SHANGHAI: Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has released a virtual idol promoting the 2022 Beijing Olympics, riding on a trend that has swept China.
Named "Dong Dong," the virtual idol, a computer-generated character, is "a passionate, Beijing-born 22-year-old woman who loves winter sports," according to Alibaba's description.
Since early February she has appeared in nightly broadcasts via Taobao Live, Alibaba's livestreaming services.
In her hours-long livestreaming sessions, Dong Dong can be seen sharing bits of Olympics-related trivia, promoting Olympics-related merchandise, and dancing.
Dong Dong was created by DAMO Academy, Alibaba's research arm for advanced technology.
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Virtual idols have gained massive popularity in China over the past few years. Chinese consultancy iiMedia estimated that the virtual idol market in China would reach a value of 6.22 billion yuan ($978 million) in 2021.
Among the most famous virtual idols is Luo Tianyi, a pop singer with over 5 million followers on China's Twitter-esque social media site Weibo.
Created by Shangha-based Shanghai-based Henian Information Technology Co. Ltd, Luo Tianyi performed an original Olympics-themed song during the run-up to the games.
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