Chinese extreme-eating influencer dies at 24 after reporting dangerously low potassium
Chinese eating-stream influencer Chen Ziyi, known online as Yingying, died aged 24 on 17 August, three days after telling followers from a hospital bed that she had dangerously low potassium levels. In her final video, Yingying said repeated bouts of eating large quantities of food for livestream sales, along with long-term self-induced vomiting, had contributed […] The post Chinese…
Chen Ziyi, a Chinese extreme-eating influencer also known as Yingying, passed away at the age of 24 on August 17. She had been reporting dangerously low potassium levels in her hospital bed three days before her death. In a final video, she attributed her condition to repeatedly consuming large quantities of food during livestreams and engaging in self-induced vomiting.
Her parents announced her death on social media on September 4. Yingying had over a million followers and primarily broadcast on Kuaishou, a Chinese short-video platform, alongside an account on Douyin. The cause of her death was suspected to be cardiac arrest resulting from low potassium levels. Yingying's final video, posted on August 14, revealed that her blood potassium had dropped to 2.3 mmol/L, well below the normal range of 3.5 to 5.5 mmol/L.
She emphasized that while money was important, health should always come first. Livestream sales placed heavy demands on her body, with one broadcast involving 60 to 70 century eggs. Dr. Cai Qichen, a general medicine doctor, explained that while consuming large amounts of food alone doesn't directly cause severe potassium loss, inducing vomiting and using laxatives, practices some creators use to maintain their weight, are the greater risks.
Severely low potassium, or hypokalaemia, can affect heart rhythm and become life-threatening. Despite this, Yingying's specific cause of death remains unverified. Mukbang content, popularised in South Korea, typically involves creators eating while livestreaming or recording, often promoting products and selling items. Previous cases include Paopao Long, who died of heart failure after reaching 160kg, Wenwei Ge, who continued intensive eating streams while receiving kidney dialysis, and Sanqian Ge, an alcohol-stream creator who died after drinking four bottles of baijiu during a livestream challenge.
China has introduced regulations to curb extreme eating content through its Anti-Food Waste Law, adopted in 2021, and guidelines for online livestreamers in 2022. However, some creators evade enforcement by presenting large meals as product tastings, streaming late at night, or adding disclaimers. The Paper argues for platforms to change recommendation algorithms and remove commercial incentives for dangerous eating content.
Yingying's death has reignited discussions in China about the pressure behind extreme mukbang content, where attention, advertising, and livestream sales can reward creators for increasingly dangerous performances, described by The Paper as "traffic Devouring people."
Written by urgent.news from Khaosod English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
