Hip hip. … The Nanjinger is proud to announce that its official WeChat account has surpassed the big 10K of followers. But who are they all? Some have recently signed up, some have been a “fan” for years, others of course are foreign and a surprising number Chinese.
Our 10,000th follower checked the all necessary boxes yesterday afternoon, 13 June. While not able to reveal their identity, The Nanjinger can say the individual appears to be Chinese and has a rather “scholarly” nickname. Fits with our demographic; see below.
It’s another big milestone for this publication, and further proof that our blend of local news plus useful, timely and entertaining information about Nanjing and Chinese culture remains just as relevant today as when we began the account in 2015. The Nanjinger itself dates back to 2010.
Is the 10K a big deal? Well, kind of. For one, over 80 percent of official WeChat accounts have less than 10,000 followers, putting The Nanjinger in the top 20!
There are also approximately 20,000 foreign and Chinese regional passport holders living and working in Nanjing today. Of these, the Koreans, and those from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau constitute almost half.
But followers to The Nanjinger are more than a nationality. In fact, we estimate that as much as half of our followers are in fact Chinese. English-speaking Chinese, obviously.
We spoke with Sarah Chen, a long-time follower of The Nanjinger. She said, “I started to know The Nanjinger after moving back [to Nanjing] in 2018. I found that it is a very informative English publication with a strong focus on Nanjing city, however it doesn’t only help ‘laowai’ but also benefits locals. I’m super grateful to have such amazing link between natives and the international community here. Cheers and keep rocking!”
Readers of The Nanjinger also tend to be well travelled, relatively well off and highly educated, usually at degree level or above.
Tianhao, also a fan of The Nanjinger’s history and culture features, asserted, “The Nanjinger has done a tremendous job in blending highbrow cultural trivia, lesser known ‘aboriginal’ historical figures and down-to-earth everyday anecdotes, in a seamless way!”
As Editor-in-Chief, I wish to thank Sarah, Tianhao, the rest of the 10K and everyone who has ever read even one of our articles. Due thanks and respect are also necessary to the now well-over one hundred writers whose words have graced these pages.
For the record, The Nanjinger wishes to point out that not one of its 10,000 followers was purchased. Yet, the fact remains that the dubious practice is commonplace. According to China Channel, 1,000 reads of an official WeChat account article can be had for only ¥10. We don’t do that. Never have. Period. Other than to put a smile on the boss of your face, what exactly would be the point?
