A Chinese food influencer known as Yingying, also called Okok, whose real name is Chen Ziyi, has died at age 24. She had more than 1 million followers. Her death drew added sympathy after it emerged that her final video, posted three days before she died, stressed the importance of health.
According to Shaanxi TV News and other Chinese media Tuesday, Yingying's parents announced via social media on Friday that their daughter died Aug. 17.
Yingying's Kuaishou account no longer appears in search results, and all of her previously posted content has disappeared. The account had more than 1.2 million followers.
In her last video, posted Aug. 14, Yingying revealed that she had recently experienced health problems. In a livestream a few days earlier, she said she had been hospitalized with hypokalemia after continuing to eat, adding that her blood potassium level had dropped to 2.3 mmol/L at the time.
She said her recurring hypokalemia was related to her work as a food influencer, and urged her fans, "Making money is important, but health should always come first."
But Yingying died just three days later, on Aug. 17.
Chinese media said Yingying's case has raised concerns about mukbang influencers repeatedly overeating to drive traffic.
While she was alive, Yingying said broadcasts by mukbang influencers differ from typical livestreams, requiring hosts to eat constantly to keep viewers engaged. She reportedly said that during livestreams selling eggs, she had to eat 60 to 70 eggs at a time.
In China, cases of mukbang influencers suffering health problems from prolonged overeating or extreme dieting have continued to emerge.
In March 2021, food influencer Paopaolong died at age 29. Doctors at the time cited prolonged overeating as a major factor in the deterioration of his health.
In 2020, a 30-year-old male livestreamer in Shenyang died of a sudden brain hemorrhage after gaining 36 kilograms over six months of mukbang broadcasts.
bbo@heraldcorp.com
