Hong Kong CNN –
A social media influencer has died shortly after live-streaming on the Chinese version of TikTok while drinking several bottles of strong alcohol, according to state media in the country.
Influencer “Sanqiange” (or “Brother Three Thousand”) was found dead just hours after reporting on his participation in a competition with another influencer. It was about drinking Baijiu, a Chinese spirit with a typical alcohol content of between 30 and 60%. , Shangyou News reported.
One of his friends told the outlet that Sanqiange — identified by his real last name, Wang — took part in an online challenge dubbed “PK” against another influencer in the early hours of May 16 and streamed the results live on his device to Douyin- Channel.
“PK” Challenges are one-on-one battles where influencers compete to win rewards and gifts from viewers. Often there are also penalties for the loser – in this case apparently drinking Baijiu.
“I don’t know how much he drank before I tuned in. But in the last part of the video, I saw him finish three bottles before starting a fourth,” the friend, identified only as Zhao, told Shangyou News.
“The PK games ended around 1am and by 1pm (when his family found him) he was gone,” he added.
Wang, described by Zhao as a “decent and easy-going” person, had filmed participation in similar alcohol-related competitions in the past and posted them on the app.
A video that appeared to show Wang in his final challenge went viral on Chinese social media but can no longer be viewed.
The country’s booming live-streaming scene has spawned a multi-billion dollar industry in recent years, in which entrepreneurial influencers compete to sell their products in real-time on social media platforms.
Wang’s death is likely to spark a debate over the regulation of the industry, which has drawn the attention of authorities in recent years due to the lavish lifestyles of some streamers and the unusual challenges they partake in.
Last year, the country’s broadcasting authorities banned youth under 16 from tipping streamers and restricted their access after 10 p.m
China’s National Video and Television Administration and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism have also decided to ban “31 wrongdoings of live streamers.”
According to the state-run media company Global Times, such misconduct includes “encouraging users to engage in vulgar interactions or inciting fans to engage in rumor attacks.”