Chinese influencer, 27, dies after he livestreams drinking binge

Alcohol consumption has been on the rise in China in recent years. (Representational image)

A Chinese social media influencer died last week after taking up an online challenge of live-streaming a binge-drinking session, in the second similar case coming from the country. The content creator, known online as Zhong Yuan Huang Ge or Brother Huang, died from excessive consumption of alcohol, his wife told Chinese media outlet Jimu News, The Strait Times reported. He was 27.

Huang took up the challenge in desperation, to earn money to pay off the debts that he had accrued before he got married, the wife told the news outlet.

The young influencer was from China’s Central Plains.

In another video, Huang reportedly lit a piece of tissue paper soaked in alcohol, gulped down half a bottle of Chinese liquor baijiu, ate a few scallions and emptied the rest of the bottle before he opened another bottle, according to The Strait Times report.

His social media account has now been banned.

On May 16, another Chinese influencer, whose surname was Wang, was found dead after he downed four bottles of baijiu in an online challenge. He was known on social media as “Sanqiange” or “Brother Three Thousand”.

Baijiu is a potent liquor with a 30 to 60 per cent alcohol content.

Incidentally, Huang was reportedly a friend of Wang and had attended his funeral just a few weeks ago.

Alcohol consumption has been on the rise in China in recent years. A study by researchers at Peking University found that eight per cent of men are “problem drinkers”, especially economically backward people from rural areas, South China Morning Post had reported.