15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
The rise of Chinese amateur female idol groups and how they're taking cues from Japan
At 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. The performers are Chinese amateur girl groups singing in Japanese, and this is Japan's globalised idol culture.
About 20
Chinese idol groups wearing 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, which means 'all together now', and arigato gozaimashita, which means '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 allows fans to 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 (US$14).
Chinese amateur girl group Affloret perform onstage.
According to Chinese media, the number of underground idol groups in the country has skyrocketed since the end of pandemic restrictions, from around 40 in 2023 to more than 250 in March 2025.
