ABSTRACT
This chapter takes as a case study Li Ziqi, one of the most prominent Chinese vloggers with over 14 million subscribers to her YouTube channel as of January 11, 2021. Returning to her home village after having worked multiple jobs in the city, Li Ziqi has been creating videos about living an idyllic rural life since 2016. Li’s transition from a migrant worker to an influential vlogger and entrepreneur illustrates the possibility of upward mobility enabled by digital technologies. Moreover, her making inroads into a global platform like YouTube marks a new stage of creative content production for Chinese microcelebrities. Engaging in a close reading of user comments on Li Ziqi’s videos, this chapter analyses the ways in which audiences of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds respond to these productions. An examination of user comments and online dynamics not only contributes to understanding the global appeal of Li’s videos, but it also demonstrates the crucial role that popular culture plays in inspiring imagination that transcends geopolitical boundaries. In this respect, this chapter sheds light on how mobility in diverse forms – the social, symbolic and transcultural – cultivates emerging modes of connections via digital media practices and global platforms.
