BEIJING, Nov 15 — Li Ziqi, one of China’s favourite influencers, made a surprise comeback on Tuesday afternoon after taking a break from posting for more than three years.

She dropped two new videos across platforms like Douyin, Sina Weibo, and YouTube, showing off her skills as she transformed a shed into a cosy woodland cloakroom and crafting wardrobe doors using traditional Chinese lacquerware techniques.

As reported by China Daily, although Li has not shared anything since July 14, 2021, her fanbase continued to grow, with followers eagerly asking for new content during her break. Some fans wondered if she had quit posting altogether.

However, after her new videos went up, her follower count shot up to more than 26.67 million on Sina Weibo and 50.15 million on Douyin in no time.

According to China Daily, her return quickly became the number one trending topic online, and by 10am Wednesday, her lacquerware video had racked up 120 million views on Sina Weibo, along with over 1.94 million interactions — likes, shares, and comments.

Fans flooded her comment section, excited to see her back.

The paper quoted Li as saying: "There is no time for me to write a small essay today. I will make it up to you when I am not that busy. Miss you!”

The influencer started posting her signature rural life videos on Sina Weibo back in 2016, showcasing everything from traditional cooking and farming to cultural crafts like ink-making and clothing design. She became a huge hit, and in 2020, she set a Guinness World Record for the most subscribers on a Chinese-language YouTube channel, with 11.4 million followers at the time.