One of China’s biggest social media stars Li Ziqi returned after a three-year hiatus by releasing two new videos on YouTube and Chinese social media platforms. She had stopped posting after a dispute with her former company.
Li is one of most well known influencers in China, and once held the Guinness World Record for the most subscribers to a Chinese-language YouTube channel. Before halting her media work, she had nearly 50 million followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. Her YouTube channel, now with 20.1 million subscribers, features life in rural China where she creates handicrafts and cooks for herself and her grandmother. Since July 2021, Li was silent on all social media platforms. In the same year, it was revealed that Li had been involved in a trademark and revenue dispute with Weinian, her former company, which led to a suspension of her work and break from posting. The dispute, which lasted nearly two years, was resolved at the end of 2022. Li has since regained control of the “Li Ziqi” brand, which had been registered by Weinian.
Following the release of her new videos, the hashtag “#李子柒回归#“(Li Ziqi’s Return) topped trending topics on Chinese social media. On YouTube, the videos garnered 5 million views within 24 hours, despite her three-year absence. Li’s YouTube following remains strong, with over 20 million subscribers.