Chinese internet celebrity Weiya Photo: Courtesy of Wu Jinzhuo

The second Chinese Internet Celebrity Event in Jilin, a forum discussing the future of the live-streaming industry, was held in Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin Province on Sunday.

A gathering for scholars and industry leaders, the forum featured a series of activities to analyze the live-streaming industry in a comprehensive and in-depth way to see how it can inject new vitality into the local economy and better understand its influence in the global digital economy.

The forum also held an award ceremony to reward the industry's best and brightest stars. Among the many award categories, which include Best Charity Artist and Most Cutting-Edge Multi-Channel Network Institution, young streamer Weiya won Best Online Host, Best Charity Artist went to Chinese actress Yan Xuejin, while 20-something streamer Guangyu took home Best Charity Host. 

The internet celebrity economy has been booming in recent years in China, with live-streaming promotional activities spearheaded by popular hosts becoming a prominent new business model. The public consumption habit is also rapidly adapting to online economy especially under the social distancing rules in time of COVID-19 epidemic, which gave another boost to live-streaming sales.

According to the latest data from the China Internet Network Information Center, the number of users on live-streaming platforms in the Chinese mainland reached 560 million in March, accounting for 62 percent of the mainland's total internet user population. 

Rich in resources and businesses, Jilin Province enjoys unique advantages when it comes to the development of the internet celebrity economy and the live-streaming industry. The province is home to a cohort of internet celebrities, leading the nation in number and resources. Multiple amicable hosts have made their names known nationwide through their performances.

The freshly-concluded forum saw the announcement of several new preferential policies for the industry, which experts say will help Jilin become an industry leader in not only China but the world as well.