SHANGHAI -- A horde of live streamers drew 1.78 million viewers to video platform Bilibili as they performed music or engaged in cosplay celebrating classical Chinese culture during a three-day event in March while the country weathered coronavirus lockdowns.
The viewers flooded the screen with complimentary comments for the streamers. But more crucially, many responded to an option to send "virtual gifts" of differing monetary values to their favored content creators -- and a cut of the proceeds went to Bilibili.
