LayarHijau – A sharp contrast in earnings within China’s entertainment industry has drawn public attention. A Chinese internet celebrity with millions of followers recently revealed that her monthly income has dropped to just 5,000 yuan (around USD 700), while a television actress disclosed that she earned 5,000 yuan per day (around USD 700) during a drama production.
The issue went viral after the topic “internet celebrity with millions of followers reveals monthly income of only 5,000 yuan” trended on Weibo on February 3, 2026. The influencer in question is Wang Yimeng, a content creator known for her work in China’s cosplay and ACG community.
Wang stated that her combined income from advertising, commercial appearances, short drama projects, and stage performances now totals around 5,000 yuan per month (USD 700). In some months, her actual take-home pay falls below 3,000 yuan (around USD 420).
Despite this, Wang Yimeng still has around 6 million followers, though the number is far below her peak in 2020–2021, when her following exceeded 21 million. At her height, her advertising fees reportedly reached 80,000 yuan per post (around USD 11,200). Over three years, she is said to have earned around 3 million yuan (approximately USD 420,000), enough to purchase a home outright.
Her current advertising rate has dropped to 28,000 yuan per post (around USD 3,900), yet brand deals have become scarce. For short drama productions, she earns 2,000 yuan per day (around USD 280), but after team and operational costs, her personal income is reduced to about 500 yuan per day (around USD 70).
Wang is signed to an MCN (Multi-Channel Network), a management company that handles brand deals, commercial contracts, and revenue distribution between creators, platforms, and agencies. In many cases, creators receive only a small portion of gross income after deductions.
She also disclosed that she spends around 9,000 yuan per month (approximately USD 1,260) on appearance and image maintenance, leaving her in a situation where expenses exceed income.
Industry data shows this is not an isolated case. About 95.2 percent of streamers in China earn less than 5,000 yuan per month (USD 700), while only 0.4 percent make more than 100,000 yuan per month (around USD 14,000).
In contrast, actress Cui Jingge revealed that while filming Twenty Your Life On (二十不惑), she earned 5,000 yuan per day (around USD 700) over eight days, for a total gross pay of 40,000 yuan (approximately USD 5,600). She later stated that she has since left the entertainment industry.
“I only earned a small amount; I endured a lot of hardship,” Cui Jingge said
For comparison, China’s minimum monthly wage in 2026 ranges from 2,300–2,700 yuan (USD 320–380) in major cities, and 1,800–2,200 yuan (USD 250–310) in smaller cities and less-developed regions.
