Chinese Influencer Resumes Online Activity Following Three-Year Break

A Chinese influencer, who commands a significant global audience and seemingly has the Communist Party’s endorsement, has resumed her online presence following a three-year break. The 34-year-old, renowned for her picturesque videos depicting life with her grandmother in a Sichuan province village, has published three new videos since Tuesday, which have already garnered millions of views. Li initially gained prominence in 2016 as China’s rapidly expanding social media user base appreciated the solace offered by her unhurried videos focusing on culinary arts and traditional crafts. Her comeback, met with enthusiasm by admirers globally, occurs during a period of governmental suppression targeting influencers whose material is considered “inappropriate” by authorities. Li’s absence from the internet stemmed from a disagreement with the agency responsible for managing her online profiles. In late 2021, she initiated legal action against the firm concerning the rights to her brand, ceasing the upload of new videos. A settlement was reached in 2022, yet Li did not resume her online activities until Tuesday. Over recent months, numerous influencers vanished from the Chinese internet as officials intensified measures to “rectify” online culture, focusing on individuals accused of tax evasion, disseminating disinformation, and ostentatiously displaying wealth. However, Li is one of the figures who has avoided official condemnation. Her substantial viewership on YouTube and TikTok, platforms prohibited in China, has prompted inquiries into whether her videos serve as a form of soft propaganda. She seemingly possesses the Party’s endorsement. The state-operated Xinhua news agency published an interview with her the day following her reappearance. Interviews with influencers by state media are uncommon. During the interview, Li stated that she had dedicated the preceding three years to “catching up on sleep” and accompanying her grandmother to experience the “outside world.” She further mentioned that she now holds “a higher goal” and intends to “try her best.” Li has consistently been favored by state media. Xinhua referred to her as the “vlogger who amazes the world with China’s countryside life,” and China Daily commended her for “spreading Chinese culture to the world.” From Beijing’s perspective, Li’s idealized videos promote tourism and align with President Xi Jinping’s advocacy for a Chinese cultural renaissance. A Chinese soup noodle dish, recognized for its unique aroma, gained popularity after being showcased in one of her videos. Furthermore, her videos provide an escape from the actual conditions of rural China, which is characterized by greater poverty and an older population compared to the nation’s vibrant urban centers. Li achieved international renown during the pandemic, a period when China’s relations with Western nations started to deteriorate. Confined to their residences, millions of individuals globally found her videos captivating. China’s lockdown measures, despite being stringent and extensive, were predominantly implemented in urban areas. As Li’s brand prospered, she commenced selling food items and sauces bearing her name on the Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao. In 2020, domestic media outlets reported that the sales of her merchandise surpassed 1.6 billion yuan ($220 million; £172 million). By 2021, she had established herself as the most followed Chinese-language vlogger on YouTube, accumulating over 20 million subscribers. An additional three million individuals follow her on TikTok. On Tuesday, she declared her comeback with a 14-minute video published across all her social media profiles, encompassing Chinese platforms such as Weibo, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu, alongside YouTube and TikTok. The video, depicting her constructing a wardrobe for her grandmother utilizing the traditional lacquering method, has garnered over 10 million views on YouTube and more than three million views on TikTok. “I missed you very much,” she communicated to her followers in an online message. Their sentiment was reciprocal: “When the world needed her [the] most, she returned. Welcome back,” states a highly-liked YouTube comment. Another comment, which received over 13,000 likes on Weibo, reads: “We need the slow-paced Li Ziqi in this age of information explosion.” A further comment asks, “Did anyone else literally cry happy tears?,” adding, “I’m so glad to see her gran doing so well! So happy to see you back.”