"Falling Asleep Without Realizing... It's Addictive": Restaurant's Plummeting Sales Reversed by This One Thing

Chinese Restaurant Gains Attention for Boosting Sales
with Chicken Preparation Livestreams

A restaurant owner in China has become a sensation for boosting his shop's sales by livestreaming himself preparing chicken. The broadcast, which features the sound of plucking feathers with tweezers as ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) to provide viewers with a sense of psychological comfort, appears to be gaining popularity.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on May 18, Wang Weixian, who runs a restaurant in Leshan, Sichuan Province in western China, hosts a livestream in which he plucks feathers from a chicken's tail. Wang Weixian's broadcast has attracted as many as 12,000 viewers at a time, making it a major topic of conversation.

Wang Weixian (left) preparing chicken during filming. Photo by SCMP

At the beginning of this year, as his restaurant's sales declined, Wang Weixian began to consider alternative ways to increase revenue. After much thought, he came up with an ingenious idea: he decided to livestream himself removing the remaining feathers from chicken on social media platforms.

He started creating ASMR videos that viewers could enjoy by using audio equipment to amplify the sound of plucking white feathers with tweezers. SCMP explained, "Wang Weixian's livestreams attract more than 10,000 viewers at a time. Most people watch late at night, and the average viewing time is about 38 minutes."

As the videos gained popularity, the restaurant's sales also increased. Wang Weixian stated, "Since starting the livestreams, my monthly sales have surpassed 200,000 yuan (approximately 3.9 million won). To meet the demand, I am receiving help from my mother. I prepare more than 15 kilograms of chicken every day."

Viewers of Wang Weixian's videos have responded enthusiastically, saying things like, "The sound of plucking feathers is so addictive," "Now I need to hear this sound to fall asleep," "I fell asleep while watching this video, and my insomnia has improved a lot," "At first, I watched out of curiosity. After watching the livestream, I ordered chicken breast, and it was really delicious," and "I never thought a video like this could help relieve stress."