Li Ziqi is back! What has the Chinese influencer been doing in the past years ?

Published : 2024-11-13

Li Ziqi's new video focuses on Intangible Cultural Heritage

Li Ziqi's first new video features China's intangible cultural heritage "lacquer art." She takes the opportunity to restore an old wardrobe for her grandmother, presenting the "carved lacquer" technique in Chengdu's lacquer art in depth and painting on the cabinet door a golden qilin (麒麟), a Chinese mythical creature, frequently translated as "Chinese unicorn".

Li Ziqi named this meticulously crafted lacquerware "Zi Qi Dong Lai" (紫氣東來, the coming auspiciousness). The production time spanned from the beginning of summer to winter, taking more than six months.

What cannot be missed is that, according to Mainland China media, Li Ziqi and her team experienced lacquer allergies during the production process, with some breaking out in rashes. It even affected filming at one point, but Li persisted the work.

Additionally, the "carved lacquer" technique is extremely complicated, and it almost made Li Ziqi give up.

In the video description, Li Ziqi stated, "This lacquer video is four years late.​ The Chinese pronunciation of lacquer is the same as "qi",​ I named this lacquerware hidden flowers "Zi Qi Dong Lai (the coming auspiciousness)",​ Kylin looks back and wipes away all the sorrow.​ I send this wish to everyone who sees the video, I miss you very much."

As for the other new video, it is relatively "simple." Li Ziqi uses bamboo to build a walk-in closet.

"I've always wanted to have a cloakroom of my own for many years, located in the forest, surrounded by flowers, where I could lie on the sofa in it and watch the stars."

Why was Li Ziqi’s YouTube channel forced to stop?

Some Mainland China media, citing informed sources, revealed that in the years when she was not publishing new videos, Li Ziqi was not idle though. She went out over a hundred times, continuously visiting inheritors of Chinese intangible cultural heritage.

She kept talking to them, learning their skills, researching deeply into folk culture, delving into the stories and historical contexts behind the crafts.

"For Li Ziqi, disappearing from the internet was a form of secluded cultivation." Informants also said that Li Ziqi will continue to update in the future.

Regarding netizens' enthusiastic welcome for her return, Li Ziqi also interacted by leaving comments. She confirmed that she has a lot of "stock", "Just wait a bit more, I'm still editing!"

She also mentioned that she would explain the events of these years in the coming days, "I don't have time to write a long message today! I'll update everyone in a few days after I'm done with the current tasks!"

Read more: Interview with Li Ziqi: Returning with unwavering passion

Public information shows that Li Ziqi, whose original name is Li Jiajia (李佳佳), now changed to Li Ziqi (李子柒), was born in the post-90s generation. She is from Mianyang, Sichuan Province in west China.

Li Ziqi became an internet sensation in 2016 with her video on making Lanzhou beef noodles. Subsequently, she established her own team in 2017 and created a large amount of videos promoting traditional Chinese culture.

Li Ziqi is not only popular domestically but her fame has also spread overseas. Li Ziqi's YouTube channel is the most subscribed Chinese channel, with over 20 million subscribers and 3.2 billion views in total.

Unfortunately, in 2021, Li Ziqi had a commercial dispute with her agency company, forcing her to halt work. It was not until the end of 2022 that both parties reached a settlement.

After that, Li gradually reclaimed the brand "Li Ziqi" that had been pre-emptively registered, and she also registered many new trademarks herself.

Li Ziqi reappeared in public on September 15, 2023, when she announced that she would continue to create high-quality content to promote Chinese rural culture.

Read more: Double-sided Shu Embroidery: Li Ziqi spent a year making one garment