A few days ago, Yu Shuxin was shopping in South Korea to gain a fan, the Korean clerk frantically looked at photos after seeing him, and said that he wanted to marry her.
Recently, there are other Chinese stars who have attracted attention overseas, and some time ago, during the International Fashion Week, Li Yuchun directly put on the over-season show in advance, and communicated with the owner of Kering, receiving high-standard hospitality. Xiao Zhan, Cai Xukun, and Zhu Yilong, whether they attend events, filming or travel in Italy, France, and Thailand, will attract onlookers.
At the beginning of April, INTO1, which was originally positioned as an international singing group, chose to hold its first concert in Thailand before its disbandment, and then held a meet-and-greet in Japan, even if it was supported by overseas and offline fans. Their influence among overseas fans is inseparable from the composition of their team members and their operation, promotion and layout overseas.
In recent years, domestic films, dramas and music have continued to "go overseas" with the help of Internet platforms, the influence of the younger generation of Chinese stars in the international community has gradually increased, and the international vision of artist agencies and film and television companies has been expanding, making strategic layouts in advance and constantly expanding overseas territory.
Of course, how to transform influence into "business value" and transform momentary popularity into a "cultural phenomenon" across time and space is the next goal.
The "overseas voice" of domestic entertainment stars
Southeast Asia advocates "drama" stars, and the influence of Chinese actors in Southeast Asia cannot be underestimated. "Long Moon Ember Ming", starring Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu, which was broadcast in China shortly after it was broadcast, has been spread overseas, and it was announced on the second day of broadcasting that it will be launched on the Thai TrueID platform in the form of original audio and Thai subtitles a week later.
Taking TIKTOK as an example, in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and other Southeast Asian regions, Chinese actresses with more than 100 million views of related terms are basically popular 85, 90 and 95 flowers, including Zhao Lusi, Bai Lu, Ju Jingyi, Zhao Liying, Yang Zi, Di Lireba, Tan Songyun, Yang Mi, Yu Shuxin, Liu Yifei, etc.
The Chinese actors whose related entries have exceeded 100 million views are mainly popular 90 and 95 students, and the male actors who have been active on the overseas Internet with film and television works are also on the list, including Xiao Zhan, Wang Yibo, Ren Jialun, Wu Lei, Chen Zheyuan, Xu Kai, Cheng Yi, Chen Xingxu, Yang Yang, Gong Jun, etc.
Compared with the daily operation planning of domestic social platforms, very few Chinese actors maintain overseas accounts, generally only as life sharing or publicity channels, so it is difficult for platform audiences to convert into fans through the content of their overseas accounts. As domestic dramas continue to be exported overseas, what really allows these actors to have a certain voice overseas is the drama itself.
The audience of domestic dramas in Southeast Asia is basically the same as the orientation of Chinese audiences, that is, costume idol dramas are the mainstay. Sanook, a large-scale Thai portal, held the 2022 Thai audience's favorite "Best Chinese TV Drama" poll, and the top few results were mostly costume dramas. Including: "Please Advise More for the Rest of Your Life", "Star Han Splendid, Moon Rising into the Sea", "And Try the World", "Agarwood Like Crumbs, Agarwood Chonghua", "Zhou Sheng Ru", "Canglan Tips" and so on.
Actors who have appeared in such dramas are also quite influential in the region, such as the Malaysian princess commenting on "And Try the World" and "Brilliant Star" on INS, and pay attention to the series starring Yang Yang, Wu Lei, Zhao Lusi, etc., Zhao Lusi also became the most watched Chinese actress in Vietnam in 2022 because of "Brilliant Star".
In addition to costume idol dramas, audiences in Southeast Asia have paid attention to the current puppet cookie type dramas, especially youth school dramas. The successful output of dramas such as "To Our Simple Little Beauty", "To Our Warm Little Time" and "Meteor Garden" overseas has maintained the INS likes of Wang Hedi, Shen Yue and Lin Yi at six figures. The Thai station sister of the "Diyue Department" even chased to the event site to show pictures.
In Japan and South Korea, which are heavily influenced by idol culture, attention to Chinese stars focuses on singing and dancing idols. At present, the Korean talent show "BOYS PLANET", which focuses on the competition of global trainees, is entering the white-hot stage of card finals, and from the broadcast to the present, Chinese players Zhang Hao, Wang Nanjun, Zhang Shuaibo and so on have attracted the attention of overseas fans.
In order to follow or archaeology Chinese players in real time, many local Korean fans also learn how to register a domestic platform account and learn the words of Chinese fans to express support under their domestic accounts like Chinese fans used to chase Korean drafts, and their own "rainbow fart" skills are no less, such as "If you are eliminated, this will become a desert" and other messages.
In addition to the programs being broadcast to bring real-time popularity to singing and dancing idols from China, judging from the INS like data, the top ones are basically idol artists such as Wang Jiaer, Huang Renjun, Xu Minghao and other Korean idol groups who have worked or are working, among which Japanese and Korean fans account for a relatively large proportion.
Chinese idols working in Korea have been exposed to the public for many years as trainees or idol group members, attracting a large number of overseas fans who are interested in idol culture and Chinese artists with unique temperament. While digesting idol culture, they export Chinese culture in their own way.
For example, the meme of "not turning is not Chinese" comes from the fact that Chinese idol members almost invariably display "turning heels" skills in the personal skills display of variety shows, so that the concept of "Chinese people can do kung fu" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. There are also Xu Minghao drinking tea and Maotai in the live broadcast, Wen Junhui promoting hot pot in the live broadcast, etc., subtly carrying out cultural promotion.
In terms of film and television, in the viewership list of Chinese dramas on South Korea's Wavve platform in 2022, the dramas broadcast that year were in the forefront of costume dramas such as "Canglan Tips", "Say Who is a Hero" and "Yan Yufu". The broadcast of the episode also brought overseas attention to the actor and successfully brushed his face.
Overseas broadcasting is the current channel for the export of domestic dramas, on the one hand, some domestic dramas will be launched on streaming media platforms such as Netflix, YouTube and the overseas version of domestic video platforms. For example, on April 7, "Go to a Windy Place" was broadcast on Netflix in 190 countries and regions around the world, showing the regional characteristics of Yunnan, China.
On the other hand, overseas TV stations will also buy the rights to broadcast domestic dramas, so that overseas Chinese and those interested in domestic dramas can see related film and television works on TV. "Canglan Tips" was recently broadcast on Japanese TV station WOWOW, and "Agarwood Like Crumbs" will also be broadcast again in South Korea.
Even not only in Asia, North America is paying more and more attention to Chinese-produced films, the domestic sci-fi film "The Wandering Earth 2" was released in North America on January 22, winning the top ten at the weekend box office, and the Rotten Tomatoes Index and Popcorn Index are among the excellent films.
North American audiences have also said in interviews that the different expressions of "heroic narratives" in China and the West are what make them feel the cultural differences, but it also makes them think a little new. And that's what creators want to talk about and show.
Wu Jing has also entered the world stage through movies such as "The Wandering Earth 2", and will land in North American theaters on August 4 this year "Megalodon 2: The Abyss", with Wu Jing and Jason Statham as the double male protagonists.
The obvious gap between the new generation and the established stars
Overseas voice is a symbol of the influence of Chinese stars. Of course, with voice and influence, it can be further transformed into business value. The first is the endorsement of international big names of Chinese stars, highlighting the development of their overseas fashion influence. In the past International Fashion Week, many celebrities participated in the brand show as brand spokespersons or ambassadors, in order to show their fashion control, compatibility with the brand and international influence under the flash of the world, which is the embodiment of the fashion value of artists.
In addition to international big-name endorsements, local endorsements in some overseas regions can also show that the commercial value of artists is recognized within a certain range. Take Wang Jiaer as an example, he has a variety of endorsements such as mobile phones, coffee, toiletries, convenience stores and other categories in Thailand, which also proves his influence in Thailand.
Endorsements and overwhelming promotions that go deep into daily life are mutual achievements for the artists themselves and for the brand. In particular, the convenience store brand 7-11 has been promoted through countless offline store display boards, allowing Wang Jiaer to brush his face again in Thailand.
For artists with different positions, commercial monetization models also have different models, such as singers going on a world tour is one of the best ways to prove their commercial value. Jay Chou once set a box office record of $12.76 million in Singapore. Mayday, Jacky Cheung, Lin Junjie, etc. have also received a single million box office overseas. In addition to the veteran Chinese singers who have formed a certain influence in the world and have an unshakable status, young singers have gradually started their own solo world tours.
Not long ago, Cai Xukun officially announced the launch of the "Labyrinth Restart" tour, which will start an international tour in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, and then return to China. Prior to this, Wang Jiaer's first solo world tour kicked off in Bangkok, Thailand in the second half of 22 years, and successively landed in Malaysia, Singapore, France and other countries and regions. Zhang Yixing's "Great Voyage II: The Unarrived Realm" tour was also held at the same time as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, etc., and revealed that 23 years will usher in a new round of tour.
Touring beyond the world, they are also influencing foreign stereotypes of China. Wang Jiaer shouted at the London concert: "I am Wang Jiaer from China, if you go to China once, you will know that this is really a good place." And Zhang Yixing also opened with musical works that integrate Peking Opera, bringing M-POP to the world.
In addition to concerts, fan meetings are also a regular mode. Some dramas that have generated a boom overseas have held offline meetings. For example, "To Our Warm Little Time" has held overseas meetups, and the Thai concert of "Chen Qingling" is even more popular, and in the future, with the recovery of offline activities at home and abroad, relevant overseas regional meetings and concerts will also usher in a new round of popularity.
In the process of Chinese artists and domestic film and television works constantly "going to sea", we can also see that veteran artists and classic film and television works still have a significant influence, and the influence of "creating the era" and "crossing the era" is incomparable. For example, the world of Chinese kung fu represented by Jackie Chan with "real fists and feet", and the Hong Kong film era represented by Leslie Cheung and Wang Zuxian, not only let the world see the power of domestic films and Chinese filmmakers at that time, but also still influence generations after generations, and even become a cultural pilgrimage symbol.
International awards also have the influence of "creating the era" and "transcending the era", and to this day, international awards are still the most weighty "achievements". Once an actor has an international award, it will become an honor for a lifetime, and overseas audiences will also be amazed.
It is worth mentioning that although our artists and works have gained overseas popularity in recent years, they have not yet become a force and formed a "cultural phenomenon". This kind of popularity is highly substitutable, and there is a "poor information", overseas fans are more likely to become "March fans" than domestic fans, and then turn to other arms after the popularity gradually dissipates.
It is a long-term effort to gain the sustained attention of overseas fans, and the most important thing is to have the output of high-quality works, which can not only bring the current popularity, but also leave a deep impression. By accumulating, it eventually has a long-tail value that is not bound by time and space.
In addition, the operation of overseas social accounts is also worth paying attention to. After the work is understood, it is also necessary to maintain fans with continuous exposure, and the operation of overseas social accounts is easier to achieve fan conversion than other publicity and marketing models. Therefore, it is necessary for the artist team to plan for this, taking into account the publicity of works, cultural dissemination and other aspects.
epilogue
"Going out" should not only seize the current heat, but also strive for long-term influence. When the work "sails to sea" sets off a wave, when "Hualiu" sweeps the world and becomes a "cultural phenomenon", it is the real overseas voice.