Thousands of Chinese livestreamers film Dhaka suburb, claim it is India

Local media reports indicate that a large number of Chinese nationals have been livestreaming from the Uttara and Tekpara neighbourhoods in northern Dhaka for several months. Residents estimate the figure exceeds 5,000, although no official count exists. The livestreams, which run from early morning until late night, are broadcast on Chinese platforms such as WeChat and Douyin and often feature product-promotion activities.

"They start filming before we even wake up. When we go to bed, we still see them filming," said Akram Hossain, a Tekpara resident, describing the continuous presence of the vloggers.

Bangladeshi women, including Ritu Akhter, have reportedly worked as guides for the Chinese livestreamers, earning about 700–800 taka per day. Akhter said the group earns money by posting the videos on Chinese social media, but declined to explain the choice of the neighbourhood or the length of the broadcasts.

"This is New Delhi. Their homes are extremely dirty. There isn’t even a fan inside the tin-roofed houses. This place is quite underdeveloped, dirty and unhygienic, and the law-and-order situation is poor," said a Chinese woman identified as Mianmian during a livestream from a canal in Sector 12.

Some vloggers have been reported entering private homes without permission, filming interior spaces and even bathrooms, which residents described as invasive and distressing. Police officials have observed the activity but said language barriers and lack of cooperation have hampered investigations. Officer-in-charge Mohammad Khalid Mansur said he does not know the purpose of the videos or where they are shown, but has alerted senior authorities.

The phenomenon has drawn attention to the use of Dhaka’s lower-income neighbourhoods as backdrops for content that misrepresents the area as an Indian locale and portrays residents in a negative light.