Chinese mukbang influencer Yingying, whose real name was Chen Ziyi, has died at the age of 24.
The sudden death of the popular eating-content creator, who had more than 1.23 million followers during her lifetime, has prompted an outpouring of grief among Chinese netizens.
According to Chinese media outlets including Sohu on September 8 local time, Yingying’s parents announced their daughter’s death online on September 4. The obituary stated that Yingying was born on March 24, 2002, and died on August 17, 2026. It did not specify her exact cause of death.
Yingying uploaded a video just three days before her death, on August 14. At the time, she was hospitalized and explained why her livestreams and video updates had recently become less frequent. “After repeatedly eating so much, my potassium levels dropped, so I was hospitalized,” she said.
In the video, Yingying explained that her blood potassium level had fallen as low as 2.3 mmol/L and was 2.5 mmol/L when she arrived at the emergency room. After receiving potassium supplementation at the hospital, her level increased to 3.3 mmol/L. Local medical staff reportedly recommended that she undergo genetic testing at a major hospital in Beijing or Shanghai to determine the cause of her recurring low-potassium episodes.
Yingying also directly addressed the connection between her health problems and her mukbang activities. Describing the profession, she said, “It looks glamorous on the outside, but behind the scenes, you have to stay up all night and keep eating.” She admitted that her body had already been sending warning signs. “Making money is important, but your health should always come first,” she said, urging her followers to get enough rest and take good care of themselves.
The intensity of the eating challenges Yingying took on was also revealed. In videos recorded during her lifetime, she explained that she had to continuously eat food while hosting livestreams to promote products. During a previous livestream selling preserved eggs, also known as century eggs, she revealed that she had eaten 60 to 70 eggs in a single session. She was reportedly also required to consume large amounts of food while promoting other products.
The specific official cause of Yingying’s death has not been publicly disclosed. However, Chinese media outlets, citing sources, have reported that she had repeatedly experienced low potassium levels. They have raised the possibility that prolonged hypokalemia may have contributed to cardiac arrest, although this has not been officially confirmed.
News of Yingying’s death emerged just three days after her final video was posted, prompting an outpouring of condolences from Chinese netizens. In particular, the fact that she had expressed concern about her own health and urged viewers that “the body is the most important thing” in her final video has intensified concerns over the physical toll that mukbang content can take on creators.
Sources: Daum