Yantai Fried Rice Seller Earns $7,400 a Month in Suit as Viral Videos Draw Crowds
Updated
Updated · South China Morning Post · May 15
Yantai Fried Rice Seller Earns $7,400 a Month in Suit as Viral Videos Draw Crowds
2 articles · Updated · South China Morning Post · May 15
Lu, a 19-year-old night-market vendor in Yantai, has gone viral for selling fried rice in a suit and now makes about 50,000 yuan, or $7,400, a month.
A whim to look more "decent" turned into his signature style: he cooks in formalwear, flips the wok, strikes poses, winks at cameras and even catches eggs tossed by family members.
His online clips have helped fuel the attention, with his social media account drawing 46,000 followers and 190,000 likes under the hashtag #sanjifriedrice.
Lu started the stall at 17 and is now described as the "backbone" of his family, showing how a night-market gimmick became both a livelihood and a local internet hit.
Is viral fame a sustainable career for youth in China's gig economy?
When online persona is the main ingredient, what is the future of small business?