Yao Chen: Actress and Weibostar
- By Tom Cunliffe
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E-mail China.org.cn, January 21, 2015
Yao Chen has the most followers on any social media site in the world. On Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter, she had 31 million followers in 2013 and a year later this rose to 76 million followers. She is an actress from Nanping, a small coastal city in Southeast China and is known for her roles in comedies like You Are the One 2 and more recently acted alongside Andy Lau in the action thriller Firestorm (2013). Most of her films/TV shows were made for the mainland Chinese market and are unknown in the UK. Weibo is often used to find news and information not available in mainstream media. With such a large readership, what kind of things does she post in Chinese?
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Chinese actress Yao Chen posts her photos on Nov. 1, 2014, in the golden autumn. [Photo/Weibo.com] |
One of the most interesting things about Yao Chen is the way her messages reflect a desire for, and a push for, a more simple, un-extravagant and compassionate way of living. A recent message she posted simply reads "ordinary, but mighty," followed by a link to a story about a 64 year-old man who joined a volunteer rescue team and helped save over 200 lives, before unfortunately sacrificing his life to save three others.
She has gained a reputation for her work for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). In June 2013 she was named a UNHCR goodwill ambassador - the first in China. You get the impression that her desire to help and generate interest for such causes is not done out of self-interest but out of a genuine belief that small steps help to promote change. A couple of weeks ago (28/12/14), she thanked the UNHCR for helping her to better understand the world and for letting her bring attention to the plight of refugees. One follower's response was, "You are the pride of the people from Nanping." This reflects the loyalty and love many people have for her.
A brief glance at a dozen or so messages confirms Chen's grassroots appeal; she posts stories and news relating to social justice and problems people face - ranging from positive stories such as a man saving the life of 4 people from a car that had overturned into a river - to stories which highlight injustices both in and outside of China. These include missing children, AIDS discrimination in villages, and child trafficking. One such humanistic story she posted was about a compassionate congee restaurant in Henan that gives out free congee to street cleaners (who only earn £80 to £90 a month). One follower's comment reads: "Now so many people are doing the work that the government should be doing, I truly thank them!". This gets to the crux of what Yao Chen stands for to a growing number of people in China; a way of using technology to promote a way of life which can help resolve some of the problems currently facing a rapidly changing China. Weibo is seen by many as an important means to improve Chinese society. If public opinion can supports these stories of ordinary, everyday people (her posts often get liked and re-posted tens of thousands of times), it may lead to influence government decisions. There are many reports that stories she has posted have led people to make donations to those in critical need, or to make desperate human stories visible, and suggest ways to help.
The issues that she supports are also supported by the public. She isn't instigating dissent, but is using her celebrity power to bring issues to light that may get skirted over in the mainstream media.
She also posts cheerful sounding messages to underline certain issues. Posting a picture of a blue sky, she asks somebody to bring back this blue sky to her in Beijing because she misses it so much; raising awareness of pollution problems in a humorous but pointed way.
She mixes this type of socially related post with cute pictures of animals and her baby son, as well as positive and humanizing messages.
Her followers are growing all the time, and by the millions! How Yao Chen uses Weibo is one of the the most prominent examples of how technology is currently impacting society in China.
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