Who is Papi Jiang and Why is She So Popular?

Out of nowhere, people have started to repost videos of an otherwise innocuous girl performing an insane monologue in her messy room. Meet Papi Jiang (Papi酱), who has just become an overnight sensation. Just who is this new wangluo hongren (Internet celebrity) and where did she come from?

Papi酱 is the nickname of Jiang Yilei, who was born in 1987 in Shanghai, graduated from the Central Academy of Drama and has been named China's #1 online celebrity of 2016 so far. 

RELATED: Net Nanny Declares Papi Jiang Too Vulgar, Removes Videos

Her most popular catchphrase is: “I’m Papi Jiang, a woman possessing both beauty and talent." She often makes it known that she is proud of being a “leftover woman” (sheng nu), often a derogatory term used to describe single women over the age of 30 (but more recently a phrase being reappropriated by successful career women who haven't had time or the need to rely on men for support).

She currently has 10 million followers on Weibo, 70 percent of which started following her in the past six months. According to Xinmin.cn, some investors claim that “even though she has many fans, it would be hard to find a way to monetize what Papi does. Currently, the only way to do so is via advertizing but as the target customer base is so vague, it's difficult to advertize one specific product, which means the channel's future value is low." Xinmin goes onto analyze, that Papi's favorite topics are discusses most are: relationships, trending topics, and movies.

Even in light of Papi's low profitability, in March she landed RMB 12 million in investment from a number of companies involved in social media, including Zhen Fund (5 million), Luogic Show (5 million), Lighthousecap (1 million), and Xingtu (1 million). In the above video (sorry, Chinese only), which was released on Valentine’s Day, she complains about phenomenon seen among couples: 1) talking about their partner all the time no matter when and where; 2) feeding each other in public; 3) flirting with each other at other in on other people’s WeChat Moments; 4) posting their WeChat chat history with partner on Moments; 5) the boyfriend breaking contact with all of his female friends once entering a new relationship, just in case his girlfriend gets jealous; 6) the girlfriend calling her boyfriend while dining out with other friends; 7) asking friends whether they should break up with their respective partner; 8) arguing with their partner in front of you. 

All of these topics obviously resonated with couples and single alike, which led to the video being watched millions of times.

If you want to watch more videos that make you feel like the very core of your being is being berated and lacerated by a strangled cat, head here!

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Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: Baidu, iQiyi