How Chinese live streamers transform themselves for fame and money
Seemingly young streamer in spotlight after she was exposed as a middle-aged woman
Just two weeks ago, Qiaobiluo Dianxia (aka Your Highness Qiaobiluo) had tens of thousands of followers on Douyu, a live streaming platform known for gaming content and often dubbed China’s Twitch.
Praised for her soft sweet voice, Your Highness Qiaobiluo was showered with generous donations and compliments even though she had never showed her face during live streams. Photos and short clips she posted on her account, however, revealed glimpses of a young woman.
Then reality came knocking.
During a live session last week, an anime image covering Qiaobiluo’s face disappeared, exposing a middle-aged woman. The stunning revelation instantly went viral on social media. It drew accusations of fraud at first, followed by a dramatic uptick in followers. Then Douyu permanently banned her account for “deliberately generating hype” and “causing adverse social impact.”
Just how did a 58-year-old streamer fool so many into thinking she was a different person? Turns out, there are plenty of tools readily available online in China that can help.
