Now on BBC News, Our World.
Lele Tao is a Chinese internet superstar. She sings, chats, floats
and plays games with her fans online. In China's
multibillion-dollar live streaming industry, she is all I've got as far
hundreds of thousands of online men and they showered her with gifts of
thousands of dollars every day.
But there is always someone younger and prettier waiting to take her
place. And the government is tightening the rules on what is
allowed on screen. And now, she has fallen out with her manager.
It is Sunday morning in Chengdu, the ancient city in the south of China.
Now, one of the country's new high-tech hubs. 24-year-old Lele Tao
is here for the weekend. She is visiting her family. Who have
recently moved to in your apartment in an upmarket neighbourhood.
Her dad will spend the whole day cooking her favourite food.
She is only home for a few days but before she can relax, she has work
to do. Lele is a live stream who makes her work by entertaining
people online. She sings, plays games and chats with her fans and
they can watch her for as long as they want.
Lele is one of the most popular streamers in the country. Without a
script she entertained her fans until well past midnight. Her fans
can interact with her, right her messages, and request songs. Her
family are also her fans.
Lele started live streaming one day at her dad's office using just about
top. It all seems like just a bit of fun until she got paid.
Back then, that was nine times the average monthly salary in China. For
just two weeks work!
Some of her income is from playing computer games with her fans. Lele
now has over 1 million followers all over China, the majority of them are
men in their early 20s, many with money to spend.
One of her most loyal fans is 24 you rolled. Just talking about her makes
them nervous. And Lele remembers when he started following her.
To get Lele to play the song, he kept buying her more and more
expensive virtual gifts.
This is how streamers like Lele make so much money. Fans buy them virtual
gifts exchanged entertainment, a conversation, or sometimes simply
for their attention. Live streamers can then redeem these virtual gifts
for cash.
Just to be her online friend, he has spent what the average Chinese
person living in the city earns in two years. In China, the internet is
tightly controlled and live streaming is a much more significant
phenomenon here than in the rest of the world. It is an industry worth
$3 billion a year. One of the major hubs if Shanghai were Lele lives,
and where she is managed by one of the country's biggest live streaming
agencies.
The pressure to look good on screen is immense.
Lourey a rented apartment five minutes from the management agency
MJ entertainment. She is one that more than 3000 streamers on her
books. The CEO Max and his wife spotted Lele shortly after she
started streaming.
MJ entertainment takes a 20% cut from their live streamers, although
most of them don't earn anywhere near as much as Lele.
And more fans means more money.
Looking attractive is crucial for live streamers. But when it first
took off, some women took the king sexy so far that it was deemed
pornography. The government quickly tightened the rules on what is
allowed on screen. And now, Lele and other streamers know how far they
can go. If they cross the line, they could be sent to prison, and the
streaming channels closed up.
But this is just a warmup. After the training, Lourey will be live
streaming for up to ten hours non-stop until midnight. -- Lele.
After all is of live streaming, Lele finally gets to eat her first meal,
at nine p.m.. She calls her mind to tell her about the highlight of the
day so far. -- her mum.
It isn't just Lele who feels good, fans who spend a lot buying her
gifts also enjoy the admiration and respect they get from other fans for
the amounts they are spending.
Even for those fans who don't spend much, live streaming can provide a
sense of community, friendship, and family. And the industry knows this.
Here's an only child. Like 200 million other people born when China
one child policy. Decades of sex selective abortions have led to a
dramatic gender imbalance, a severe shortage of girls.
He spent his childhood in a small village, just outside Shanghai.
The internet filled the gap.
That is when he met the woman that he describes as his online goddess,
and started showering her with virtual gift. -- gifts. Over the
years, he has spent a lot of money on Lele. But still, for him, it is a
real relationship, and for Lele as well.
It is Lele. Lele has called him to tell him about a problem she is
having with her manager, Max, who wants her to sign a new eight-year
contract.
To try to get her to sign the new contract, he promises to make a big
investment in her, to help her record albums or get into films. But
to get out of the contract early would cost Lele over $1 million.
But Lele isn't happy, and the situation soon escalates.
Behind closed doors, a huge fight breaks out between Lele and Macs. He
storms out and orders her channel to be shut down. A few minutes later,
she rushes home in tears. He blames her mood. -- Max.
But later, Max admits Lele is upset because of the contract.
Nothing is resolved, but neither side wants to push things too far
for the moment. Still, the super fan is worried about Lele.
So the next day, he orders a taxi to take him to Shanghai to meet her in
person. But he is adamant his intentions are not romantic.
Halfway through the journey, he pulls over to a service station, and
checks in with her.
He discovers that, despite the unsigned contract, Lele is back on
air. As usual, he requests a song, and then sings along with her.
It took him four hours to get to this iconic and romantic waterfront
area in central Shanghai, where they have arranged to meet. But by the
time he arrives it is past midnight, and all the lights have been
switched off. Lele is still at work live streaming, and he doesn't want
to wait here.
They head off to a cafe near Lele's apartment, at the conversation is
really awkward. It is rare for streamers and fans to meet in
person, and they are both anxious.
They celebrate their one-hour together with a selfie. Though they
had arranged to meet up the next day, they don't. He takes a taxi
back home. And Lele goes back to her on-screen life.