Going live or going dark: why China is cracking down on live-streamers

单集文稿 ...

• 00:00

  The Economist.

• 00:18

  Live streaming is wildly popular in China.

• 00:21

  Around 3.5 million take place in the country every day.

• 00:26

  And whether you're in the market for cheap washing powder

• 00:29

  or just looking for love, there's a live stream for you.

• 00:33

  The phenomenon has lifted many streamers out of poverty, and even made some extremely rich.

• 00:41

  But it's an industry that's also fraught with risk.

• 00:45

  In a country where control of the internet and censorship are ubiquitous,

• 00:50

  live streamers who don't keep their socialist values in check

• 00:54

  can be shut down overnight.

• 00:57

  I'm Jiahao Chen, The Economist's China researcher and Drum Tower producer, based in London.

• 01:04

  Alice and David are on the road this week, so I'll be your host.

• 01:08

  I'm joined by Ted Plafker, our China correspondent in Beijing.

• 01:12

  And we're asking, what is life like inside China's live streaming universe?

• 01:18

  And what does increasing censorship of this space say about China today?

• 01:24

  This is Drum Tower from The Economist.

• 01:36

  Hey, Ted.

• 01:36

  Welcome back to Drum Tower.

• 01:38

  How have you been?

• 01:39

  Hi, Jiahao.

• 全部文稿