A lighthearted stunt by one of China’s biggest video creators turned into a nationwide debate after he walked into a Hangzhou marriage market with a deliberately underwhelming résumé, only to be swiftly rejected by matchmaking aunties who had no idea they were turning down a multi-millionaire internet celebrity.
Tim Pan, the 29-year-old founder of the blockbuster Bilibili channel “Mediastorm ” (which just crossed 14.3 million subscribers), filmed himself last week responding to a fan dare by showing up at a famous local “parents’ matchmaking corner.”
Armed with a tongue-in-cheek CV that listed his education as “junior high in China,” his father’s job as “express delivery related,” and his marital status as divorced, Pan watched in mock horror as aunties dismissed him for low academic credentials and a failed marriage.
What the aunties didn’t know was that the “express delivery” father is Pan Shuimiao, president of YTO Express, one of China’s largest logistics giants; that Pan himself holds a master’s degree in film from the University of Kent; and that his media company raked in nine-figure revenue last year.
His 2020–2024 marriage did quietly end earlier this year, making the “divorced” label technically true but wildly misleading without context.
The clip exploded online, with some viewers laughing that the aunties had personally chased away a billionaire bachelor and others accusing Pan of orchestrating a cruel “prince goes undercover to mock the peasants” spectacle.
In a midnight clarification video posted on November 15 titled “Regarding Recent Controversy,” Pan explained the segment was part of a long-running comedic Q&A tradition, shot with full permission from park management, and occupied only a few minutes of the full episode.
He promised future videos would include clearer disclaimers to avoid similar misunderstandings and urged viewers to watch the original before jumping to conclusions.
