Chinese content creator Chen Ziyi dies at 24

Chinese content creator Chen Ziyi, known online as Ganfan Yingying, has died at age 24 following a cardiac arrest. Her death is suspected to be linked to hypokalemia, a condition involving critically low potassium levels in the blood.

Ziyi was a mukbang creator, a video format involving the consumption of large quantities of food. In her final video, recorded while hospitalized, she revealed a pattern of binge eating and admitted to inducing vomiting after recordings to manage her weight. Her diet frequently included seafood, fried foods, spicy noodles, and large quantities of sweets; in one instance, she reported consuming between 60 and 70 preserved eggs.

Ziyi claimed that digital commerce platforms pressured influencers to consume excessive amounts of food to drive sales. While the mukbang trend originated in South Korea, the Chinese government has implemented regulations to curb the practice, including the 2021 Food Waste Law and a 2022 code of conduct for streamers that prohibits compulsive eating and induced vomiting during live broadcasts.