Streaming stars

Deep in cyberspace, the fame of nascent celebrities is exploding in a wave of online actors and actresses, clothing and makeup advisers, singers, writers and gossips

We read about their sumptuous lifestyles, latest loves and multimillion-dollar contracts in the celebrity pages and on gossip websites. But behind many a film star there are long periods of joblessness and menial work before they make the big time. Of course, there are countless thousands who never make it.

But Jiang Yilei, 29, has become a star virtually overnight in China - not from being snared by a big film studio, but thanks to the internet and social networking sites.