At the same time, he condemned the so-called fandom culture where fans attack the company online because of their idols.

同时，他谴责了所谓的粉丝文化，即粉丝们因为自己的偶像而在网上攻击公司。

Fandom culture basically refers to groups of fans cheering anything and everything related to their idols.

粉丝文化基本上是指一群粉丝为任何与偶像有关的事情欢呼。

The platform can provide creation and operation services covering virtual host, virtual idol and brand spokesperson for various sectors such as radio, television, internet, finance and retail.

该平台可以为广播、电视、互联网、金融、零售等各个领域提供涵盖虚拟主持人、虚拟偶像和品牌代言人的创作和运营服务。

"Ren Jian, a professor of the College of Communication and Art Design at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, said that virtual idols have become a new bright spot in the IP industry.

At this current moment when product functions are homogenized and communication methods are the same, through the cultural empowerment of virtual idol IPs, unique and heterogeneous experiences and feelings can be created.

Sharetimes said that in the future, it will continue to create more virtual idol IPs with good virtues, such as kindness and courage.

"Be-an Idol"－a red bean-flavored ice cream topped with grass jelly－is also on the exclusive list, as grass jelly is a popular choice among Cantonese because it helps relieve humidity-related overheating.

By partnering with the Shanghai Public Security Bureau Traffic Police General Brigade, the company brought Hajiang, Budweiser's Gen-Z virtual idol who was named Shanghai's road safety ambassador by the city's traffic police in 2019, to share her exclusive stories about supporting road safety awareness campaigns across the country since last year.

AB InBev, the world's biggest brewer by production volume, introduced a Generation Z virtual idol, "Hajiang", Shanghai's first virtual road traffic safety ambassador to boost traffic safety and smart transportation during the eighth National Traffic Safety Day in Shanghai on Monday.

The two parties have also launched the Little Champions program, an initiative to inspire the next generation of kids by giving them the unique opportunity to step onto the court of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and join their idols before every game.

Virtual idol is a booming concept quickly gaining popularity among the younger people aged 25-30.

Sun also condemned the "fandom culture", noting that netizens often attack a company because of their idol.

An example would be a site allowing fans of popular bands to communicate with each other and buy virtual gifts for their favorite idols during livestreaming concerts.

Brands also invite celebrities to be spokespersons of cosmetic contact lenses as these well-known cultural figures help direct online traffic to products, and fans tend to trust their idols' choices.

Meanwhile, other brands launched their virtual idols to attract consumers and convey brand concepts.

For example, the virtual idol of Florasis is an ancient beauty, conforming to the brand's traditional Chinese culture.

Additionally, netizens supporting their own idols by insulting other celebrities with ugly words or even false claims, and internet users interfering with online views to prevent others from commenting, are also behaviors to be combated during the campaign.

"The show has helped mothers to dress up and become fashion idols.

The trend doesn't only include virtual idols and virtual influencers, which have become popular in the past two to three years, it covers all entertainment and character IPs, including those big global IPs in comics, animation and movies, he said.

Pop idol Ouyang Nana, who has 17 million followers on Sina Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter, posted her first vlog in 2018, when she went to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, the United States, for study.

Hao said global luxury goods companies have invested more in marketing and localization in China, with targeted designs, frequent exhibitions and promotional events, as well as inviting Chinese idols to be brand spokespersons.

Jaderick Castillo, a 12-year-old Filipino boy from a mountain village in the northern Philippine province of Zambales, can finally get to watch his idols play basketball live on TV, thanks to a Chinese-funded solar power project that brought electricity to this far-flung village.

"My idol is Lee Meiyu, the first female sommelier who holds an advanced sommelier certificate and is the most advanced sommelier in Beijing," Gao said, adding that she's also preparing for the advanced certificate test.

Yet, the virtual idols won applause and received flowers from over 1,000 fans－they were all Chinese users of anime, comics and games or ACG－at their live concert in Shanghai on July 7 last year.

Digital celebrities include historical figures, stars and well-known literary figures, which can enable users to interact with digital idols and exchange ideas with them.

Many viewers were shocked by the AI-generated songs, commenting that it is too difficult to distinguish their idols' voices from the AI versions, with some embracing a technology that provides people with a different way to enjoy their favorite music.

Her popularity online reflects the fact that the virtual idol industry is booming in China.

Virtual idols are artificial intelligence-powered digital characters that bear a close resemblance to real humans.

As more and more young people become captivated by these virtual idols, their commercial value is also rising.

A growing number of brands are looking to use virtual idols in advertisements, livestreaming and other marketing campaigns, in the hopes that they will increase brand awareness and lure more young consumers.

Other luxury brands like Dior and L'Oreal have developed their own in-house virtual idols.

Compared with real idols and stars, virtual avatars, who, like their flesh-and-blood counterparts, can sing, dance and promote products through livestreaming, seem more approachable to fans, and are not likely to be mired in scandals, industry experts said.

According to data from online market research and business intelligence portal Statista, the scale of China's virtual idol market reached 6.22 billion yuan ($887.3 million) in 2021, bringing an extra value of 107 billion yuan to other sectors.

About 92.3 percent of virtual idol fans are aged between 19 and 30 years old, and 80 percent of followers spend less than 1,000 yuan per month on virtual idols, according to market consultancy iiMedia Research.

Zhang Yi, CEO and principal analyst at iiMedia Research, said virtual idols can subtly convey brand concepts in the process of interacting with users, and have been increasingly applied in a wide range of fields, such as product promotion, livestreaming, concerts, commercial performances, gaming and broadcasting.

Zhao Zhanling, a legal adviser for the Internet Society of China, said Generation Z－those born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s－has become a major force in the consumption market and is more receptive to virtual idols.

"For brand owners, utilizing popular virtual idols as brand spokespersons could enhance consumer perceptions and improve their sense of trust toward products," Zhao said.

Zhao said there are many uncontrollable factors involving human celebrities, while such risks do not exist in choosing virtual idols for brand endorsement.

"With continuous advances in intelligent technologies such as motion capture technology, the production cost of virtual idols will be greatly reduced, which will give a big boost to their popularization," said Wang Fei, associate professor at the School of Journalism, Renmin University of China.

They possess a yearning for virtual culture and interaction experience with virtual symbols, so virtual idols can meet user demand for companionship and a sense of belonging, Wang said.

However, the virtual idol market in China is still in its early stages.

Zhang, the iiMedia Research CEO, called for better supervision of virtual idols and the improvement of relevant laws and regulations.

Virtual idols are also getting increasingly embraced by both consumers and entertainment enterprises, as they are much less likely to be mired in scandals that generate negative publicity.

Already, multinational consumer brands like KFC, Tesla, Louis Vuitton and Givenchy have commissioned virtual idols for promotional campaigns in China to attract Generation Z consumers.

Virtual anchors, virtual employees and virtual idols are currently the most popular applications of digital avatars in China, according to a report released by the key laboratory of media convergence and communication at Communication University of China.

Digital humans will no longer be limited to cultural and creative fields such as virtual idols.

Imagine entering into an imaginary world with your best friend physically beyond your reach, or meeting a digital manifestation of your favorite idol.

According to a report by market consultancy iiMedia, the market size of virtual idols hit 6.22 billion yuan ($976 million) in China last year, up nearly 80 percent year-on-year.

"As virtual interactions and events turn into key communication channels among pandemic-wary consumers, virtual humans or virtual idols have injected new impetus into the entertainment industry," said Yang Qiguang, a mass communications lecturer at the Renmin University of China.

M-zone, a popular brand under China Mobile, has teamed up with pop idol Zhang Yixing to popularize new services, including co-branded Xback smartphone phone SIM cards, virtual photo-taking services supported by augmented reality and virtual reality technologies, as well as AI-enabled avatar services.

Given Chinese pop idols' growing appeal to tech-savvy, young subscribers, China Mobile hopes pop idols can help boost the popularity of its 5G services.

Bilibili, a leading short-video sharing platform popular among young people, devoted 10 minutes of its gala to virtual idol Luo Tianyi, who sang five songs as real dancers performed.

Meanwhile, with the emergence of virtual communities, fans can create groups, further amplifying their love and admiration of their idols.