A 65-year-old former soldier has become one of China’s most-watched elderly influencers on social media, gaining a large following among young internet users. Li Wenshan, known on stage as “Grandpa Shanshan,” now performs stand-up comedy in venues across the country and has attracted more than one million followers online.
Li spent more than three decades in the military before retiring in Shenyang, a city in northeastern China. He first encountered stand-up comedy through online videos and later began performing live. His shows regularly draw hundreds of young audience members, some of whom travel from other cities to attend.
Jokes on aging connect with young crowds
Li’s routines focus on everyday subjects, including family disputes, memory lapses, and aging. His calm delivery and straightforward style have helped him build an audience that spans generations, but young people remain his primary fan base. At recent shows, more than 700 attendees filled the venue, most of them under 30.
Senior internet use rises nationwide
Li’s popularity reflects a broader rise in digital participation among China’s elderly population. A report from the China Internet Network Information Center recorded 161 million internet users aged 60 and above by June 2025. Internet penetration for this age group reached 52 percent.
Social media platforms have responded to the demographic shift by adding simplified displays, voice-activated tools, and other features designed to support senior users.
Elderly creators gain millions of youth followers
Several senior influencers have developed large fan bases on short-video platforms. One of the most visible is “Granny Meiying,” a woman in her 90s whose daily routine videos have earned more than one million followers.
A ninety-year-old Grandma has taken the internet by storm in China, amassing thousands of followers.
Granny Meiying is just one of a swathe of elderly people who are increasingly embracing the digital age. #China #Digital #Viral pic.twitter.com/QybK9Bt7MI
— CGTN Europe (@CGTNEurope) October 30, 2025
Another widely shared account documents life inside the Jingya Nursing Home in Tianjin, where residents with an average age of above 75 post videos that have received more than 10 million likes. For 27-year-old viewer Hu Yihang, the appeal is personal. He said the videos remind him of his grandparents and offer a sense of familiarity.
Researchers link trend to intergenerational appeal
“The intergenerational connection is key to the appeal of silver-haired influencers to Gen Z,” said Zhang Sining, a researcher at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences. Zhang said the slower rhythm of senior lifestyles offers contrast to the competitive pace faced by many young workers and students.
She added that online visibility of seniors also challenges stereotypes about aging, presenting later life as active, social, and purposeful.
Older audiences now join the trend
Li says the age range of his audience has widened. His early shows were attended mainly by young people, but more middle-aged and elderly viewers now attend in person. Some younger fans bring their parents, who ask Li for advice on performing. “I’m happy to see more seniors on the stand-up stage,” he said.
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