S1E23: Wanna be a wang hong? Why China’s influencer economy is booming: Letter from the Bureau

More young people dream of becoming influencers and that’s ok with Beijing.
Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.
They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises. 
In this episode, she chats with ST's China correspondent Aw Cheng Wei. 
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:03 How does the influencer economy work?
2:14 Why has the Chinese influencer economy become so huge?
4:37 How much do the influencers earn?
6:00 Where is Viya now? 
7:32 What does it take to be a successful wang hong? 
11:34 What is a day in the life of a wang hong like?
13:25 How does the Chinese government view the wang hong? 
Read Aw Cheng Wei’s article here: https://str.sg/i3Hw
Produced by: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim and Fa’izah Sani
Edited by: Hadyu Rahim and Fa’izah Sani
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