Popular Chinese influencer Li Ziqi returns after 3-year hiatus

The sudden reappearance of popular Chinese influencer Li Ziqi after a three-year hiatus has sent fans into a frenzy. Li, who gained attention and fame for her relaxing videos showing her handicraft and food preparation videos, started posting on social media platforms on Tuesday (Nov 12).
Her first video of the batch showed her utilising traditional lacquerware techniques to give new life to her grandmother’s wardrobe. Another video showed her transforming a shed into a forest-themed closet.
Li’s new videos have since received tens of millions of views across multiple social media platforms, such as YouTube, Sina Weibo and Douyin, with fans praising the production quality of the videos and their aesthetic appeal.
The 34-year-old stepped away from the limelight in 2021 after reportedly being in a legal battle with her business partners. Speaking to China Central Television in October 2021, Li said that she wanted to protect her brand name and did not want it to become over-commercialised.
Following her return, Li sat down for an interview with China’s Xinhua News Agency where she said that she had been catching up on sleep and spending more time with her grandmother for the past three years.
Discussing the reason for her return, Li said: “Actually, [the return date] was decided more than a month ago…In order to avoid too much worry and speculation [about my status and comeback], I decided to come out and tell everyone what I’ve been doing for the past three years and what I will do in the future.”
She also revealed that she and her team suffered allergic reactions from filming the lacquerware video and had to go to the hospital for anti-allergy injections.
When asked if she will continue with more video updates, Li replied: “It’s not that I won’t shoot videos in the future – because I still enjoy sharing some of my life and meaningful cultural things with everyone. However, the timing may be more flexible and I have to wait until I finish the things in my hands before I can say for sure.”