二创 (Erchuang): Fan Creation Culture on Bilibili 二创

二创 (pronounced “are-chwang”) means derivative fan creation: new works built from existing ones. AMVs, remixes, fan animations, parody dubs, cover songs, meme edits, fan art showcases — if it transforms someone else’s material into something new, it’s erchuang.

What counts as erchuang

The umbrella is wide:

• MAD / AMV — music-driven anime edit compilations, a foundational Bilibili genre
• Guichu (鬼畜) — rhythmic, fast-cut remix comedy built from repeated source clips
• Fan animation & comics — original stories using established characters
• Covers & arrangements — performing or reworking songs, including from anime and games
• Essay-style re-explanations — transformative commentary that repackages context

Channels like 学姐圆 (anime edits) and 哦呼w (guichu) practice erchuang as their core craft.

The norms that hold it together

Erchuang lives on an honor system enforced by community opinion:

1. Credit the source. Unattributed use of others’ work is the fastest way to get community-condemned.
2. Transform, don’t replace. Good erchuang adds meaning — recontextualization, humor, emotional reinterpretation. Straight re-uploads are frowned upon regardless of legality.
3. Respect rights holders. Commercial-scale use or harming the original work’s market crosses lines even the community won’t defend.

For international viewers this matters mainly as expectation-setting: what looks like “copyright chaos” from outside is actually a tightly policed gift economy. Don’t assume anything-goes, and don’t repost Chinese creators’ work elsewhere without permission either.

English equivalents

“Fan works,” “derivative creations,” “fan edits/remixes.” There’s no perfect translation because no English word bundles the whole ecosystem — hence keeping the term.

Related reading

See also what bangumi means (licensed anime zone) for how original works enter the ecosystem that erchuang feeds on.