China’s Elderly Influencers Go Viral, Captivating Millions of Gen Z’ers

Elderly influencer. Credit: Alcides OTA / Flickr / CC BY-NC 2.0

A 65-year-old erstwhile worker has go 1 of China’s most-watched aged influencers connected social media, gaining a ample pursuing among young net users. Li Wenshan, known connected signifier arsenic “Grandpa Shanshan,” present performs stand-up drama successful venues crossed the state and has attracted much than 1 cardinal followers online.

Li spent much than 3 decades successful the subject earlier retiring successful Shenyang, a metropolis successful northeastern China. He archetypal encountered stand-up drama done online videos and aboriginal began performing live. His shows regularly gully hundreds of young assemblage members, immoderate of whom question from different cities to attend.

Jokes connected aging link with young crowds

Li’s routines absorption connected mundane subjects, including household disputes, representation lapses, and aging. His calm transportation and straightforward benignant person helped him physique an assemblage that spans generations, but young people stay his superior instrumentality base. At caller shows, much than 700 attendees filled the venue, astir of them nether 30.

Senior net usage rises nationwide

Li’s popularity reflects a broader emergence successful integer information among China’s aged population. A study from the China Internet Network Information Center recorded 161 cardinal net users aged 60 and supra by June 2025. Internet penetration for this property radical reached 52 percent.

Social media platforms person responded to the demographic displacement by adding simplified displays, voice-activated tools, and different features designed to enactment elder users.

Elderly creators summation millions of younker followers

Several elder influencers person developed ample instrumentality bases connected short-video platforms. One of the astir disposable is “Granny Meiying,” a pistillate successful her 90s whose regular daily videos person earned much than 1 cardinal followers.

A ninety-year-old Grandma has taken the net by tempest successful China, amassing thousands of followers.

Granny Meiying is conscionable 1 of a swathe of aged radical who are progressively embracing the integer age. #China #Digital #Viral pic.twitter.com/QybK9Bt7MI

— CGTN Europe (@CGTNEurope) October 30, 2025

Another wide shared relationship documents beingness wrong the Jingya Nursing Home successful Tianjin, wherever residents with an mean property of supra 75 station videos that person received much than 10 cardinal likes. For 27-year-old spectator Hu Yihang, the entreaty is personal. He said the videos punctual him of his grandparents and connection a consciousness of familiarity.

Researchers nexus inclination to intergenerational appeal

“The intergenerational transportation is cardinal to the entreaty of silver-haired influencers to Gen Z,” said Zhang Sining, a researcher astatine the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences. Zhang said the slower bushed of elder lifestyles offers opposition to the competitory gait faced by galore young workers and students.

She added that online visibility of seniors besides challenges stereotypes astir aging, presenting aboriginal beingness arsenic active, social, and purposeful.

Older audiences present articulation the trend

Li says the property scope of his assemblage has widened. His aboriginal shows were attended chiefly by young people, but much middle-aged and aged viewers present be successful person. Some younger fans bring their parents, who inquire Li for proposal connected performing. “I’m blessed to spot much seniors connected the stand-up stage,” helium said.