Li Ziqi is back

A translation of her interview with Xinhua

This is a special mid-week post about a phenomenal figure in China’s contemporary culture.

To the great joy of her 20+ million followers, Li Ziqi, the super-star China-based YouTuber is finally back after a long 3-year hiatus marked by a legal dispute with her former agency.

Widely loved for her beautiful videos about rural China that transcend cultural boundaries, Ziqi returned with a new video about making a lacquered wardrobe for her beloved grandma, gaining 12 million views within a week:

Like many things Chinese, this video also carries a subtle pun.

“紫漆衣柜purple lacquer wardrobe”, whose pronunciation “Ziqi Yigui” can also stand for “子柒已归 Ziqi is back”.

Yes, Ziqi is so back.

Ziqi’s PR team also paired this re-appearance with a public explanation about her whereabouts and future plans, in an interview with state media Xinhua News Agency. Below is a translation of the interview, in case you are interested in knowing more about this globally phenomenal influencer from China.

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Interviewer: You haven't updated videos for about 3 years. Many fans who care about you must be wondering, what have you been busy with during these 3 years?

Li Ziqi: Sleeping, catching up on naps, making up for all those all-nighters I pulled editing videos in previous years. Actually, I spent more time with my grandmother. In previous years when I was filming and editing, she was the one taking care of me. She would often bring me food and heat up meals late at night. So in recent years when I had more time, I took her out to explore and see the world, and we tried some good food together. It's been quite nice. Also, I've had a major achievement in these 3 years - I visited over 20 provinces and met with more than 100 inheritors of intangible cultural heritage and cultural workers. I guess I've found my motivation and direction for moving forward.

Interviewer: People have been following your updates for the past 3 years. Why did you choose this particular time to suddenly update videos? Are you trying to convey any particular message?

Li Ziqi: The decision to update was actually only made about a month ago. Though I haven't been active online these 3 years and have been quietly doing my own things, I see news about my "comeback" every year. Originally, I wanted to wait until I had results from what I'm currently working on before meeting everyone again. But after seeing more comeback news recently, to avoid people worrying and speculating too much, I decided to just come out and tell everyone what I've been doing these 3 years and what I plan to do in the future, so people won't worry. As for the videos, I just edited and posted what I could in the month since deciding to update. It's fine, nothing particularly special about the timing.

Interviewer: So you satisfied everyone's years-long wish at once by showing many of your works. In these works, we noticed that besides your usual lifestyle series that people love, you focused more on the intangible cultural heritage works you mentioned earlier. Do you have a strong desire to express yourself in this area of intangible cultural heritage? Or is this, as you mentioned earlier, a direction you want to pursue in the future?

Li Ziqi: Actually, six or seven years ago, when I visited craftsmen, it was mainly to learn techniques. In recent years, with more time on my hands, I've had more opportunities to hear their stories and chat with them. After spending time with them, you discover that traditional culture for them isn't just some fancy label - it's more about the ordinary aspects of life.

I remember in 2018, I went to learn blue calico printing from Mr. Wang Zhenxing in Nantong, Jiangsu. He was 80 years old then, and his three children were all learning dyeing from him. When I was leaving, I asked if his grandchildren were learning it too. He said they were, but weren't doing it professionally. When I asked why, he said they needed to make a living first. But as traditional culture has gradually gained more appreciation and attention in recent years, when I visited them again this year, Wang was so happy to hold my hand and show me his newly dyed fabrics and new products - very fashionable and appealing to young people's taste. I asked if he had hired a designer, and he proudly told me, "No, these are designs my granddaughter is helping us with."

At that moment, I felt this was exactly the meaning of the innovative development of traditional culture. When these crafts can keep up with trends and market demands, when they can truly integrate into our daily lives, more people will want to learn these skills, creating a self-sustaining cycle and complete ecosystem for traditional culture inheritance. I've been thinking about what else I can do in this area, so I've been working on many traditional culture-related projects.

Interviewer: After encountering so many craftsmen and so many intangible heritage products, including the videos you've edited this time, do you have a favorite?

Li Ziqi: I actually like them all, but there is one that really stands out. It's the first video I posted - about lacquerware. That was truly a case of 'no pain, no gain.' Last spring, when I was preparing to make this video, I was bragging to my cameraman, saying "What if I turn out to be naturally gifted at lacquerwork?"

Little did I know that after my first time collecting lacquer and returning home, my face swelled up like a TV screen, and my whole body was covered in huge red welts. My cameraman and my assistant were also itching so badly they couldn't sleep, their skin was scabbing over and getting scratched open, raw, and bleeding. We finally couldn't take it anymore and went to the hospital as a group to get anti-allergy shots. We tried other methods too, like wearing protective suits, but in the height of summer, the sweat inside those suits - oh, it was mind-numbing. I thought the allergic reactions would pass if we endured it, but then my work failed.

The beauty of carved lacquer with hidden patterns is that under normal light it appears black, but when strong light shines on it, golden patterns appear. I chose to make it because I felt it perfectly represented something in Chinese people's character - appearing modest and humble on the outside but containing endless wonders within.

But in my piece, when I shined a flashlight on it during the final polishing, I found only gold lines with no pattern - my heart sank. Teacher Yin Liping had told me the carving would be the hardest part, but I never expected my biggest problem would come at the end. I ran to the bathroom with my phone and called Teacher Yin, crying. I broke down. I thought about how my team had suffered allergic reactions for months to help me make this piece, their bodies covered in scratches, never complaining once. The more I thought about it, the more upset I became, sobbing uncontrollably on the phone. But Teacher Yin was so kind - she didn't interrupt me, waiting until I finished crying before slowly telling me that allergic reactions were completely normal. She'd been working with lacquer for 50 years and still gets allergic reactions. As for failure, that's normal too - even experienced craftsmen fail sometimes if they're not familiar with the particular properties of the lacquer, let alone a large piece like mine. She finally said that failure leads to success, we must respect both failure and the craft itself.

So I sanded down the wood panel and spent another 3 months redoing all the steps. It was finished by the Chinese New Year. It worked out well as a New Year's gift for my grandmother. When she saw the final pattern revealed by strong light, she thought it was a loong. I said no, and she said "Then it's a dinosaur?" I said "No, it's a Qilin, 'When the Qilin looks back, all worries disappear.'"

She didn't know that I had specifically chosen a design of a backward-looking Qilin. There's a Chinese saying that "When the Qilin looks back, a hundred ailments disappear" - I just wanted her to be healthy.

Oh, and I especially love the final sequence of shots, where grandmother and I are by the window watching the heavy snow outside. While editing the video that day, I was grinning at the footage so I kept 8 seconds for that scene. I thought, how wonderful if moments like these could last longer and longer. I couldn't bring myself to cut it shorter. This is probably the longest shot I've ever kept in my videos. So this video brought out extreme emotions in me and left a really deep impression for me.

Interviewer: As a vlogger who became well-known through the internet, a lot can change in 3 years, and public tastes can quickly shift to other things. Were you worried about being forgotten, both your work and yourself?

Li Ziqi: Actually, by the end of 2022, when I had mostly sorted out my affairs, I thought about updating. But during that Spring Festival, I met a woman selling bean jelly who gave me a new perspective. At that time, I took my grandmother to visit Yuntai Temple in Mianyang, and when we got hungry, we ate bean jelly at the entrance. The vendor showed me her social media while chatting. She said she used her phone to film videos of her bean jelly for the internet, and people come from far away to buy her chili oil and eat her bean jelly.

At that moment, I realized something I had overlooked but had existed for a long time - the internet is really different from before, it's developed so fast. Look at the past thousands of years - when has there been a time like today when we can share our joys and sorrows, our talents and knowledge, reaching millions of people through the internet in a second? Even if you're just someone who makes authentic bean jelly. So this is truly an ideal era for telling the stories of our culture.

As for me, I've been making short videos for many years - it's what I'm best at. I'm 35 this year, and I had to choose between continuing what I've been doing or trying something new. I chose the latter. I believe that whether it's the internet, short videos, technology, or AI, they can all become ways for me to showcase my life and spread culture, so I want to keep moving forward and see if I can leave some new footprints. As for being forgotten, I don't think it's entirely a bad thing. Over the past 3 years, I've actually experienced being somewhat forgotten, but it gave me more time to think and do my own things. Without interruptions, I could focus without being pulled in different directions. But having web traffic is also a really good thing because I can use that attention to do more meaningful things. It's all good, really all good.

Interviewer: In the past few years, many new media content creators have emerged on the internet, and many "Li Ziqi-style" videos have appeared. Now that you've released your signature-style videos again, are you worried that people might not like your style anymore, that their tastes might have changed, or that your work might not be as unique anymore?

Li Ziqi: Let me tell you about something that happened in 2018. When I heard from a friend that there were only 2 people left who could actually master the wooden movable type printing of Dongyuan Village, I rushed to learn it. After returning, I spent a very long time compiling an article about the past and present of wooden movable type.

At that time, I really hoped these nearly disappearing, almost lost crafts could be seen by more people. And if more people were willing to learn about it, promote it, or even if parents would just tell it as a story to their children, I would find it extremely worthwhile.

So I organized and published how a single seal evolved through various dynasties into today's tiny movable type. Actually, when I was writing the final paragraph, I was crying at my computer. Because I wrote about something I'd seen elsewhere, describing how many traditional cultural elements are like elderly people who, after traversing the long river of history, constantly look back, hoping to find some value for themselves in an era that doesn't seem to need them anymore.

But today, because of more traditional craftspeople and those of us creating traditional culture-related media content, these elderly figures are truly being seen and loved. This is the result of society's collective participation - it would have been impossible with just me alone.

So does it matter anymore whether my work stands out? I don't think it does. Because it has already become a trend, and I actually hope more people will move along this trend. What I want to continue doing is to inject younger blood into these elderly figures through various means. I want to make them young again, to help them move forward with the times.

Interviewer: Ziqi just mentioned many of your future plans. Could you tell us more specifically what your work plans are following these video releases? In which direction do you plan to make your choices and career plans?

Li Ziqi: Right now, I'm mainly focusing on work related to the innovative development of traditional culture's ecosystem. This includes protecting craftspeople's intellectual property rights and building systems, as well as specifically addressing some practical issues I've encountered during my research over the past 2 years.

For example, I've found that these craftspeople's main issues are centered around the age gap - some craftspeople are quite elderly and far removed from the internet, so I came up with a solution to have older inheritors and young media creators help each other. Creators can teach the inheritors about the internet, like livestreaming and shooting short videos to showcase their work. Young designers can help provide more youth-oriented designs. The inheritors, in turn, can teach media creators their crafts and help review their content to avoid any errors. Things like that.

Interviewer: Are there any commercial considerations in your future plans?

Li Ziqi: Of course, there will definitely be such considerations, though I don't have very clear plans yet. I just want to continue doing what I love, and if it can be recognized and valuable, and even make money, that would be wonderful.

Interviewer: Now that you've updated so many videos, does this mean Ziqi's videos will regularly meet with everyone from now on, and won't suddenly stop updating?

Li Ziqi: It's not that I won't make videos anymore, because I still really enjoy sharing my life and meaningful traditional cultural things with everyone, but the timing might be more flexible - we'll have to wait until I finish the things I'm currently working on. I really can't help it because I can only do one thing at a time, otherwise, I can't do anything well, so I'll take it one step at a time.

Interviewer: Ziqi has shared so much today, and I believe many people will trust that you'll forge a new path of exploration from your honest communication. Could you say something more to the friends who care about you regarding what you're about to do?

Li Ziqi: Actually, this question has made me the most nervous today - I'm afraid I won't express myself well and won't be able to show people my truest emotions. First, I want to sincerely thank everyone for their support and attention over these 9 years. Many friends have witnessed my growth along the way. I used to have many flaws - I was insecure, timid, and even too shy to greet people when meeting them. But because of receiving so much unconditional love from you all, I've become more confident and realized that I am actually worthy of being loved. Because of you, I've gradually become a better version of myself. On the professional side, I went from being a novice who filmed with just a phone to becoming proficient and achieving some small successes. And now, I seem to have even higher goals. Though I'm not certain exactly how things will turn out in the future, I want to try my best. Because I firmly believe the path I've chosen is correct and meaningful. Thank you all, I miss you.