A list of top-earning online influencers in China has been released and it showcases the net incomes of 2023’s 50 most successful online broadcasters.
As announced by the Guangdong E-commerce Summit Forum, leading the pack is Crazy Xiaoyangge, with a staggering yearly net income of 3.21 billion yuan (US$451 million), followed closely by Xin Youzhi and Austin Li Jiaqi, who earned more than 3 billion and 2.3 billion yuan respectively.
The yearly earnings equalled or even surpassed the total net worth of some globally recognised Hollywood celebrities such as George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Brad Pitt, with net worths of US$500 million, US$450 million, and US$400 million respectively, according to Cosmopolitan and Biography.
Despite controversies involving counterfeit goods and showing disrespect to customers, the influencers’ impressive incomes underscore the popularity of live-streaming sales in China.
Here, the Post lists the top five biggest earners of 2023 in reverse order.
5. The Boss Seven
US$37 million
Although The Boss Seven ranks eighth overall, she is top among female influencers with an annual net income of 263.4 million yuan.
An apprentice of top-ranked Crazy Xiaoyangge, she is known for her comedic content on Douyin and has amassed 6 million followers.
4. Dong Yuhui
US$74 million
Dong Yuhui, from the company Dongfang Zhenxuan, takes fourth spot with an income of 522.6 million yuan.
Unlike other live-streaming sales hosts who simply push products, Dong employs a literary style in his presentations, which his fans love.
In a recent live broadcast, Dong jokingly responded to the news of his annual income exceeding 500 million yuan and being included on the list.
He said: “This is irresponsible reporting. My mum messaged me to take the money home.”
3. Austin Li Jiaqi
US$323 million
Austin Li Jiaqi, who is widely known as China’s “Lipstick King”, because of his ability to sell enormous amounts of cosmetics online.
Despite being hugely popular in recent years, in 2023 his reputation took a hit when he was mired in a scandal over his criticism of customers who questioned the high prices he was charging, then questioned their work ethic.
Eventually he had to make a public apology.
In 2021, he topped “2021 China (Mainland) Internet Anchor Annual Net Income” list with a reported annual net income of 1.8 billion yuan (US$253 million).
Last year, he fell to third place, with 2.3 billion yuan.
2. Xin Youzhi
US$436 million
With an impressive annual income of 3.06 billion yuan, Xin Youzhi, better known as Xinba, ranks second on the list.
Xinba courted controversy in 2020 when he was embroiled in a fake bird’s nest scandal.
Online viewers revealed that the bird’s nest he sold was essentially sugar water and contained little in the way of the main ingredient.
Xinba recalled all the bird’s nest products sold on his live-stream, and offered refunds and compensation.
In November last year, his Douyin account, which had 4.15 million followers, was banned. He now operates primarily on Kuaishou, another short video platform.
1. Crazy Little Yang Brother (Xiaoyangge)
US$451 million
China’s top-earning influencer is Crazy Xiaoyangge, also known as Crazy Little Yang Brother, who coined in earnings amounting to 3.21 billion yuan in 2023.
He creates online short-video comedies, is a well-known e-commerce sales anchor and co-founder of an e-commerce company, which has signed several popular influencers.
In November 2022, his Douyin account made history when he became the first influencer to reach 100 million followers.
In 2023, he disclosed that he pays out 50 million yuan (US$7 million) in wages every month.
In addition, he confirmed that he paid 200 million yuan in taxes for the year 2022, insisting that he “does not choose to legally avoid taxes.”
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