第1928期:Young Chinese Turn to Online Streaming to Earn Money

Many young Chinese are increasingly turning to online streaming as a way to earn money while selling products for major companies. The job involves livestreaming on popular social media services in China. A person leading such livestreams is known as a host. The goal is to persuade users to spend money with large brands such as Under Armor, Lancôme, YSL Beauty and Hugo Boss. One such streamer is 28-year-old Zhang Jinyu, a former model who studied fashion in college. She told reporters from Reuters news agency she has already completed hundreds of hours of live streams to publicize products for YSL Beauty and other brands.

许多中国年轻人越来越多地将在线流媒体作为一种在为大公司销售产品的同时赚钱的方式。 这项工作涉及在中国流行的社交媒体服务上进行直播。主持此类直播的人称为主持人。目标是说服用户花钱购买 Under Armour、Lancôme、YSL Beauty 和 Hugo Boss 等大品牌。 28 岁的张金宇就是这样的一位主播，她曾是一名模特，在大学学习时尚。她告诉路透社记者，她已经完成了数百小时的直播来宣传 YSL Beauty 和其他品牌的产品。

Zhang’s livestreams can involve her continuously speaking on camera for up to six hours. In addition, the preparation process requires her to do her hair and makeup and spend time recording sales results after her online broadcasts have ended. Reuters reports that Zhang is one of millions of young Chinese currently facing record youth unemployment of more than 21 percent. Livestreaming sales is one way social media users can earn money without having to get a full-time job.

张的直播可以让她在镜头前连续讲话长达六个小时。此外，准备过程还需要她做头发和化妆，并在在线直播结束后花时间记录销售结果。据路透社报道，张是目前面临创纪录的超过 21% 青年失业率的数百万中国年轻人之一。直播销售是社交媒体用户无需找到全职工作即可赚钱的一种方式。

"For livestreaming, the threshold to enter the industry is very low,” Zhang said. “I can pick up my phone and I'm livestreaming.” She noted, however, that livestream selling is now very competitive, making it difficult for newcomers to gain a following. "If you can persevere, you can get better and better,” Zhang said. Zhang is not alone in her desire to make livestream hosting a career. A recent public opinion study asked more than 10,000 young people on China’s social media service Sina Weibo how they feel about the issue. More than 60 percent said they would be interested in working as an internet influencer or livestreaming host. A study by China-based marketing agency iResearch found the livestreaming industry employed more than 1.2 million hosts as of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic helped lead livestreaming sales growth that brought in about $480 billion in China last year.

“对于直播来说，进入这个行业的门槛很低，”张说，“拿起手机就可以直播。”但她也指出，现在直播带货竞争非常激烈，新人很难获得粉丝。“如果你能坚持下去，你就能变得越来越好。”张说。张并不是唯一一个渴望将直播主持作为职业的人。最近的一项民意研究在中国社交媒体新浪微博上询问了超过 10,000 名年轻人对这个问题的看法。超过 60% 的人表示他们有兴趣担任互联网影响者或直播主持人。中国营销机构艾瑞咨询的一项研究发现，截至 2020 年，直播行业雇佣了超过 120 万名主播。COVID-19 大流行带动了直播销售的增长，去年为中国带来了约 4800 亿美元的收入。

That growth led to a series of agencies being created that aim to train new hosts and connect them with established brands.Zhang, for example, works with Shanghai-based agency Romomo. The company is a business partner of Buy Quickly, which helps hosts link up with major fashion-centered brands. Shining Li is vice president of Romomo. She told Reuters she thinks livestreaming is currently “one of the most important methods of communication” for the international brands she works with.

这种增长催生了一系列旨在培训新主持人并将他们与知名品牌联系起来的机构。例如，张与上海的机构 Romomo 合作。该公司是Buy Quickly的业务合作伙伴，帮助房东与主要时尚品牌建立联系。李闪亮是Romomo的副总裁。她告诉路透社，她认为直播目前是她合作的国际品牌“最重要的沟通方式之一”。

Shi Jianing is a 28-year-old livestreaming host. She says her broadcasts are a good way for her to build lasting relationships with followers and increase sales for the brands she represents. "We're like friends with the consumers," Shi said. She added, “If you can communicate with some personal affinity, that builds a kind of trust, and that relationship makes the consumer want to carry out the sale."

石佳宁，28岁，一名直播主播。她说，她的广播是她与粉丝建立持久关系并增加她所代表的品牌销量的好方法。 “我们和消费者就像朋友一样，”史说。她补充道，“如果你能以某种个人亲和力进行沟通，就会建立一种信任，而这种关系会让消费者想要进行销售。”