China KOL who claims to be champion of working classes in videos exposed as ‘heartless boss’ in real life
- Online star plays workers’ champion in videos has 16 million followers, her company admits exploiting staff, insists on unpaid work, long shifts
A social media influencer in China with 16 million followers – famous for her portrayal of a nanny speaking up for the working classes – has been exposed as a hypocritical and heartless boss in real life.
Known online as Seven Gorillas, or Qi Ke Xingxing in Mandarin, the influencer, based in central China’s Hubei province, plays a rebellious nanny in the online short video series Reborn: I Became a Nanny in a Feel-Good Drama.
Her character, Wang Ma, exposes workplace injustices and promotes equality, while satirising situations in which workers are exploited and oppressed by their bosses.
Her portrayal is viewed by many workers as giving a voice to their struggles in real life.
Since its debut in March, the series has released 21 episodes, helping the influencer gain about 1 million followers within a month of its debut, while also significantly boosting the profits of her multichannel network company, Wild Culture.
According to data from Xingtu, a prominent China influencer marketing platform, the company’s 20-second advertising videos are priced at 450,000 yuan (US$63,000) while those from 21-60 seconds and longer than one minute are priced at 500,000 yuan and 600,000 yuan, respectively.
