Influencer faces backlash during YouTuber IShowSpeed's China tour
Li Meiyue, a popular Chinese-American-Vietnamese influencer known for his street interviews and flashy Chinese-style outfits, is facing intense online criticism after joining American YouTuber iShowSpeed on the Beijing leg of his China tour.
One of Li's videos shows him wearing his iconic floral outfit.
The controversy stems from several awkward, and at times deemed offensive, translations during Speed's livestreams in Beijing. Some netizens accused Li of being disrespectful toward Chinese fans and women, and even damaging China's image internationally.
Li Meiyue and Speed in Beijing.
So, what exactly happened?
During one stream, Li told Speed: "Your fans are scary, they're screaming like animals, they're not normal." The remark shocked many. Speed frowned and fired back: "What's scary? No one's acting crazy. You are not normal."
Later, in a car ride, Li jokingly asked if Speed wanted a "chick in China," a comment that sparked a major backlash from Chinese netizens, who found it disrespectful toward Chinese women.
Speed, to his credit, immediately shut the suggestion down with a firm "No."
At one point, in a Beijing barbershop, things got even messier. When Speed asked if his dreadlocks could be cut, the barber simply replied it would be "not be easy."
But Li translated the response as: "They think your hair is too raggedy and don't want to cut it," adding fuel to the fire.
A barber says Speed's hair won't be easy to cut. Li translates it as "they don't think they could cut it because your hair is too...raggedy."
Many accused Li of deliberate mistranslations to embarrass Speed and tarnishing the image of Chinese people. Calls of "disrespecting Chinese women," "biting the hand that feeds you," and "being a disgrace" flooded social media.
On April 1, Li issued a public apology, claiming that some netizens had twisted his intentions. "I've always worked to promote Chinese culture globally," he said. "I never meant to harm China's image."
Li posted a 7-minute apology video to his Douyin account on Tuesday.
He admitted his attempts to add a bit of playful, teasing humor may have backfired. "If anyone felt uncomfortable, I sincerely apologize and will be more mindful in the future," he said.
But the damage seems to have been done. According to third-party data, he has lost over 180,000 followers in the past week alone. As of 10am on April 3, his follower count had dropped from 7.7 million to 7.5 million.
Li Meiyue's Douyin page shows his follower count dropped from 7.7 million to 7.5 million.
