As we know E-commerce is huge and booming in China and it was said in 2019 consumers spent a whopping US$1.55 trillion shopping online. In more recent years we have seen rapid growth in social media. More than 3.4 billion people are actively using social media which is 45% of the world’s population. Many Chinese influencers have risen to prominence as KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders). These influencers sell stock worth millions of dollars in just minutes and give their honest opinion and review regarding a product. Live streaming has taken over KOL’s marketing in China. Let’s see the top ten social media influencers in 2022.
1. Tao Liang
Tao Liang, well known as Mr Bags is one of the most popular influencers in China. On Weibo, he does Microblogging having more than 5 million followers. He has 47.1k followers on Instagram and over 800K followers on WeChat. As we can see from his username his speciality is bags and gives information about all kinds of bags. He is so famous that his new releases get sold out in minutes. He also collaborates with high-end brands such as Burberry, Givenchy, Fendi, Louis Vuitton and many more.
2. Li Jiaqi
Li Jiaqi is a Chinese social media influencer, and entrepreneur focusing on beauty and cosmetics. He is well known as the Lipstick King and is also known for the large sales volume through his streams. He has around 40 million followers on the platform Douyin which is China’s version of TikTok where he lives streams about beauty and cosmetic suggestions. He tests and sells a variety of brands like MAC, Tom Ford, YSL, and many more.
3. Liu Genghong
Liu Genghong, well known as Will Liu is a Taiwanese dancer, singer and composer. He became an overnight Internet sensation during the Covid breakout in Shanghai by streaming training regimens from his home. He, along with his wife, use the Xiaohongshu app and Douyin to stream fitness and dance videos five days a week. He has an eye-catching appearance and is predestined to present fashion, cosmetics, and accessories. This economy is said to be estimated to be worth $15 billion.
4. Anny Fan
Anny Fan is well recognized as a top Chinese influencer in the luxury industry. She is known for her professionalism, creativity and sensitivity to various global markets and has around 5.5 million followers on Weibo. She represents high-need luxury brands and fashion houses like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Hermès, Bottega, Veneta and Miu Miu. She also consults Western brands venturing into the highly competitive market of China, utilising her expertise in internet commerce.
5. Papi Jiang
Papi Jiang's real name is Jiang Yilei is a Chinese Comedian who is known for comedy on video blogs. She graduated from a drama academy and is considered the most expensive influencer. Unlike the typical fashion and beauty influencer, she gained fame by making funny videos that went viral. In 2015 she released a series of homemade videos after which she gained popularity due to which the famous Chinese talk show host Luo Zhenyu, along with a few others invested 12 million yuan in her.
6. Kakakaoo
Kakakaoo is known as a Gen-Z influencer who uploads daily vlogs and blogs about her daily life, unboxing videos and shares recommendations and reviews about beauty products. She has 13.3 million followers on Weibo and as a young influencer, this shows her appeal and connection with her audience. She has worked with high-end brands like MAC and Burberry. She even featured in a Vogue magazine issue in 2017.
7. Fil Xiaobai
Fil Xiaobai whose real name is Yan Sishi is a stylist, artist and blogger. She got famous when she was sent by a Chinese travel channel to cover the Paris Fashion Show in 2012 where her quirky sense of fashion was caught by street photographers. After this she started her career as a freelance stylist promoting herself by sharing her looks on Weibo. She was invited to walk on the runway of the Dolce & Gabbana 2017 show in Milan which marked a big milestone for her career. She has 5.1 million Weibo followers.
8. Zola Zhang
Zola Zhang is a former film writer who is now considered a leading fashion blogger and influencer. She has around 3.5 million followers on Weibo and in just three years he collaborated with over 300 brands. In 2019 she along with her team was invited by the luxury shoe brand Stuart Weitzman to be the official stylist for the brand's Spring fashion show. She has worked with brands like Louis Vuitton, Armani, Max Mara, Shiseido, and Estée Lauder.
9. Becky Li
Becky Li is a former journalist who operated five WeChat accounts, an e-commerce platform, two apparel brands and a new self-improvement online workshop. She has 3.2 million followers on Weibo, over 40k Instagram followers, and 2 million on WeChat. Her not ask influencer moment was when she sold 100 Mini Cooper Cars through WeChat in just five minutes which fueled her titles as Chinese Goddess of Shopping. Her fashion brand which was launched on WeChat generated 1 million RMB revenue in just seven minutes after the first drop.
10. Zhang Dayi
Zhang Dayi is a fashion designer and entrepreneur. She is a very famous online celebrity who owns a multimillion dollar bursary and fashion company. Her business is called Wuhuanxide Yichu and she has 20 million followers on social media. She has studied fashion and was even a fashion model in 2009. It was even reported that the largest shopping channel in China had 5000 sales within seconds of a post featuring her. In 2016 her annual income was said to be 300 million yuan($46m) which is higher than the top Chinese actresses reported income.
