The Popularity Growth of BTS in China Despite Limited Focus

BTS has seen substantial growth in popularity in China over the past years, despite limited focus and activities from their agency Big Hit Entertainment in the lucrative Chinese market. As one of the largest fanbases globally, Chinese ARMYs have powerfully supported BTS’ rise to become the world’s biggest boy band through online streaming and promotion.

Early Recognition Among K-Pop Fans

When I first got into BTS about a year ago as a Chinese fan, they were not as well known among the general public in China compared to other top K-pop groups like EXO and Got7 who had established fanbases thanks to Chinese member(s). However, within the sizeable Chinese K-pop community, BTS had already gained decent recognition as a top boy band alongside groups like Big Bang. While they may have trailed EXO and Super Junior in terms of popularity at the time due to less focus in China, BTS’ dedicated Chinese ARMY played a key role in boosting the group’s popularity through active streaming and promotion on local social platforms.

The Power of Chinese ARMY

As one of the largest international ARMY bases, Chinese fans have powerfully supported BTS’ rise on the global stage through concert ticket purchases, digital streaming, album sales and more. Despite limitations from Big Hit, dedicated Chinese ARMY clubs worked together online to stream BTS’ music videos and boost chart rankings in South Korea. They were also instrumental in breaking streaming records for BTS songs like “Dynamite” by streaming around the clock on platforms like YouTube that are often blocked in China. This cross-border fan collaboration has been hugely important in amplifying BTS’ success beyond just the Korean market.

Increased Visibility Through Members’ Activities

While full group promotions and concerts in China have been limited, the individual public exposure of members like V and Jungkook through activities like appearing in Chinese reality/variety shows, magazine features and brand endorsement deals has helped expand BTS’ fanbase beyond the existing K-pop community into the mainstream. This increased general public visibility of members in China through individual activities separate from the group has contributed to growing the fandom size over time.

Steady Growth Through Word of Mouth

Even without extensive focused promotions within China, BTS’ popularity has seen steady organic growth through the power of word of mouth recommendations between existing and new fans. As one of the most discussed pop culture topics online among Chinese youth, more casual listeners have been inspired to check out BTS’ appealing and inspiring music, performances and personalities spread by Chinese ARMY. This strong grassroots promotion has allowed their fandom to expand steadily beyond just the existing K-pop community in China over the years through passionate recommendations.

Established as a Top Boy Band

At this point, most avid K-pop followers in China would be very familiar with BTS as a top tier boy band, even if they do not actively follow the group. With over 3 million followers on Weibo, their massive Chinese fandom size is also impossible to ignore for those even remotely plugged into Chinese pop culture and music trends online. While still lesser known among the overall public than mega groups which included Chinese members, BTS has firmly cemented themselves as one of the biggest and most popular foreign boy bands within the sizable Chinese K-pop community.

Growing Public Interest Through Achievements

BTS’ unprecedented achievements like becoming the first K-pop group to top the Billboard Hot 100 and performing at the Grammys have pushed them further into the mainstream public eye not just in the West but also in China. Interest even from casual observers has grown as Chinese news media widely covered these historic career milestones, recognizing BTS as a top global act. This increased public spotlight on their achievements has piqued the curiosity of more mainstream music fans and further expanded BTS’ reach beyond just their existing Chinese fandom in recent years.

Continued Rise Amid Limited Focus

As one of the largest music markets in the world, the importance of investing focused efforts to activate the Chinese fanbase and market potential cannot be overstated. However, even with this limitation, BTS has seen remarkable popularity growth in China organically through the dedication of Chinese ARMY and the spread of their inspiring music and talent worldwide. While certainly still short of the household name recognition among the overall public that mega groups with Chinese members have achieved, BTS has remarkably risen to the top ranks of boy bands in China through their achievements and passionate grassroots fan support. As their successes continue gathering global attention, their popularity in China looks poised to keep rising to greater heights.