no bounds. And between camera phones, video editing apps, and webcams, it's possible for anyone to get their 30-seconds of fame – or infamy. While the cult of personality surrounding social media influencers is a worldwide phenomenon, in China, devotion to KOLs – or key opinion leaders – stands in a league of its own. Millions of video content producers share their opinions and slices of life on social media platforms, with more and more expats cashing in on the craze. Their success is down to a few points unique to China, namely, the appreciation of "exotic" appearances, curiosity about other lifestyles, or affirmation and approval from seemingly more "developed" countries. Some take on the role of token foreigner while others act as unofficial ambassadors for China to the world. To help you navigate this evolving world of internet celebrity, we’ve rounded up a few accounts that are quickly becoming the new face of foreign-China, much to the delight of Chinese netizens.

歪果仁研究协会 Foreigner study organization

As the name suggests, this group was founded by an Israeli student and some of his friends at Peking University around 2016 which, despite only being four years ago, was a time when Chinese folks didn’t see too many foreign faces aside from TV programs. As such, they seized the opportunity to accumulate a large number of young fans by conducting man-on-the-street interviews. In these videos, China-based foreigners from all over the world share their opinions about current trends, with varying degrees of Mandarin proficiency, and sometimes to comic effect. Admittedly, this is not some mind-blowing idea, however, hearing from folks around your age with different cultural backgrounds, coupled with a sense of authenticity from both the host and the interviewees, was enough to get people hooked. 

From there, Foreign Study Organization grew in both size and scope, trying their hand at more daring content such as working as a delivery guy, cabin attendant on a high-speed train during Spring Festival, or waiter in a neighborhood breakfast stall. It was also the time they gradually expanded their ranks to not only cover more topics but also start making that money through commercial collaborations. Given the large and wildly diverse communities spread across China, some may be tempted to think that their content merely scratches the surface of life here, but there’s little doubt that they have been successful at it, offering up a more vivid image of foreign expats living in China, and specifically, Beijing.

我是郭杰瑞 I’m Jerry Guo

Jerry Kowal has more nicknames than Daenerys Targaryen, earning such affectionate monikers from Chinese netizens as 郭锥 Guo Zhui, derived from his accent when introducing his name at the beginning of each video, 郭铁菊 Guo the Iron Anus, a reference to his fondness and high tolerance for spicy food, and 战地记者 war correspondent, which he got after reporting on the pandemic situation and George Floyd protests in the US. Needless to say, this humble New Yorker of Jewish descent who previously lived in Chengdu never could’ve predicted all those nicknames, nor that he would amass more than 6 million fans on Chinese social media after posting a video in which he profiled the life of dogs in New York City. 

Compared to Foreigner Study Organization, Kowal’s content focuses more on the cultural and social differences between the US and China. What’s more, despite a limited proficiency with Mandarin, he is widely celebrated for his sincere attitude and comparably objective point of view when discussing Sino-US affairs, which is generally lacking from mainstream mass media, not to mention his love of famed chili sauce 老干妈 Lǎo gàn mā, which also makes him a fan favorite. 

Interestingly, despite all of his accomplishments – which includes being interviewed by CCTV – life as a vlogger is still just a hobby for Kowal, who creates his content with two friends. Unlike Foreigner Study Organization, he hasn’t produced any sponsored content, only having made a couple of videos about Fibo, a company he started that aims to promote Yunnan's local coffee industry.

山下智博 Tomohiro Yamashita

Back in 2013, years before most vloggers had registered their accounts on Chinese social media, Tomohiro had debuted on Bilibili. Since then, he’s managed to find a devout following thanks to his extensive knowledge of anime, manga, video games, and Japanese culture and society in general. He was one of the few vloggers who could consistently upload new videos, every day, for years on end, and his early content under the banner “Gentlemen lasts about 1 minute,” which, per its name, was never more than a few minutes in length, made him the perfect companion for a subway commute or quick meal. 

Although many of his fans mock him, saying he’ll probably be single forever, they nonetheless find solace in his messages about being accepted and sharing their interests without fear of being judged. After years of effort, he has not only gained fame among Chinese otakus – devout hobbyists – but also common netizens both here and in Japan. Recently, he was invited on Japanese TV programs to talk about his life in Shanghai and even got the opportunity to host his  own show introducing Chinese internet culture to Japanese audiences, all of which brought him one step closer to his goal of “[becoming] the lube between China and Japan.”

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