虚拟主播

A VTuber (virtual streamer) is a content creator who performs live using an animated avatar — usually a cute anime-style 2D or 3D character — instead of showing their real face. In China's internet culture, the term became a meme partly because fans joke about 'worshipping' their favorite virtual idols, donating real money to fictional beings, and the surreal parasocial relationships that follow. The phrase often appears with self-aware humor about how devoted (or financially ruined) fans become.

China's VTuber scene exploded as platforms like Bilibili embraced virtual streamers, spawning a homegrown industry of Chinese VTubers (often called '虚拟UP主'). Economic pressures on Gen-Z drove interest in escapist fandom, while face-concealing avatars allowed streamers to cultivate elaborate personas. By 2024, the term carried dual meaning: a legitimate career path and a punchline about the absurdity of parasocial idol culture in the digital age.

使用虚拟形象进行直播的主播，通常以动漫风格的2D或3D角色出现，深受年轻观众喜爱。