With annual membership priced at 198 yuan, or 30 US dollars, this could represent more than half a billion yuan in revenue.

The boy, from Kashgar city in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, appeared on a show named 'Wonderful kids' produced by iQiyi, an online video platform.

Rather than simply buying licences for content, Xiaomi has purchased stakes in the two video online groups to ensure "a deeper level of co-operation", according to Gong Yu, Iqiyi's chief executive.