A well-known Chinese ‘influencer’, identified by the nickname Zhongyuanhuangge, died last week during a live internet broadcast in which he drank a liter of rice brandy (‘baijiu’) in 20 seconds, the local press reported.
The death of the 26-year-old man, who lived in central Henan province and whose account was closed, took place on June 2, according to Chinese media.
Zhongyuanhuangge’s broadcasts were popularized by the extreme activities he performed, such as opening a coconut with his bare hands or eating copious amounts of dried chili peppers.
In one of the videos of him drinking a bottle of “baijiu” in one gulp, the young man lit the liquid on fire to demonstrate the high alcohol content of the traditional Chinese brandy, which reaches more than 60 percent.
Chinese authorities published a new online broadcast regulation last September that requires live events to be broadcast on a delay in order to monitor commentary.
A few months earlier, regulators issued a code of conduct listing 31 “bad habits” that “influencers” must avoid, including defaming the country’s culture, historical figures or national heroes, and urging them to avoid promoting topics considered sensitive considered to be avoided.
Source: DN
