A regular livestream on video-sharing site Bilibili allows netizens to share stories of obsessions, most often gambling, that have led them into debt. But on December 8, 2025, the host of Jie She (which means “The Society of Quitting”) received an unexpected confession: not from a gambler, but from a college student addicted to musical theater.
In her letter to the program, the student revealed that she had taken out online loans totaling 80,000 yuan (US$11,442) to watch musicals. Over the past six months, she said, she had repaid 20,000 yuan (US$2,860) through part-time jobs and internships, with the remaining debt covered by her mother and grandmother.
The student, in her fourth year at university in Beijing, described her theatergoing habits in detail. Beyond local performances, she frequently traveled to watch shows in Shanghai, known as China’s musical theater hub. She became an ardent fan of a Shanghai-based musical actor and repeatedly attended the same production.
“Each trip to Shanghai cost me around 5,000 yuan (US$716),” she wrote, including tickets, travel and merchandise. These expenses far exceeded her living costs as a student, leaving her little choice but to rely on online loans.
The story quickly went viral on social media, where many viewed it as a cautionary tale about irrational consumption, even when driven by artistic appreciation.
China’s musical theater industry has boomed in recent years, with young female fans emerging as a powerful consumer group. While their spending has helped fuel the industry’s growth, netizens noted that fan culture has also encouraged excessive and sometimes unhealthy consumption.
Some critics pointed out that for certain fans, attending performances has become less about the art itself and more about idol worship. These fans may follow specific performers across cities and repeatedly attend the same shows. Many netizens argued that when such behavior leads to debt, it crosses the line from passion into financial risk.
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