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A 60-year-old woman from southern China who used to drag her teenage son out of Internet cafes has accumulated over 8,000 hours playing Counter-Strike, building a massive streaming audience along the way
Zhong Juanjuan, a resident of Meizhou in Guangdong, now plays the tactical first-person shooter for seven to eight hours a day and streams her gameplay to more than 400,000 followers across social media platforms.
In a reversal of roles, her younger son, Suo De, stands at her bedroom door every night and switches off the home router at midnight to prevent her from playing until morning.
Two decades ago, their relationship with video games was vastly different
In 2002, Suo De began frequenting Internet cafes during junior high school, causing his grades to drop. Zhong, affectionately known online as Auntie Juan, who left school after primary education and worked as a street vendor and shampoo promoter, searched nearby cafes on her bicycle, once publicly dragging him home by the arm.
The turning point came during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Confined indoors and unemployed, Suo De spent his days playing Counter-Strike. Curious, Zhong asked her son to teach her.
Her initial attempts were challenging. She struggled to walk her character straight, ran into walls, and felt nauseous after just 10 minutes.
To assist her, Suo De lowered the mouse sensitivity, stuck red labels onto essential keys, and provided a reference notebook.
Zhong began streaming on Bilibili before migrating to Douyin in 2023. To improve her reaction times against younger players, she practised six to seven hours daily using aim-training programs until she could hit 150 targets in 36 seconds, outperforming her son by five seconds.
Her biggest breakthrough came in December 2024 during an online exhibition match against professional esports players, including 17-year-old Russian prodigy Danil "donk" Kryshkovets
Positioned behind cover with an AK-47 rifle, Zhong eliminated Kryshkovets as he crossed a doorway before taking down his Team Spirit teammate Dmitry "sh1ro" Sokolov in the same round. Replays of the moment went viral across Chinese social media, sparking a massive surge in her viewership.
When sceptics accused her of using cheat software or a ghost player, Suo De published her gameplay logs and installed multiple cameras to verify that she was playing herself.
Suo De now works full-time managing her hardware, video production, and commercial partnerships
In 2025, Zhong's streaming income grew to 10 times her previous earnings, making her the family's primary provider. The former street vendor has since flown across China to attend major esports events in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu.
Zhong remains unfazed by traditional societal expectations regarding older women. She noted that engaging in esports keeps her mind active and improves hand-eye coordination, proving that it is never too late to learn a new skill.