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The number of internet video users has seen a rapid growth over the past three years.
It shot up from 565 million in July 2017 to 609 million in 2018 and then to 759 million in 2019, according to the China Statistical Report on Internet Development published by the China Internet Network Information Center. By mid-2018, 76 percent of netizens had watched online videos in the previous year. The number rose to 88.8 percent a year later.
It's not just about education but also about fun and entertainment. Fabricio Di Paolo, known as Lord Vinheteiro online, is a pianist who was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1980. Di Paolo began to play piano at the age of 8 and majored in veterinarian studies at the State University of Sao Paulo. He worked as a vet after graduation but never forgot his dream of becoming a pianist.
Music was his first love so he concentrated on being a pianist. But attracting an audience and followers was difficult. So in 2008, Di Paolo began uploading videos on YouTube. To gain more exposure online he launched his Bilibili channel in December 2017 to explore the market in China. In order to attract more people, he plays music that is easily recognizable, such as Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
"People hear the classics but most of them don't know the title of the songs they listen to. I try to introduce titles and composers to people," he says.
Another strategy Di Paolo used to draw people's attention was to look at the camera, instead of the piano keys as he plays, in each of his videos.
"Obviously, playing while looking at the camera is harder than regular playing, but it is something I like to do. It is a style I created to generate more interest for people who watch my videos," he explains, adding that not every piece can be played while looking at the camera.
According to Di Paolo, it was not until early 2019 that his followers on Bilibili grew dramatically, when they began to talk about his unique performance style.
Now he has more than 738,000 followers on Bilibili. He has uploaded 105 videos, which have been viewed around 27.8 million times. His video Can You Hear the Difference Between Expensive and Cheap Pianos is the most-watched with over 1.5 million hits. In that video, he plays six pianos whose prices vary from $499 to $2.5 million to show their different sounds.
In November 2019, Di Paolo received an invitation from Bilibili, asking him to play at the platform's New Year Gala held in Beijing called The Most Beautiful Night of 2019 on Dec 31. It was his first trip to China. When the camera zoomed in on him, he looked straight back, as he usually does.
"It was because of the development of video-sharing platforms such as YouTube and Bilibili that I was able to start showing my piano skills around the world. Without the internet, I could never have become a pianist," he says, adding that he loves playing in China and hopes to return.
