Li Shijin, 30, a salesman-turned voice performer from Liaoning province, makes up to 2 million yuan ($282,000) by reading audiobooks annually.

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Yu Datou, previously a senior executive, is a podcast host.

The talkative 40-year-old once impressed his friend, a cultural company owner, when they discussed hot social issues. He was persuaded by the friend to run a podcast in 2018.

As a businessman, he realized that merchants were generally regarded by many people unfairly as "profiteers". Many merchants, as he knew, were honest and hardworking people who contributed to society.

"I wanted to be a voice for the group, to help people know more about them. Besides, it is an era of business startups, so I decided to open a program to tell stories of entrepreneurs in China, providing a reference to those who want to start a business," says Yu.

"We try to keep a relatively positive standpoint, to salute the successful entrepreneurs, to understand and sympathize with the unsuccessful ones, instead of lavishing praise or demeaning someone, and to show the humanity and emotions behind commerce."

Sina Weibo user Liangshuang Xiaofengle was impressed by the personality of Tao Huabi, founder of the Lao Gan Ma chili sauce brand, and Ren Zhengfei, founder of telecom giant Huawei, after listening to Yu's podcast. The comment reads: "They both experienced many setbacks in their early lives, but developed their business step by step with patience, trying to make their products as top-quality as possible. They seem to stick to something like craftsmanship all their life, being neither conceited nor rash, and that gave me a lesson."

Yu's podcast was named Datou Kanren, meaning "Yu talking about people". The first episode was released in 2018 in which he talked about the story of Chinese internet company LeEco's founder, Jia Yueting. Now he posts four free episodes every week and each lasts for 40 to 70 minutes.

Many people are impressed by Yu's storytelling. According to Silent Wind, a user on Jianshu, a creative writing social media platform, "Yu's storytelling is attractive since he clarifies the entrepreneurs' experience from their birth to their success, with his vision and humor. I learned that the business giants met with difficulties and were as confused and helpless as us ordinary people. He urges us to consider what success is and shows us what qualities enable them to succeed."

After a year, Yu resigned from his job to devote more time to his podcasts. His audio career developed rapidly. He was chosen as the most popular voice anchor at Qingting in 2018, and 300 days after he started, his programs have been listened to over 100 million times.

The podcast was originally available on many platforms, including Himalaya, but now it's updated exclusively on Qingting. According to the statistics provided by the latter, 70 percent of Yu's listeners are male. Young people born in the 1980s and 1990s account for 76 percent.