Austin Li Jiaqi is really good at selling on the internet. This influencer in China once sold 15 thousand lipsticks in just 5 minutes, so he was dubbed the King of Lipsticks. But suddenly, he had been missing for a long time before recently appearing again. What is it?
Austin Li has 64 million followers on Taobao, Alibaba's online store that describes how popular he is. Well, last June, Austin suddenly stopped broadcasting on the internet, moments before the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstration.
Well, before disappearing, Austin had time to show an ice cream that looks similar to a tank. Netizens also think the Chinese government is angry because the tank symbol is sensitive to the events in Tiananmen.
The 30-year-old youth suddenly returned live. Even without an announcement, fans immediately witnessed it. Within two hours of viewing, as many as 63 million viewers watched it.
The goods he was promoting were selling well, selling for USD 18 million. However, Austin did not explain why he suddenly disappeared for about 3 months.
The influencer only focuses on selling including cosmetics, skincare products and clothing. One of the most sold is facial cream, selling 50 thousand pieces with a value of USD 1.75 million.
The fans immediately greeted him enthusiastically. Because of the large number of sales, Austin's items sold out quickly, so the duration of the live broadcast was shorter than usual.
"Today, items were prepared in a hurry and many girls couldn't get them. How about we end it and will return to broadcast when we have enough stuff. See you tomorrow," he said when ending the show.
Austin Li isn't the only high-profile influencer to disappear in China. Viya, who is known as the top female influencer there, has not even appeared since December 2021. The government fined her USD 210 million for accusations of tax evasion.