He’s Back!
On 6/7/22 we noted that Austin Li Jiaqi, aka the ‘Lipstick King’, an unbelievably popular influencer in China saw his broadcast on Taobao Live go blank after he brought out a plate of Viennetta ice cream with Oreos and chocolate, which some say looked like a military tank. While Austin noted in a post that there had been some technical difficulties, he did not appear two days later for his next show and has disappeared for over three months. There has been considerable speculation on Chinese social media concerning the reason for the cancelled broadcast and his disappearance, with the most popular explanation being that the ice cream looked too much like a reference to Tiananmen Square, a topic that is forbidden in any form.
It seems that with little fanfare the Lipstick King returned to his live streaming platform on Tuesday at 7PM, showing a variety of cosmetics, skincare products, and underwear. According to media statistics, the show began with ~100,000 viewers but an hour later was topping 25m, with over 50m by 9PM. Given his high profile and his disappearance, most of the products he was hawking sold out immediately causing him to ask for both buyers and sellers to remain calm, asking viewers not to buy just to support his program but only if the product is needed, an unusual statement for an influencer.
All of that said, he was not the only high-level influencer to disappear since last year when the Chinese government began investigations into ‘non-state’ influencers, citing potential irregularities in content and taxation. China’s most bankable influencer Viya, disappeared after she was handed a $201m fine for tax evasion last December and has yet to reappear. Who says being an influencer is an easy job!
It seems that with little fanfare the Lipstick King returned to his live streaming platform on Tuesday at 7PM, showing a variety of cosmetics, skincare products, and underwear. According to media statistics, the show began with ~100,000 viewers but an hour later was topping 25m, with over 50m by 9PM. Given his high profile and his disappearance, most of the products he was hawking sold out immediately causing him to ask for both buyers and sellers to remain calm, asking viewers not to buy just to support his program but only if the product is needed, an unusual statement for an influencer.
All of that said, he was not the only high-level influencer to disappear since last year when the Chinese government began investigations into ‘non-state’ influencers, citing potential irregularities in content and taxation. China’s most bankable influencer Viya, disappeared after she was handed a $201m fine for tax evasion last December and has yet to reappear. Who says being an influencer is an easy job!
The Lipstick King at Work - Source: SCMP/VCG/Getty Images
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