The global reach of a quirky office chef as China’s internet celebrity economy booms

At just 23, Ms Yeah is already a celebrity chef with millions of fans. But the Chengdu native is known not so much for what she cooks – it’s how she cooks it.

Ms Yeah, who also goes by the name Xiaoye, whips up elaborate meals at work using cooking equipment improvised from whatever she can find in the office, and posts videos of the process online.

Her antics – cooking spicy Sichuan skewers in an electric kettle, frying a pancake on a computer case, making buns from scratch in a standing steam iron – have catapulted her to internet fame.

Ms Yeah’s colleagues at online content producer Onion Video can be seen in the background as she takes over the water cooler to make hotpot, or makes ice cream with a fire extinguisher. The programme planner has fast become the company’s biggest money-spinner.

“The other day, I was at a construction site picking up some bits and pieces to use as tools in my video. A girl appeared out of nowhere, called me Xiaoye and asked to have her photo taken with me,” Ms Yeah, who did not want to give her real name, told the South China Morning Post from her office in the Sichuan capital. “Some people have worked out which is my office building from the videos and they they’ve come to talk to me. I guess I must be famous now.”