China’s Grandparents Are Done Babysitting and Ready to Go Viral

“For previous generations, their lives were more confined to within the family, watching TV and taking care of children,” said Bei Wu, a professor of global health at New York University. “But now this generation, because they have less grandchild-raising responsibilities, they have more leisure time, their scope of activity is beyond the family, and so the role of their friends and social lives is greater.”

For the foodie rapping grannies who live in a village near Beijing, the videos started as a way to pass the time during the pandemic. “It was just having fun and messing around,” said Wang Shuping. When Ms. Wang’s son, Ren Jixin, came to visit over a Lunar New Year holiday, he thought he could help the women polish their act.

“We sing out of tune. We are tone deaf,” Ms. Guo said. Mr. Ren, a composer for documentary films, suggested the trio rap instead of sing, and he started writing lyrics for the group. This year, hundreds of thousands of people started to follow their Douyin account. Mr. Ren moved back home and now spends several days a week writing, rehearsing and filming.

“It exercises our brain,” Ms. Guo said of the content they create.

There’s money in it, too. Through their Douyin account, Sister Wang Is Coming make about $1,400 a month. It’s not enough to live on, but as their fan base grows, they have generated more interest from companies that want to advertise with them.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/22/business/china-influencers-seniors.html