I Made a Million on YouTube

Overview

Zaza in China shares how she turned her YouTube channel into serious money—and how she reached her first million milestone.

She starts by directly answering the question viewers always ask: she’s earned about $150,000 USD, which she equates to roughly one million Chinese yuan. She also notes the timeline—about ten months from her first video (Dec. 1 of the previous year)—and breaks her growth into three phases.

Phase 1: Finding her niche and going viral

• At the beginning, she was uncertain and struggled with the basics of publishing. With the rise of AI and easier editing tools, she gained the ability to experiment and turn ideas into videos.
• Her biggest breakthrough came when she decided her content should be authentic everyday life in China—especially after noticing how often people abroad misunderstand what normal daily life in China looks like.
• She references a Mid-Autumn Festival trip as part of her early momentum, and her first major video eventually blows up nationwide, reaching over a million views across major platforms.

Phase 1 “life” montage (light humor)

Between milestones, the video includes daily errands and small comedic “real life” moments, such as:

• Searching for a rare shoe repair shop
• Visiting local markets

She also comments on repair culture—how younger people often throw things out instead of fixing them—before landing on a more reflective takeaway: it’s about knowing what’s worth fixing.

Phase 2: Getting doubted while trying to grow

After her viral rise, she says more people started paying attention—but not all feedback was positive.

A recurring joke-like tension in the comments:

• People accused her of being part of a “secret organization”
• People claimed her videos were staged because she filmed “behind the screen”

She responds calmly, explaining she’s not political or secretive—she started mainly because she needed money and was supporting her parents on a tight budget.

Phase 3: Competition and income dropping

The hardest stage, she says, came once she became well-known:

• Tons of other creators copied her niche.
• This is part of why more Chinese YouTubers show up at once: competition increases and view counts drop.
• Her income reportedly fell to about half of what it used to be.

Despite this, she remains determined, talking about “pushing to create new stuff” so her next million won’t take forever.

Standout scenes / atmosphere

The video also feels like a celebration of Chinese food culture:

• Markets and even Walmart drinks
• Especially seafood crayfish and barbecue shared with friends

She highlights how crayfish are a “superstar” of Chinese drinking tables in summer, joking about how people eat it differently (tail vs. more meat).

The night ends with her checking the bill (she jokes about the surprisingly high number in yuan), then packing leftovers zero waste.

Final message

She closes with gratitude, thanking viewers for the support that made the journey possible, and promises to keep showing up and improving—ending with a “see you next video” goodbye.

Featured personalities

• Zaza (Zaza in China)