TikTok Music Virality in China: The Unlikely Case of the Divine Song “The Shepherd of the Cocoto Sea”

This paper will start with the definition of divine song and explain how it developed from an internet slang term to a common term used to describe a certain music genre by presenting and summarizing the development processes and evolution characteristics of two popularly recognized divine songs in China. It will then focus on the case of “The Shepherd of the Cocoto Sea” and explore how this “unlikely case” influenced a primarily middle-aged and elderly demographic. It will analyze the three key figures responsible for its viral rise and two important events that were part of this process, which finally influenced main music applications and music charts in China, and became recognized and popular among various demographic groups, making it a viral phenomenon.