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Fran Lu

Short video platforms and live-streaming events have become the new mainstream way for people in China to express themselves online.
According to China Association of Performing Arts, there were more than 1 billion short video accounts and 150 million of the live-streaming variety by the end of 2022.
All in all they generated 200 billion yuan in income in 12 months.
So, in a crowded marketplace, influencers often stretch credulity to the maximum to get a slice of the cake.
Unfortunately, or maybe not, some go too far in search of clicks.
The Post has compiled a list of five crazy things online influencers in China did in 2023 that landed them in hot water.
Er Lv

When Er Lv, an influencer on the Kuaishou platform who has 48 million followers, was kidnapped by a group of men, who threatened to bury him alive during a live-stream in August last year, viewers called the police in Qingdao in eastern China’s Shandong province, where the incident happened.
Police investigations revealed that the influencer staged the kidnap to hype his account and he was banned by the platform.
Hong Lv Deng De Huang

This influencer, who has 9.3 million followers on Douyin, triggered an online backlash in November last year after she tried to promote a YSL beauty product with a grimace and dishevelled hair.
Online observers criticised her “crazy and vulgar” style, accusing her of tarnishing the brand’s image.
The young woman works for the company of Douyin’s top influencer, @Fengkuangxiaoyangge, or Crazy Little Yang Brother, who amassed 100 million followers for acting insanely in his e-commerce live-streams.
His madcap stunts included biting plastic slippers and smashing a fry pan on the ground.
Ti Zi

The mukbang platform influencer who at one point had 1 million followers does not get much crazier than eating a whole shark live on air, but she was fined 125,000 yuan (US$17,600) in January, after she cooked and ate an endangered great white shark on video.
In a new clip she posted later, the woman apologised for her ignorance, adding that she was tricked by a seafood vendor who illegally captured the shark, telling her it was a farmed breed.
She spent 7,700 yuan (US$1,000) on the shark.
B Tai

This 20-something influencer had been dedicating his life to exposing dishonest merchants across China.
His tactic was to take a weighing scale everywhere he went and measure every dish he ordered at a restaurant or every purchase he made at a fruit stall, to see if the amount of the goods measured up to what was advertised.
His 24 million fans witnessed him exposing vendors who gave short weight, repairmen who charged customers overly high prices, unauthorised tour groups that misled tourists in their advertisements and hailed him as a hero.
His fame reached such levels, that when he visited Dalian in northeastern China’s Liaoning province in November last year local authorities warned markets to pay special attention to business integrity.
Xiu Cai

When the account of Xiu Cai, an ordinary 39-year-old man with 12 million followers on Douyin, was shut down in September last year, it broke the hearts of his loyal fans who were mostly middle-aged and older women.
On the face of it, his videos were nothing special.
He slicks back his hair, occasionally covers his mouth, sticks out his tongue and lip-syncs old songs, but what young people considered his “greasy”, or somewhat sleazy, manner hit home with older women who grew up in a time when such a style was acceptable.
One 72-year-old admirer was so crazily in love with Xiu that she travelled 1,700km to meet him.
There has been no official explanation as to why his account was blocked, but media reports said he was under investigation for tax evasion.


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5 crazy antics like eating a shark, a staged kidnap, promoting beauty product with a grimace that saw online influencers go over the top in 2023

Crazy antics: the Post looks back at five times when China online influencers pushed the envelope too far and landed in hot water in 2023. Photo: SCMP Graphic

From eating a shark live on video to staging a kidnap and promoting a beauty product with a grimace, we list five crazy things China influencers did that landed them in hot water in 2023. Photo: SCMP Graphic

Influencer Er Lv was kicked off the Kuaishou platform after a police probe revealed he had staged his own kidnap for clicks. Photo: Sohu

Hong Lv Deng De Huang faced a backlash when she “tarnished” the image of a top fashion brand with her “crazy and vulgar” style. Photo: 163.com

It does not get much more crazy than eating a whole shark live on air, but that is exactly what influencer Ti Zi did. Photo: Douyin

Scales of justice: B Tai went out of his way to bring dishonest merchants to book across China by weighing their goods to see if customers were being cheated. Photo: Douyin

Lip sync singer was the darling of middle-aged and older women, but his style of delivery got him booted off Douyin. Photo: YouTube

China engineer in New Zealand boasts about ‘skiving off’ work during office hours, triggers official probe

A woman from China who works for a publicly-owned water company in New Zealand has provoked anger in both countries after she posted a video on mainland social media detailing how she skives off work regularly. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Weibo

The woman boasted in an online video that she enjoyed recreational activities while she should have been working. Photo: Weibo

An official investigation has been launched by the company after the woman bragged that she was leaving work at around 11:40am. Photo: Weibo

China influencer who takes box of rice to food tasting outlet accused of being greedy, taking advantage

A popular influencer in China has sparked a debate about greed online after he turned up at a wholesale food outlet with his own box of cooked rice and gorged on food samples until he was full. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu/Douyin

The hungry influencer scurried from food stall to food stall with his box of cooked rice, eating until he was satisfied. Photo: Baidu

While some people on mainland social media said he was not breaking any rules, others described his behaviour as greedy. Photo: Baidu

Gifted China PhD holder who went from Wall Street to slums sees light at end of tunnel after 16-year homeless hell in New York

A highly-educated man from China whose life in the United States spiralled out of control following a messy divorce, and who has been sleeping rough on the streets of New York for 16 years, could be on his way back to the mainland after his story went viral on social media. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Baidu 

Sun Weidong has been living on the streets of New York for 16 years after his previously successful life turned sour following a marriage break-up. Photo: Baidu 

The former Wall Street software engineer has been sleeping in internet cafes and subway stations, as well as on the street. Photo: Baidu 

Woman in China rushed to hospital after 2 years of regular ‘healthy’ TCM bloodletting treatments spark severe anaemia

A woman in China had to be rushed to hospital suffering from severe anaemia due to the long term effects of two year’s worth of traditional bloodletting and cupping treatments. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

Over the last six months, the woman stepped up her bloodletting sessions to once a week, which meant she was losing a significant amount of blood each month. Photo: Baidu

While some people on mainland social media criticised the woman for over-using the treatment, others accused traditional Chinese medicine clinics of exploiting the health fears of people. Photo: Baidu

China fans of Wong Kar-wai’s Blossoms Shanghai TV series spark demand for bespoke suits, food dishes that appear in hit show

Hong Kong film director Wong Kar-wai’s hugely popular new mainland TV series Blossoms Shanghai has sparked a spin-off business bonanza driven by fans eager to sample the lifestyle depicted in the show. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Weibo

Blossoms Shanghai’s main character Hu Ge’s sartorial choices have sparked a rush by fans to have clothes made just like his. Photo: Shanghai TV

Shanghai’s famous Peace Hotel on the Bund, a central setting in the TV series, is cashing in by offering Blossom Shanghai-themed meals, and has even renamed a suite after the show . Photo: Shutterstock

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Nutty online capers make China’s influencers most followed in world
Short video, live-streaming platforms go mainstream as form of expression


Out-there live-streaming events and short video platforms have taken over as mainstream vehicles for influencers in China, we look at five of the most madcap.


China society

5 crazy antics like eating a shark, a staged kidnap, promoting beauty product with a grimace that saw online influencers go over the top in 2023

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Nutty online capers make China’s influencers most followed in world Short video, live-streaming platforms go mainstream as form of expression

Nutty online capers make China’s influencers most followed in world

Short video, live-streaming platforms go mainstream as form of expression