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Alice Yan

Renowned China influencer Li Ziqi who practically disappeared from the internet for more than 1,000 days has made a strong comeback by releasing three video clips about Chinese culture, delighting her fans both at home and abroad.
Li has a huge fan base around the world thanks to her previous videos which depicted poetic and pastoral countryside life.
She stopped uploading clips in 2021 as she was embroiled in a legal dispute with her agent.
Li only made a public appearance once in September last year when she briefly talked to a mainland media outlet saying that she planned to produce more quality content and to tell Chinese farming culture and rural stories.
On November 12, her fans were jubilant to find that Li had shared two videos on several top social media platforms.

One of them was about making lacquered furniture and the other about using bamboo to turn a woodshed into a forest-themed clothes closet.
Lacquer is a traditional Chinese art dating back thousands of years.
In the first video, Li is seen climbing onto a high lacquer tree to cut its bark and collect the latex.
She then follows traditional procedures to process the raw lacquer liquid before brushing it in multiple layers on an old wardrobe belonging to her grandmother.
Drawing a qilin, an auspicious animal in Chinese mythology, on the wardrobe’s door, Li said in the video: “I send good wishes to everyone who sees this clip. I miss you so much.”

While this craftwork video has been viewed 140 million times, receiving 1.86 million likes on one platform, her second clip of the bamboo closet has been liked by 4.8 million people online.
“Many years ago, I hoped to have my own cloakroom. I wished it to be located in a forest and surrounded by flowers. I imagined myself lying on the sofa and looking at the stars,” Li captioned the closet video.
The next day, on November 13, Li cheered her followers with more footage showing her make a boobtube dress from Shu brocade, a folk art native of southwestern China’s Sichuan province.
She also made some hair decorations with silk thread she harvested from silkworm cocoons after raising the worms by herself.
The thriving career of the 34-year-old vlogger, who hails from southwestern China’s Sichuan province, began in 2015 when she shared picturesque videos of growing crops, preparing food ingredients and cooking.
Internet users have also been intrigued by her exceptional handcrafts in inheriting intangible cultural heritage of China, such as letterpress printing, plant dying and well salt making.
Li halted sharing new contents in the mid-2021 as she and her agent Hangzhou Weinian Brand Management sued and counter-sued each other.
The reason for their dispute has not been released. The two parties reached a settlement at the end of 2022.
During the period of her absence from social media, Li visited 100 artists of intangible cultural heritage across China to learn their skills and “hear their stories”, reported the news website The Cover.

She developed serious allergies when dealing with lacquer work at first, the report said.
Li, who was born Li Jiajia, has changed her name on her identity card to Li Ziqi, in an apparent effort to avoid any potential intellectual property conflict.
Her resurgence online immediately triggered an avalanche of comments.
“We miss you a lot Li Ziqi. Love from India,” said one online observer.
While another person said: “The most awaited comeback in YouTube history ever. Lots of love to you and grandma.”
“Many influencers imitate you, but none can excel you. This is the return of the queen,” wrote another.


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Popular influencer in China, Li Ziqi, has made a surprise online comeback after a self-imposed period of exile. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/YouTube

Top China influencer Li Ziqi displays her skills at making lacquered furniture. Photo: Weibo

Comeback KOL Li Ziqi carefully paints a golden pattern in serene surroundings. Photo: Weibo

The influencer’s comeback also includes videos showcasing her weaving skills. Photo: Weibo

Hollywood star Rosamund Pike has professed her deep affection for Chinese language and culture. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Wikipedia/bridge.chinese.cn


Pike’s son, You Zijun, has been crowned a global champion for his proficiency in Chinese. Photo: Instagram/chinesebridge2002

Hollywood star Pike has gained respect and support from Chinese people around the world. Photo: Instagram/chinesebridge2002

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Kita, above, has nuts and ramen for breakfast, eats the same lunch and dinner daily, and takes regular nutritional supplements. Photo: QQ.com

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The supermarket made a compensation offer but the mother rejected it. Photo: guancha.cn

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In 1995, Hsu moved to Japan, where she achieved significant fame after releasing a nude photobook titled, Venus, in 1996. Photo: Applause Entertainment Limited

Hsu shared her cancer journey to highlight the importance of regular health check-ups and encourage others in similar situations. Photo: Getty Images

News

People & Culture

China Personalities

Hugely popular online influencer emerges from self-imposed internet exile to wow her massive army of followers


Hugely popular online influencer emerges from self-imposed internet exile to wow her massive army of followers.


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