Chinese livestreaming might not have the weird fetish appeal of the Japanese idol industry, but the fake egalitarianism and built-in exploitation make it even more perverse. Popular hosts and singers on YY, a major video-based social network with 300 million-plus users, can make tens of thousands of dollars per month, but the system is still stacked against them. Molecular-biologist-turned-documentarian Hao Wu dives deep into the YY ecosystem in “People’s Republic of Desire," which opens Nov. 30.
Shen Man is an up-and-coming YY host, who is the sole support of her unemployed father and stepmother. She will be a genuine contender during the annual YY competition because she has a number of well-heeled patrons and a major YY talent agency backing her.
