Japanese underground idol culture booming in China

Chinese amateur girl groups strike a chord with young people in Shanghai, writes Maya Kaneko

- Maya Kaneko

A club in Shanghai, dozens of young people are jumping and waving glow sticks as they dance to the music, leaning in as if to touch the performers on stage. They're Chinese amateur girl groups singing in Japanese, and this is Japan's globalised idol culture.

About 20 Chinese idol groups wearing colourful frilly dresses and Lolita-style outfits performed at a recent weekend music event. The emcees sometimes called out to the crowd in Japanese, with shouts of “se-no” (“All together now!”) or “arigato-gozaimashita” (“Thank you very much!”).

After the show, fans lined up to chat with the idols at the venue’s booths. These meet-and-greet sessions are called “perks meetings”.

The paid service lets fans take pictures with the idols, get autographs, and chat with the girls for a few minutes. An autographed photo and a two-minute chat cost 100 yuan (450 baht). According to Chinese media, the number of underground idol groups in the country has skyrocketed since the end of pandemic restrictions, from about 40 in 2023 to over 250 in March this year.

A male fan of the idol group “Affloret” gave his favourite group member, Rhythm, a flower bouquet for her birthday.

“I really love her and have been watching her grow. I hope she becomes the No.1 idol in China,’ said the man, who wore a black vest with the Chinese message: “I only watch Rhythm.”