Social live video app Inke shoots for the stars

Charity tie-up to involve actor Jiang Jinfu and others streaming their daily lives

With the help of live-streaming apps these days, anyone can be a star. The fast-growing mobile video service sector has caused a great buzz in China because it allows users to broadcast what they are doing in real time and to make some real money - if viewers like their shows.

This real-time interaction has made streaming and watching video footage via such apps one of the most popular entertainments for China's youngsters.

But Inke, which owns a major live-streaming app in China, has decided to make the entertaining business more meaningful by setting up a streaming video-based charity project, together with the Hunan province-based Mango V Foundation.

The project, which was officially launched in late June, aims to invite 100 celebrities during the summer to live-stream their daily life or their work life via Inke and raise money for whoever desperately needs help.

Like other live-streaming apps, Inke allows watchers to make real-time comments online during a broadcast and fans can show their appreciation by sending all kinds of virtual gifts, such as flowers and even a Ferrari. Of course, these virtual gifts need to be purchased with money and can also be converted back into real money once being received.

According to the Beijing-based Inke, celebrities can choose the amount they want to donate. And for every one yuan (15 cents) a celebrity donates, Inke will also donate one yuan to the foundation.

Several celebrities, including actor Jiang Jinfu and model Guo Shuyao, have already joined the project.

Wang Hao, vice-president of Inke, said social networking has evolved from text- and picture-based operations to more and more video and live-streaming based.

"Live-streaming can make charity and fundraising more transparent," he said. He gave an example of how charity work can be done via live-streaming.

TV host Ma Ke helped raise money for a child who suffered from leukemia on Inke's platform in February. By sharing the tragic experience of the child named Liu Jie via live-streaming footage, Ma raised a total of 40,664.9 yuan ($6,180) during the one-hour show. Ma even streamed his experience of sending the money to Liu's family via his smartphone.

Inke's Wang said that in the era of mobile internet, doing good deeds will not be limited by time and location anymore.

"China has nearly 700 million netizens and everyone can become a philanthropist," he said.

Inke said that its app has been downloaded by more than 100 million users since the company was founded in 2015. About 10 million users log onto the app every day.

mengjing@chinadaiy.com.cn