Amy Lyons becomes a Wang Hong in China market

Social media has become more than just a way to share your daily adventures with friends and family – for many it can become their career.

And while it is hard to stand out in an online space of bikini snaps and brunch uploads one Sydney woman may have cracked the market wide open.

She just had to move countries to do it.

‘I just thought ‘It’s a little show, [don’t] take it too seriously’ … I still have people recognising me from that show,’ she told Triple J breakfast radio

Amy Lyons, 24, was a Manly Sea Eagles cheerleader and uni student with a penchant for Mandarin when she entered the Chinese Language Competition in 2015 and started a Weibo account.

The show, which is broadcast to more than 300 million people, cemented her status as a social media celebrity and she’s been regularly uploading photos and well-crafted videos to the Facebook equivalent ever since.

‘I just thought ‘It’s a little show, [don’t] take it too seriously’ … I still have people recognising me from that show,’ she told Triple J breakfast radio.

She ended up finishing in the top 30 on the show – much to her surprise. 

She ended up finishing in the top 30 on the show – much to her surprise

With 65,000 followers and counting on Weibo the former Sydneysider now attracts lucrative marketing campaigns with companies like Westpac and Tencent

With 65,000 followers and counting on Weibo the former Sydneysider now attracts lucrative marketing campaigns with companies like Westpac and Tencent.

Tencent, one of the biggest gaming and eCommerce businesses in China, is also owned by the richest man in the country Ma Huateng aka Pony Ma who is worth $36.3 billion.

And while those marketing ventures help her earn a small fortune one of her most revered videos is actually about her ‘chopstick legs’ which has been watched over three million times.

‘Chinese people love the idea of having very skinny legs, so I took chopsticks and exercise and put it all together in this fun little package that was received very well because of its quirky content,’ Ms Lyons told the ABC’s Lateline

In the two-minute exercise video Miss Lyons shimmies and shakes to Beyonce’s Crazy In Love and teaches Chinese women how to get slimmer legs and a toned backside.

‘Chinese people love the idea of having very skinny legs, so I took chopsticks and exercise and put it all together in this fun little package that was received very well because of its quirky content,’ Ms Lyons told the ABC’s Lateline.

It’s an easy to follow routine and coupled with her infectious smile makes for a well-earned viral hit.

In the two minute exercise video Miss Lyons shimmys and shakes to Beyonce’s Crazy In Love and teaches Chinese women how to get slimmer legs and a toned backside

But she didn’t fall into this social media influencer role, known as a Wang Hong in China, by accident

But she didn’t fall into this social media influencer role, known as a Wang Hong in China, by accident.

‘I love performing, I love public speaking, I love interacting with Chinese people, I love Chinese culture, I love exercise, I love travel,’ she told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

‘I thought if I could become a Wang Hong, I could use all my passions, skills and talents and make that my career.’

She bides her time by travelling between Sydney and Shanghai, admitting ‘this is still just the beginning for me.’

‘I have high goals when it comes to my followings,’ she said.