Idol worship hits fresh highs as new generation rises

Another area that sheds light on the sector is fan mentality. Guo Yunqi, a 19-year-old student at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that while fans of idol bands overseas usually support the band as a whole, Chinese fans tend to support just one member of a local band-their support is only for their idol's personal good. Guo has been chasing idols for nearly 10 years and is a fan of South Korean boy bands such as GOT7 and Winner.

"Fans will only like one member of a group. If you look at TFBoys, you will understand," she said. "That is why a local band has not really stood out in the past few years."

Ma, who is a fan of Yi Yangqianxi of TFBoys, has a similar view. "At first, there were a lot of TFBoys fans, but after each member had their own solo performances and activities, the number of fans for each individual member skyrocketed," she said.

"The reason most fans support only one member is probably because each person's style and tastes are different, and the backgrounds of many fan groups are different."

Despite the fast rise of idols in recent years, there are still not enough high-quality stars to fuel the domestic idol market or fan economy. Ding said the fan economy does not currently exist, because the sector is still in the early developmental stages and there are not enough idols in terms of quantity and quality to drive it. She added that fan activity and movement are in place now, rather than an economy.

Producing and managing quality stars is something the idol market needs now, and it is also something that Cai Xukun has experienced. Before becoming the super idol that he is today with his Idol Producer fame, he appeared on another talent reality television show Super Idol, produced by Anhui Television and South Korea's Munhwa Broadcasting Corp in 2015.

Despite the initial buzz for the megaproject between the two countries and Cai Xukun eventually debuting in SWIN, an idol group formed after the program, mismanagement and a slew of problems led to him leaving the group and striking out on his own.

Devotion, adoration

From LED screens in New York's Times Square to the walls of subway stations in China and several other countries, posters of young male and female stars along with good wishes from fans are frequently seen occupying advertising spaces. Most of the money to pay for these ads is crowdfunded online by Chinese fan clubs, and their extravagant spending has made headlines several times.

Unlike fan culture in Western countries, where fans are more individualistic and private in their support of their idols and pop stars, fan culture in East Asian countries is collectivist in nature.

This culture of doing things in groups explains crowdfunding for ad boards in prominent public places, buying tickets in groups to sit together at concerts and fan meetings, and organizing charity events and group donations in the name of their idols.