When passion becomes a profession

Launched in 2018 to encourage quality original content creation, the top 100 award is evaluated across criteria including professionalism, influence and innovation. The winners come from a wide range of fields, demonstrating the diversity and vitality of China's thriving content creation ecosystem.

Yu Zhenhua, 28, from Shanghai has been a full-time content creator on the platform for five years. Having started by chance, he now sees it as his career and future. Appearing in the top 100 list for the first time, Yu's videos are mostly about life experiences both in and out of China, through which he hopes to inspire his audience and help them better understand people's differences.

For Guo Yu, who has made it into the top 100 for a second time — first appearing in 2020 — being a content creator is a dream job. Making his debut on Bilibili in 2018, the 31-year-old creator now has more than 3.68 million followers, and is dedicated to making quality content for his audience.

Guo describes himself as passionate, inspirational and good at "making anything boring interesting". Compared to television and other forms of media, he says that making shows for online platforms allows him to have a closer connection to his audience and also allows him to have direct interaction.

"It's a privilege to be able to share my daily life and make people laugh. It is the thing I truly love and what I am good at doing. Also, it allows me to travel and expand my worldview," says Guo.

Interest and passion are the main driving forces for most content creators, including Chu Yunfei and Ma Peiyao. Both 29, they have been running the account Geekerwan on Bilibili since 2016, attracting nearly 5 million followers. Specializing in in-depth reviews and technical analysis of tech and digital products, Geekerwan was listed among the top 100 content creators on Bilibili for the seventh time this year.

The pair started making videos based on their own personal interests and their desire to share these with others, and they still stay committed to the goal of "sparking everyone's interest in technology". Furthermore, as they are so close to both the world of technology and consumers, they hope they can contribute more to the industry and effect positive change and growth, an area in which they have already had some success, namely in the improvement of laptops' battery life.

"Back in the day, the average battery life was just one to three hours at best — if you can remember that. But if you go buy a laptop today, you should expect at least five or six hours — some even last up to 10 hours," explains Ma.

"We've been pushing for this improvement all along. It is truly a win for the entire industry, and indeed for everyone who uses these products. It is incredibly gratifying to see this happen, and we see it as our greatest achievement," Chu adds.

Contact the writer at wangxin2@chinadaily.com.cn