In Changsha, Hunan Province, China, even though it is deep at night, there are many young people on the street.

They line up and place their phones on tripods, each of them engrossed in broadcasting.

[It's 1 a.m.

These are all so-called live streamers who broadcast over the internet on Douyin, a Chinese short video platform.

Douyin, known as TikTok in other countries, has 6 million users in China, making live broadcasts a popular way to make money.

But as the crowd of young people flocked to them, competition became fierce.

As indoor broadcasts have become difficult to attract, more and more people are broadcasting outdoors in the middle of the night.



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Dozens of women even turn on round lights and sit just 2~3 meters apart to talk, sing and dance.

To appeal to viewers by being outdoors alone for six or seven hours until dawn and to get more sponsorship.

Most of them contract with related companies, and 10% of the total income is taken by the company in the name of equipment rental and management, and the platform Douyin takes 40%, so their share is about 40%.

Outdoor live internet broadcasting began to spread about a year ago and has become fashionable.

While viewers' donations have grown, many people who have lost their jobs last year due to the spread of COVID-1 and strict lockdown policies have jumped into the field.

However, local governments are increasingly cracking down on midnight broadcasts because they are dangerous or disturb social order.

(Video Interview: Choi Deok-hyun, Video Source: Weibo)