Li Zi Qi: Chinese Food Vlogger

This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to kick back, relax, and fully dive down the Youtube rabbit hole I’ve unfortunately had to avoid during the school year. During my web surfing adventures, I came across an awe-inspiring, beautiful channel run by 李子柒 (Lǐzǐ qī), a Chinese food blogger, seamstress, craftswoman, and traditional Chinese lifestyle vlogger. Her YouTube channel alone has reached over 5 million subscribers, with her videos consistently gathering millions of views. Even then, her Weibo (Chinese Twitter) channel boasts over 16 million subscribers.

Li zi qi cutting bamboo to make different types of furniture

Who is Li zi qi?

Li zi qi was born in 1990 in a remote mountain village located in northwest Sichuan, China. Unfortunately, her parents divorced when she was young and her father passed away a few years later. Afterward, she moved in with her grandparents. Her grandfather, who was the village cook, taught her many recipes and skills such as basket weaving, carpentry, and farming. In the future, these skills would become essential to her career and livelihood.

At the age of 14, Li zi qi dropped out of school and tried to support herself by working in the city. She struggled, starving and sleeping in a cave under a bridge. Her various jobs included working as a waitress, an electrician, a salesperson in a Hanfu shop, and even a DJ in a nightclub. During this time, she also learned to edit and produce videos.

In 2012, she decided to return home to take care of her grandmother, who had fallen ill. She worked as a farmer, opening a shop on Taobao to sell a share of her crops. In 2015, she realized that her brother had found some success uploading short videos on MeiPai. Thinking that she could further promote her shop, she began posting cooking videos that highlighted the traditional Chinese method of preparation. Despite an initial lack of public reaction, she reached internet fame when food critics took notice of her videos, which consequently went viral.

Since then, Li Zi Qi has been commended for her influence in preserving and spreading awareness of the traditional Chinese culture. Today, she works with a two-person filming team to continue creating videos and even has her own online shop.

What are her videos about?

Overall, her videos have a simple, beautiful aesthetic and entrance modern viewers with a natural lifestyle they can only wish to lead. Fans of Li zi qi have praised her ability to seemingly accomplish anything. From making some of the Hanfu-style clothes she regularly appears in, cooking authentic Chinese dishes (creating traditional Sichuan noodles took her three months to learn), and making a brush and ink set, she’s shown clear skill in all. And, this is while she also cares for her grandmother and runs her farm.

Below are a few examples from her videos. Click on the images to watch its video!