Influencer Sanqiange (or Brother Three Thousand) has died after broadcasting live, Chinese version of Tik Tok, how and how many bottles he was able to drink of Chinese high-proof Baijiu liquor during a challenge with another influencer, Chinese state media reports , reports CNN.
Sanqiange’s death came hours after he drank Baijiu, a Chinese alcoholic drink 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-life surname Wang – had participated in an online challenge known as “PK” against another influencer in the early hours of May 16, and that he broadcast the results live. on his Douyin channel.
“PK” challenges consist of one-on-one battles in which influencers compete against each other to win rewards and gifts from viewers, and often involve punishment for the loser – apparently, in this case, drinking Baijiu.
“In the last part of the video, I saw him finish three bottles before starting with a fourth,” said the friend, identified as Zhao, after specifying that he did not know if Sanqiange had consumed alcohol before starting the live show.
“PK’s” challenge ended around 1 a.m. and twelve hours later his family found him dead, the friend added.
Zhao described Wang as a “decent and simple” person. He recalled that he had already recorded himself in other similar contests in which alcohol was consumed and had also published them on the application.
A video that appeared to show Wang participating in his latest challenge went viral on Chinese social media, but is no longer available for viewing.
In recent years, the rise of live streaming has spawned a multibillion-dollar industry in which entrepreneurial influencers compete to sell their wares in real time on social media, reports CNN.
Wang’s death is likely to add to the debate surrounding regulation of the industry, which has drawn the attention of authorities in recent years due to the lavish lifestyles of some “streamers” and the extravagant challenges in which participate.
Last year, the country’s broadcasting authorities banned people under 16 from tipping streamers and restricted their access after 10 p.m.
The China National Video and Television Administration and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism have also taken measures to ban “31 misconducts by live broadcasters.”
Among these misconduct are “encouraging users to interact in a vulgar way or inciting fans to attack with rumors,” according to the state media Global Times.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project