Holger Chen cashes in
Internet personality Holger Chen (陳之漢), also known as Kuan Chang (館長), on Sunday returned to Taiwan after a visit to Shanghai. The trip was about more than controversy and live streaming — it was an itemized financial ledger. He was not there for pleasure, diplomatic talks or to act as some sort of ambassador for peace; he was there to pan for gold. Chen live streamed nine times throughout the trip, bringing in more than NT$1.35 million (US$45,708) in donations alone. How is that cultural exchange? It was clearly a calculated business move.
Chen did not mention the Tiananmen Square Massacre or Hong Kong. That was not just because he was in Shanghai — he has long been like this.
In the past few years, his live streams have focused on domestic conflicts and his personal brand, while issues such as external pressure and freedom disappeared from his discourse long ago. That is not forgetfulness, but strategy. Those topics certainly are not moneymakers and could even get him banned.
What really brings in cash is criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and allowing the other side to hear the sound of Taiwan’s internal disputes.
Of course, Chen continued criticizing the DPP while in Shanghai. After all, the topic is just as popular on the opposite side of the Strait. He knows all too well that, as long as he avoids certain keywords, he can maximize his profits.
He filtered out the foul language out of his usual profane, R-rated style of broadcasting and took the rest with him to China. He lowered his content rating, transforming himself from a foul-mouthed personal trainer into an older brother fit to host a children’s show.
He acted as a tour guide, filling his live streams with praise for China, pairing phrases such as “China is awesome” and “China is the hope for the future,” with lines like “Taiwan is awful” and “Taiwan only has braised pork rice.” His live streams were like paid performances; the more the donations poured in, the harder he worked.
However, he dropped the act as soon as he returned to Taiwan, cussing nonstop in front of the camera as if unloading everything that he had held back in one breath. One might say he became his true self again, but I would say he just flipped a switch. He did not change his position — he simply adjusted the price of his words.
That is the true economics of going to China: Content is a prop and the audience is capital. As long as it can be monetized, there is no rhetoric or stance that cannot be altered. Chen knows exactly which words bring in donations, and which kind of silence is rewarded with bank transfers. He knows which issues he can make a fuss over, and when he should just grin.
Principles and bottom lines were tagged with barcodes and placed on the discount shelf long ago. Chen has no qualms over letting them go, and that market has no issue accepting used goods.
Lee Chih-yang
Taipei
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