Lee Da-hae Joins Dandan's Singles' Day Stream With 500 Staff and Five Electric Cars as Prizes

A live broadcast staffed by about 500 people, with five electric cars offered as prizes, recorded roughly 100 million yuan (about 20 billion won) in sales over two hours. Actor Lee Da-hae, who is due to give birth in November, took part in the show, hosted by the Chinese influencer Dandan, while pregnant.

The host: a Kuaishou star

Dandan is a well-known wanghong in China, a term for an influencer who uses online influence to create content and also sways product sales. She is a live-commerce host who works mainly on Kuaishou, a Chinese short-video and live-streaming platform. According to local media, in 2024 she became the first female host on a Chinese platform to pass 100 million followers. The source describes her as a figure with major influence in China.

Singles' Day and the live-commerce model

The broadcast was held to mark Singles' Day (双十一), the shopping festival in which Chinese e-commerce companies run discount events centred on November 11 each year. The source says the event period and sales methods have diversified by platform, and that competition in live-broadcast selling continues. On Lee's show, a large prize giveaway and real-time product sales ran side by side, and the broadcast length and sales figures were presented as a measure of the scale of local live commerce.

Dandan's format has the host present products while viewers buy in real time, and the source calls this one of the main selling methods in China's online shopping market. She has also widened her links to South Korean companies and entertainment by working with South Korean brands and introducing K-beauty products to local consumers. She is reported to have kept up a personal friendship with Lee.

Lee's message from Hangzhou

On the 18th, Lee posted several photos on her social media account with the caption: "Rushed in as reinforcement for the live broadcast marking the Singles' Day (双十一) of the wonderful Dandan!" The photos show Lee in an elegant dress taking part in the broadcast beside Dandan, and others taken among local staff and officials. Lee visited Hangzhou while pregnant.

Lee wrote that Dandan was "someone who kept caring for me and looking out for me, saying thank you so much for coming all the way to Hangzhou when I'm not even alone." She went on: "I always think this, but you're not like a younger sister, you're like an older sister. And your overflowing energy is truly amazing." She added that the atmosphere of a live broadcast with so many people for the first time in a while was "lively and good!"

A China career and a first child on the way

Lee built her profile in China and has taken part in live commerce before. The source says she gained popularity there through works including the 2005 drama "My Girl", and has continued working locally on the strength of her fluent Chinese. Being able to communicate directly with local viewers was also noted in connection with her China career. This time she joined Dandan's Singles' Day show in person and shared the scene of a product-sales broadcast.

Lee married the singer SE7EN in May 2023. The couple announced her pregnancy in May, and Lee is due to give birth to their first daughter in November. The timing of her due date alongside the broadcast drew attention to the fact that she appeared on a live show while pregnant.

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