- China’s top influencer Li Jiaqi’s livestream was cut short after showing a tank-shaped cake.
- The incident occurred one day before the anniversary of the June 3, 1989 Tiananmen massacre.
- Lee blamed the sudden shutdown on a technical glitch, but there is speculation that he was censored.
Three months after that The show was abruptly cut short A day before the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, China’s top livestreamer has resurfaced online.
On June 3, Austin Li Jiaqi — also known as the Lipstick King — was showing off a plate of ice cream decorated with Oreo cookies and a chocolate stick, which when assembled looked like a military tank. This led to speculation that Lee was taken offline for displaying banned content at a sensitive time.
Lee attributed the sudden stop to a technical error, But he didn’t show up at a Live stream scheduled for June 5 and remained offline till the evening of September 20. The influencer has more than 64 million followers on Alibaba’s livestreaming platform.
The tank is an emotional symbol because one of the most iconic photos of the 1989 crackdown on defiance depicts a lone man, dubbed “Tank Man”, standing in front of a tank blocking his way. Even today, China censors regularly Reference to events.
Li’s return to Alibaba’s Taobao Live platform on Tuesday evening was met with enthusiasm, with 50 million viewers tuning in to watch in its second hour, according to SCMP. She makes products ranging from skincare to underwear, most of which are sold out according to media outlets. Lee even had to call for calm, telling his audience to “shop sensibly”, the SCMP said.
Li’s return to livestreaming will be a boost for e-commerce giant Alibaba in the run-up to Singles Day — China’s annual shopping extravaganza — on Nov. 11, said Jacob Cook, co-founder and CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, an e-commerce Consultant “His popular livestreams and associated discounts will be a big draw for Tmall as it faces a challenge from Douyin,” Cook told Insider. He was referring to Alibaba’s e-commerce platform and the Chinese version of TikTok, respectively.
The ecommerce giant has already lost another top livestreamer, Via, whose accounts went offline after a tax evasion scandal last year. Via, who was known for hosting a popular shopping stream on e-commerce platform Taobao, is still missing from work.
Lee did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment sent through his agency, Mion.
