Chinese women are creating a billion-dollar live streaming industry based on singing and slurping soup

Thomas Peter/ReutersEvery day in China, thousands of young women log onto their computers - makeup freshly applied, plastic-surgery scars still healing, at times - and promptly begin broadcasting live to millions.

It matters little what they air. Sometimes it's high-production value entertainment, sometimes just a meal to be eaten. In China, there are 150 internet platforms for viewers seeking out just about any form of live-streamed entertainment they desire.

Experts say the phenomenon has grown out of China's growing ecommerce industry and waning social sphere, in which men and women recede into their private lives online.

This is the $4.3 billion live streaming industry China has created, and it shows no signs of stopping.