Sector profits as listener numbers rise

Using the name Honest Little White Dog, Peng employs a range of voices to become a prince, a schoolboy or even a boss on his audio files.

Like almost all the platform's narrators, he always records under an assumed name. Some other popular storytellers on the app include Yidao Susu and Lion's Dad Storytelling. When his "real" job ends every day, Peng locks himself away with recording equipment he bought secondhand and gets to work.

"Doing something I enjoy is always a happy thing," he said.

Wu Jiayi, from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, became an audio storyteller under the name of Yizhi Douding on Ximalaya FM in 2019 after she realized the potential and prosperity of the audio-sharing market.

The 22-year-old dubs characters ranging from little girls to grandmas.

"The rising demand for radio plays in the industry means more opportunities for me," she said, adding that she is confident of finding and recording a high-quality ancient fantasy novel in which she can play a leading female role.

"I have to thank a friend who mistakenly sent a text message about audiobook lists two years ago," said Wu, who graduated from college with a degree in makeup design.

"That coincidence brought me into the storytelling world, which has been even more fantastic than my expectations."