‘Money is more important than life’: Chinese influencer, 26, obsessed with boosting blog traffic, dies after alcohol-fuelled live stream
- Influencer from central China is second blogger to die in a month after live-streaming extreme drinking sessions
- Last year, in a bid to stop potentially deadly antics, Chinese government issued a strict code of conduct for online behaviour
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Published: 6:00pm, 10 Jun, 2023
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A desperate-for-traffic Chinese blogger has died after downing two bottles of strong liquor during a live-streamed drinking contest, reigniting debate on mainland social media. Photo: SCMP composite/QQ.com
An influencer in China who was desperate to drive traffic to his blog has died after downing two bottles of strong Chinese liquor in quick succession during a live-streamed drinking contest.
The booze-fuelled live stream which took the life of a 26-year-old online personality known as “Zhongyuanhuangge” has gripped mainland social media.
His death follows that of another influencer known as “Sanqiange” who passed away last month after drinking four bottles of the same type of liquor during a live stream.
In a grim foreshadowing of his own demise, “Zhongyuanhuangge” attended the funeral of “Sanqiange” at which he vowed to drink less, according to a report in Southern Metropolis Daily.
The latest influencer to die came from Henan province in central China and had more than 170,000 followers on his short-video platform.
The influencer, who was desperate to pay off his debts, was found unconscious on the floor. Photo: QQ.com
He had shared more than 30 videos including eye-catching stunts such as eating raw chilli peppers and opening coconuts and durians with his bare hands.
Video of the drinking contest shows him igniting a tissue soaked in alcohol before quickly consuming half a bottle of the liquor. He then eats some green onions, finishes off the bottle, opens a second and continues drinking.
It is understood that he had finished two full bottles while the live stream was running on his phone before being discovered unconscious on the floor.
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The tragedy has highlighted the lengths to which people will go to earn money online.
His wife told Jimu News: “He wanted to earn money by live streaming to repay the hundreds of thousands of yuan he had in debt. After we got married we worked tirelessly to earn a living.”
Writing on the wall: his live-streaming room was festooned with quotes about money and death. Photo QQ.com
The spectre of money and death was also present in the backdrop of his live-streaming room in which the famous Chinese proverb: “People die for wealth, birds die for food” could be seen.
Also visible were the phrases: “Money is more important than life. Living without money is worse than death” and “I don’t eat or drink, but I just need money.”
However, his wife said he was a kind and responsible person and had showered her and their son with love.
Due to a lack of expertise in product selection and concerns about fake items, “Zhongyuanhuangge” shunned selling products during live streams, leaving online observers perplexed.
“If he didn’t utilise the traffic to sell products then why would he devastate his own health like this?” one person asked.
Others expressed sorrow and understanding over his death. “The overall environment and the pressure to survive drives such behaviour. Life is short and we should value what we have, such as our health.”
In recent years, the Chinese government has taken steps to combat such extreme online behaviour.
The 2022 “Code of Conduct for Online Presenters” prohibits hosts from displaying content, such as self-mutilation, violence and gore, high-risk actions, as well as smoking or heavy drinking.
