《创造101》背后的粉丝经济

At a venue in Hangzhou’s Xiaoshan district, ahead of the recent finals of talent show Produce 101, thousands of excited fans jostle each other as they wave banners and glow sticks, chanting the names of their favorite contestants.

在选秀节目《创造101》近期播出的总决赛开场前，数千名激动的粉丝聚集在杭州萧山区的一处演出场所，挥舞着横幅和荧光棒，高喊着他们最喜爱的选手的名字。

Produce 101 is a South Korean reality TV franchise that has expanded to China and two other Asian countries.

《创造101》是一个韩国电视真人秀品牌，已经衍生至中国以及另外两个亚洲国家。

Airing on a video platform of Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd, the show aims to select 11 winners from the original 101 contestants to form an all-female band, based on the number of public votes they receive.

该节目在中国科技巨头腾讯旗下的视频平台上播出，通过大众投票从最初的101名选手中选出11名获胜者，组成女子团体出道。

Talent shows like these are not just about the onstage battle between performers-the rivalry remains fierce offstage among fans alike.

类似的选秀节目不光是练习生们在场上的比拼 —— 场下粉丝们之间的竞争也很激烈。

The program’s producer Ma Yankun says unlike conventional entertainers, the popular contestants on the show always have huge following: "Where there’s an idol, there are always fans."

节目制片人马延琨表示，与传统艺人不同，节目中的热门选手往往拥有很大的流量：“哪里有偶像，哪里就有粉丝。”

Two-way chemistry

双向欣赏

Shi Hui, a 24-year-old office worker based in Shanghai, traveled to the Hangzhou studios in East China’s Zhejiang province to promote her idol Meng Meiqi by erecting digital billboards, portable display boards and large posters of Meng.

来自上海的24岁白领石慧(音译)前往位于浙江杭州的演播室，高举电子广告牌、易拉宝以及孟美岐的巨幅海报，为自己的偶像宣传。

The money Shi used for the promotion was collected from Meng’s fans who openly raised funds totaling more than 12 million yuan ($1.8 million) in the past three months. Shi spent over 10,000 yuan in votes for Meng.

石慧用于宣传的费用都来源于孟美岐的粉丝们近三个月来的公开筹款，共计1200多万元(约180万美元)。为了给孟美岐拉票，石慧花了1万多元。

"I want her to stand in the center of the final group this time," says Shi, adding that Meng’s unassuming look reflects her "say less, do more" approach.

“这一次我想让她在最后的组合中以C位出道，”石慧说，并称孟美岐谦逊的外表体现了她“少说多做”的处事方式。

Another fan Li Qiying, a graduate from Tongji University says she never supported a star before Wang Ju, another contestant on the show.

另一位粉丝李琦颖(音译)是同济大学的研究生，她表示，在粉上节目的另一位选手王菊之前，自己从未追过星。

"At first, it was Wang’s powerful performance that appealed to me," Li says. "Later, I stood by her because of her views on women’s independence and diversity in beauty, as well as her individuality."

“一开始，王菊强有力的表现吸引了我，”李琦颖表示。“后来，我被她对于女性独立和美有多种形式的观点，以及她的个性圈了粉。”

"Her message in the show struck a chord with me and inspired her fans to be more confident."

“她在节目中所表达的信息让我产生了共鸣，鼓舞粉丝们要更加自信。”

Smarter fans 更有文化的粉丝

Li serves as the leader of Wang’s biggest fan club, where each of its six groups performs its own functions-such as design work, voting, writing and photography.

李琦颖是王菊最大的粉丝后援会会长，后援会中的6个小组各有分工 —— 如设计、拉票、写稿以及摄影。

Li says they have students from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in the club, who have designed products like bags, phone covers and T-shirts.

李琦颖表示，后援会中有来自中央美术学院的学生，参与设计了背包、手机壳以及T恤等产品。

"We sell them for money to support Wang instead of always asking her followers to raise funds, which is a more sustainable way to develop the club."

“我们把卖产品得来的钱用于支持王菊，而不是总是向粉丝们筹款，用这种方式后援会能发展得更长远。”

Xu Miaomiao, a research associate from the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences says fans these days are better educated and have more disposable cash-which has fueled their "upgrading power".

北京市社会科学院助理研究员许苗苗表示，如今的粉丝受到了更良好的教育，有了更多的可支配现金，从而增加了他们的“升级能力”。