Earned 10 Years' Salary with One Dance Move... Female Teacher Gains Attention, Chinese Youth Say "I Want to Do Live Streaming"

Live Stream Host 'Hwang Gyosa' Earns 300 Million Won, Gaining Attention
Youth-Favored Job Emerges... 150 Million Accounts
"Majority Earn Less Than 1 Million Won Monthly... Very Few Succeed"

A kindergarten teacher who earned over 300 million won in just three live broadcasts has become a major sensation in China, prompting a large number of young people struggling with employment difficulties to jump into the field.

According to the "Online Live Broadcast and Short Video Industry Development Report" jointly published by the China Performance Industry Association and others, the number of online broadcast accounts in China surpassed 150 million by the end of last year, marking a 7.1% increase compared to the previous year, local media Hongxing News reported on the 10th (local time).

'Teacher Hwang' Who Earned 10 Times Annual Salary in First Broadcast Becomes a Sensation

Teacher Hwang, who gained attention for teaching nursery rhymes with cute movements to kindergarteners, has appeared as a live commerce host. [Image source=Douyin video capture]

Recently, as more highly educated young people have become online live broadcasters, the field has become specialized in live commerce and has emerged as a preferred occupation among the youth. Live commerce refers to live broadcasts where show hosts introduce products online while interacting with viewers in real time through chat.

This craze became particularly noticeable this May on the video platform Douyin, where 'Teacher Hwang' became a star by teaching nursery rhymes with cute rhythmic movements to kindergarten children. Working as a kindergarten music teacher, he attracted great attention with just this one video, gaining 5 million followers.

Riding this momentum, Teacher Hwang started as a live commerce host last month, reportedly earning 400,000 to 500,000 yuan (approximately 770 million to 960 million won) from his first broadcast. His monthly salary as a kindergarten teacher was 3,000 yuan (about 580,000 won), so he hit the jackpot by earning more than ten times his annual salary.

Teacher Hwang conducted five live commerce sessions over a month, attracting an average of 5.82 million viewers per session and generating sales of up to 2.5 million yuan (about 460 million won). He quit his kindergarten teaching job and joined an MCN (multi-channel network) agency, reportedly receiving 2 million yuan (about 384 million won) after just three broadcasts.

"A Chance to Turn Life Around" Chinese Youth Rush In... Most Earn Less Than 1 Million Won per Month

On August 11th, Chinese tourists were strolling the streets of Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

As word spreads that large sums of money can be made through live commerce, many young people struggling with employment difficulties are rushing into the field. The youth unemployment rate in China for those aged 16 to 24 reached a record high of 21.3% in June and has since been obscured by authorities.

On China's social networking service Weibo, comments such as "Finding a job is as difficult as picking stars from the sky, and even if you get a job, the tight salary won't help you escape a tough life" and "Live commerce, which can turn your life around, is an attractive job" have appeared.

However, most who have tried live commerce reportedly earn less than 1 million won per month on average, leading to assessments that it carries significant risks as a full-time occupation. According to the aforementioned report, 95.2% of online broadcasters earn less than 5,000 yuan (about 930,000 won) per month, while only 0.4% earn more than 100,000 yuan (about 19 million won) monthly.

The media pointed out, "The live commerce industry is not as easy a place to get rich as people think," adding, "There is a large income gap between the top and bottom tiers, and only a very small number can succeed."

China Shows Rapid Growth in Live Commerce Market

China's live commerce market experienced rapid growth during the COVID-19 pandemic due to strong quarantine policies. According to KOTRA, the size of China's live commerce market was 3.488 trillion yuan (approximately 642 trillion won) in 2022, a 48% increase compared to the previous year, and it is expected to exceed 4.9 trillion yuan (about 903 trillion won) in 2023.

The live commerce market is also growing domestically. According to a Seoul city announcement last April, 6 out of 10 Seoul citizens have used live commerce. According to the securities industry, the domestic live commerce market is expected to grow from 6 trillion won in 2022 to 10 trillion won in 2023.