In 2007, Cheng founded Hupu as most know it today, expanding its business scope to cover other types of sports, conduct gaming cooperation, operate sports gear ecommerce, and host offline events. It’s now China’s biggest sports forum, with more than 70 million registered users as of April 2020.

img src="http://b1.hoopchina.com.cn/games/images/day.png?l=5" class="article-deposit-pic lazy css_inner_pic" />img src="http://b1.hoopchina.com.cn/games/images/day.png?l=19" class="article-deposit-pic lazy css_inner_pic" /> For me, Hupu is a rare place for pure fans slash nerds to gather in a less commercial atmosphere,” Li says. The platform was established in 2004 and has become an all-around online sports forum covering most sports, including basketball, soccer, Formula 1, esports, and more.

img src="http://b1.hoopchina.com.cn/games/images/day.png?l=15" class="article-deposit-pic lazy css_inner_pic" /> I was so touched to see so many longtime fans of Kobe share stories and pictures of their sports gear collections.” img src="http://b1.hoopchina.com.cn/games/images/day.png?l=12" class="article-deposit-pic lazy css_inner_pic" /> img src="https://i3.hoopchina.com.cn/blogfile/201707/08/BbsImg149945098161049_125563375260957_4000x2596.jpg?x-oss-process=image/resize,w_600/format,webp/quality,Q_60" class="article-deposit-pic lazy css_inner_pic" />img src="http://b1.hoopchina.com.cn/games/images/day.png?l=9" class="article-deposit-pic lazy css_inner_pic" /> img src="http://b1.hoopchina.com.cn/games/images/day.png?l=16" class="article-deposit-pic lazy css_inner_pic" /> He added, “The former reflects traditional masculinity, while the latter explains the new changes in Chinese masculinity over the years.”

img src="http://i3.hoopchina.com.cn/blogfile/201510/10/BbsImg144448310498189_500*490.jpg?x-oss-process=image/resize,w_600/format,webp/quality,Q_60" class="article-deposit-pic lazy css_inner_pic" /> Roy Li, a Shanghai-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) customer success manager, began to follow Hupu in 2015 just for NBA news. He remembers having to pass a test of 20 sports-related questions to sign up for an account. (New users are no longer required to pass a test; simply provide your ID info.) img src="http://i3.hoopchina.com.cn/blogfile/201510/10/BbsImg144448311379460_550*426.jpg?x-oss-process=image/resize,w_600/format,webp/quality,Q_60" class="article-deposit-pic lazy css_inner_pic" /> Fan tells RADII that he thinks most Hupu users are sports enthusiasts, and that shared identity naturally bonds them together.According to Qianfan Analysys , 94% of Hupu users identify as male, and 67% are under the age of 29. Additionally, Hupu had the most active users among all Chinese sports apps as of November 2020. img src="http://b1.hoopchina.com.cn/games/images/day.png?l=17" class="article-deposit-pic lazy css_inner_pic" /> For Yang, Hupu is one of several apps he spends the most time on every day, and he identifies as a JR. img src="http://b1.hoopchina.com.cn/games/images/day.png?l=7" class="article-deposit-pic lazy css_inner_pic" />