The rapid ascent of a young content creator, who gained internet fame by imitating NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang during his recent visit to China, has been met with a wave of controversy and personal anxiety.
In May, Jensen Huang, the CEO of NVIDIA, visited China, immersing himself in the local culture. Images of him enjoying street food, reacting to traditional beverages, and smiling with a popular drink in hand spread widely across social media, capturing significant public attention.
Shortly after, a 28-year-old blogger from rural Dandong, Liaoning province, spent a small sum on a leather jacket and glasses, used flour to whiten his hair, and recreated these iconic scenes in short videos—sipping the same drink and eating the same noodles. His account, under the moniker "Huang Yinxun," amassed tens of thousands of new followers within days, with live streams attracting audiences in the tens of thousands.
The blogger, Yang Yang, born in 1999, moved to the city for work at 16, holding jobs as a dishwasher and a noodle chef before returning to his hometown five years ago. There, he farms with his parents while building a career as a video creator. Last year, he won an individual championship in a local livestreaming competition. Yang Yang stated that comments about his resemblance to Jensen Huang predated the CEO's visit. Inspired by the online suggestion, he decided to attempt an imitation, never anticipating the explosive response. However, the sudden influx of attention has been accompanied by a barrage of video complaints and widespread criticism, leaving him fearful and uncertain about how to proceed. "I am very scared now," he admitted, describing the overwhelming scale of the attention as unprecedented in his five-year online career.
This phenomenon is part of a broader trend where young individuals vigorously pursue fame through imitating celebrities, from lookalikes of famous entrepreneurs to impersonators of pop stars. This fervent chase for "copycat fame" continues to spark successive rounds of public debate.
**"Completely Unexpected Fame, Now Facing Daily Complaints"**
In an interview, Yang Yang explained the origins of his idea. He noted that comments about his likeness to Jensen Huang emerged even before the CEO's visit with the U.S. presidential delegation. Initially dismissing the similarity, he was inspired to try filming an imitation after frequently encountering Huang's viral clips post-visit. The resulting video garnered nearly 10 million views. Yang Yang confessed to having limited prior knowledge of Huang or his industry, citing a lack of exposure to computers and concepts like chips, graphics cards, and semiconductors due to his family's financial situation. Through watching the videos, he became a fan, admiring Huang's approachable demeanor with the public.
Regarding the production process, Yang Yang spends over an hour on styling, notably using flour to achieve the distinctive white hair. His long hairstyle, grown out for over 200 days for a previous comedic video, has become a recognizable trait. The actual filming and editing are relatively quick, taking about half an hour. His videos now achieve view counts as high as 15 million.
Since gaining popularity, he has been conducting intensive daily live streams from noon until midnight, attracting over ten thousand viewers nightly. He mentioned that criticism in the live chat is minimal, with most viewers expressing curiosity and even admiration. However, he has received private messages purportedly from NVIDIA's legal team, which he suspects are fake. The real concern stems from numerous videos being taken down due to complaints, despite his efforts to avoid infringing on肖像权 or damaging corporate reputations. He is currently appealing these takedowns.
**Aspiring for a "Turnaround"**
Yang Yang began his短视频 career after years of working in restaurants, returning home to care for his aging parents. Over five years, he has experimented with various content styles, primarily focusing on rural life, often featuring his parents in videos about farming and local markets. As a content creator, his income was previously stable at several thousand yuan per month, but earnings from his main account with over 300,000 followers have dwindled to just a few hundred yuan monthly, highlighting the financial instability many creators face.
He firmly denied rumors of earning 100,000 yuan per month since the模仿 videos, clarifying that his live stream earnings amount to only a few hundred yuan per session after just ten days.
Reflecting on the experience, Yang Yang expressed admiration for Jensen Huang, particularly inspired by Huang's humble beginnings which included dishwashing before founding the world-leading company. He sees the imitation as a meaningful, albeit challenging, endeavor that symbolically bridges the gap between an ordinary rural youth and a top-tier business leader. He believes many fans are drawn to this narrative of a potential "underdog turnaround."
Describing himself as receptive to advice, he has started incorporating more positive content, such as videos showing kindness to community workers. He is now carefully contemplating his next steps. Acknowledging the accessibility of content creation via smartphones, he views it as a viable opportunity to supplement his rural livelihood, despite recognizing the inherent controversy in模仿. "Such an opportunity, I also want to seize it once," he stated.
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