Meet China’s elderly influencers cashing in on the internet

Meet China’s elderly influencers cashing in on the internet

Exquisitely garbed in a traditional cheongsam dress, 76-year-old Sang Xiuzhu is one of an unlikely vanguard of elderly influencers storming Chinese social media with videos of glamour in the golden years. Two years ago she joined the “Fashion Grandmas”, whose one-minute clips and livestreams of them turning Beijing’s streets into a catwalk are devoured by millions of fans. They mix elegance with epithets of wisdom-on marriage, love and life-from a generation who are now increasingly integral to both the economy and online culture of China. “Our young fans say they are not afraid of ageing after seeing grannies like us living fashionable and happy lives,” said Sang.

China is getting old fast and Beijing is faced with the monumental challenge of how to provide for tens of millions of retirees. But this has also opened opportunities for those who are financially comfortable in their dotage and able to harness the commercial possibilities of technology. It is an economy worth hundreds of billions of dollars, craving longevity, entertainment and consumer goods, and hooked like everybody else to their smartphones.

The “Fashion Grandmas” collective has 23 main members, with dozens more fringe contributors across the country, all aged between their late 50s and their