IShowSpeed, a YouTube sensation from the US, is being hailed by Chinese government officials and state media as evidence of a growing desire for mutual understanding between Americans and Chinese amid escalating trade frictions.
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The 20-year-old influencer, with over 37 million YouTube followers, went viral after live-streaming his visits to Beijing and Shanghai non-stop for six hours in the two major cities.
The online star, who hails from the midwestern state of Ohio and whose real name is Darren Watkins Jnr, is seen in the lengthy productions praising the people who greeted him enthusiastically, clean streets and internet connectivity that remains fast and stable on subway rides.
The streams, which initially ran on Monday and Tuesday, featuring the influencer doing a backflip on the Great Wall, visiting the Forbidden City and trying Chinese street food have garnered nearly 10 million views combined. They also showed him playing ping-pong and basketball with locals.
Some Chinese viewers commented that, for many new fans in the country, the streams have helped to reverse decades of anti-Chinese propaganda promulgated in the West.
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