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Liu Mou steps on stage at the Douyu festival. Liu and his fans were on the waterfront for a carnival celebrating the industry, hosted by one of China’s largest game-streaming companies, Douyu. — Bloomberg

Cameras flashed and fans screamed, as Liu Mou stepped into the spotlight on a sweltering summer evening.

In the industrial heartland city of Wuhan, tens of thousands of spectators jam-packed the waterside strip that bore witness to Chairman Mao Zedong’s iconic swims across the Yangtze river half a century ago. In unison, the mob roared “hubby” – the moniker jokingly assigned to many male celebrities in China – and Liu, 28, waved back with a smirk. The crowd was mostly men.