Huajiao

What Huajiao does

Huajiao (花椒直播) is a Beijing-headquartered mobile live streaming social platform operated by Beijing Mijing Hefeng Technology Co., Ltd. (北京密境和风科技有限公司). The platform enables real-time video broadcasts with interactive features including virtual gifting, multi-person PK live streaming battles, and on-device face beautification/filters. It serves two primary user groups: general consumer viewers who watch streams and purchase virtual gifts, and streamers/content creators who monetize through the virtual currency system (花椒币/花椒豆). High-profile celebrity ambassadors including Fan Bingbing (Chief Experience Officer) and Zhang Jike (Chief Product Officer) anchor the platform's brand positioning, complemented by the annual Huajiao Night awards ceremony.

The company's product portfolio extends beyond the core mobile/web app to include a Windows PC streaming companion tool (花椒直播伴侣) for professional streamers, and two HarmonyOS SDKs (Playback SDK @hj-live/hjplayer and Streaming SDK @hj-live/hjpusher) that enable third-party developers to integrate Huajiao's audio/video capabilities into HarmonyOS applications. The platform embeds AI features including on-device face detection, FaceU effects, and the AI Jiaor Assistant conversational chatbot for streamers. Revenue is generated through virtual currency transactions on tipping and gifting, with users topping up accounts via the recharge center. The company is backed by Qihoo 360 (with Chairman Zhou Hongyi as a key investor) and has raised approximately $195.5M across three funding rounds between 2016-2018, supplemented by a 2018 acquisition of competitor 6Rooms.

Huajiao operates under Chinese regulatory oversight, holding required licenses including a Value-Added Telecom Services license (京B2-20170002), an Online Culture Operating License, and ICP filing. In December 2025, the Cyberspace Administration of China ordered major platforms including Huajiao to intensify enforcement against abusive livestream tipping practices, resulting in over 73,000 violative rooms and 24,000 accounts being shut down across affected platforms. Huajiao's community guidelines and platform management standards reflect compliance with PRC content, political, and cultural regulations. The company employs 101-250 people and is reported as publicly listed with HKG ticker 3611 in firmographic data, though a separate source within the input indicates it is not publicly listed—this conflict is unresolved.

Name

Huajiao

Legal name

北京密境和风科技有限公司

Website

https://huajiao.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Streaming Platform

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Educational Live Streaming Platforms (Classes/Tutorials) (MPACACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

User-Generated Content (UGC) & Short-Form Video Platforms (BPAMAJAH)

Keywords

• Live streaming platform
• Mobile video streaming
• Virtual gifting platform
• Social live broadcasting
• Real-time video platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Virtual Currency (花椒豆/花椒币): Platform uses virtual currencies (花椒豆 and 花椒币) for transactions. Users purchase virtual items to tip streamers, and the platform takes a commission on transactions.
2. Virtual Gifting and Tipping: Users purchase virtual gifts to send to streamers during live broadcasts. Revenue is generated through the purchase of virtual currency used to buy these gifts.
3. Top-up System: Users recharge their accounts through the payment center (充值中心) to acquire virtual currency for tipping and gifting.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Huajiao is a mobile and web live streaming social platform that enables real-time video broadcasting, viewer-streamer interaction via virtual gifting (花椒币/花椒豆), multi-person PK live streaming battles, and beauty filter effects. The platform monetizes primarily through virtual currency transactions where viewers purchase 花椒豆 to tip streamers, with the platform taking a commission on these transactions. It also provides a Windows PC streaming companion tool for professional streamers and two HarmonyOS SDK packages (playback and streaming) for third-party developers.

Product overview

Huajiao (花椒直播) is a live streaming social platform operated by Beijing Mijing Hefeng Technology Co., Ltd. The product portfolio centers on the core 花椒直播 mobile and web app, supplemented by the 花椒直播伴侣 PC streaming companion tool for professional streamers. For third-party developers, Huajiao provides two HarmonyOS SDKs: the 花椒播放SDK for video playback integration and the 花椒直播推流SDK for streaming/broadcasting integration. Additional product components include the virtual currency system (花椒币/花椒豆), PK multiplayer live streaming features, and beauty filter effects (萌颜特效). The platform also hosts periodic flagship events such as the annual 花椒之夜 awards ceremony.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 花椒直播 (Huajiao Live) Huajiao's primary live streaming mobile and web platform enabling real-time video broadcasts, viewer interaction through virtual gifting (花椒币/花椒豆), multi-person PK live streaming, and FaceU beauty filter effects. Targeted at Chinese consumer viewers and individual streamers.
• 花椒直播伴侣 (Huajiao Live Companion) Windows PC desktop application for streamers, providing scene management, material editing (camera, game capture, window capture, image, video, text, browser, display), audience management, live streaming settings, PK gameplay features, party mode, AI assistant, and private messaging. Targeted at professional streamers who broadcast on the Huajiao platform.
• 花椒播放SDK (Huajiao Playback SDK) HarmonyOS SDK providing live stream playback, VOD playback, decoding and rendering, XComponent rendering, and extended features including preloading, download caching, SEI UUID filtering, transparent split-screen gift playback, face detection/FaceU, and runtime RTE node control. Targeted at third-party HarmonyOS app developers integrating video playback.
• 花椒直播推流SDK (Huajiao Streaming SDK) HarmonyOS SDK providing camera preview, microphone capture, audio-video encoding, live streaming, and extended features including local recording, PNG sequence/gift overlay, dual-screen streaming, mute control, speech recognition data callback, face detection, FaceU, face protection, and RTE node control. Targeted at third-party HarmonyOS app developers integrating live broadcasting.
• 花椒币/花椒豆 Virtual Currency System Huajiao's virtual currency ecosystem where users purchase 花椒豆 (coins) to send virtual gifts to streamers, and streamers can convert earnings via the withdrawal center (提现中心). Includes recharge center (充值中心), exchange center (兑换中心), withdrawal records, and exchange records. Targeted at viewers (purchasers) and streamers (earners) on the Huajiao platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #1 on App Store social application ranking
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Inke (Yingke): Inke is one of Huajiao's closest direct competitors in China's mobile live streaming space, offering virtual gifting, PK battles, and celebrity-driven content targeting the same general consumer and streamer segments.
• YY Live (JOYY): YY Live is a long-standing Chinese live streaming platform operated by JOYY (NASDAQ:YY) with comparable virtual gifting, multi-person PK, and celebrity anchor strategies, directly overlapping with Huajiao's product and monetization mechanics.
• Momo (Hello Group): Momo operates a social-plus-live-streaming platform in China with similar virtual gifting monetization and entertainment-focused user base, making it a structurally analogous peer to Huajiao.
• Meipai: Meipai is a Chinese short-video and live streaming social platform with overlapping creator economy dynamics, virtual gifting, and beauty filter features targeting similar Chinese consumer demographics.
• Six Rooms (6Rooms / 六间房): 6Rooms was a direct Chinese live streaming competitor acquired by Huajiao in 2018, operating the same show-host live streaming and virtual gifting model that Huajiao uses on its core app.

Broad incumbents

• Douyin Live (ByteDance): Douyin's embedded live streaming product competes with Huajiao in the same Chinese market with overlapping virtual gifting and PK features, but operates as part of ByteDance's much broader short-video and content ecosystem.
• Kuaishou Live: Kuaishou operates live streaming as a core vertical within its short-video super-app, directly competing for streamer and viewer attention with Huajiao while serving a vastly larger user base.
• Taobao Live (Alibaba): Taobao Live is Alibaba's commerce-integrated live streaming product, competing for streamer hours and viewer engagement with Huajiao while adding livestream commerce monetization on top of gifting.
• Bilibili Live: Bilibili's live streaming feature serves a younger, content-enthusiast audience with virtual gifting mechanics, overlapping with Huajiao's entertainment positioning though rooted in Bilibili's broader UGC/acg community.

Emerging players

• Twitch (Amazon): Twitch is the global benchmark for interactive live streaming with virtual gifting (Bits), real-time chat, and creator monetization — a useful functional analog for Huajiao's product and business model even though geographically separated.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors11 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Huajiao