Chinese social media influencer Jiang Xiaorou died in a Guangzhou hospital on Aug. 10 after suffering critical injuries in a July car crash. She was 24.
A statement posted to Jiang’s Douyin account on Aug. 11 confirmed her death and thanked the public for its concern. Signed by a relative identified as Mr. Liu, the message asked people to stop circulating unverified claims about Jiang and her family.
“We understand everyone’s concern for her and are also grateful for the condolences and blessings sent by many online users,” the statement said. “However, some recent unverified discussions, speculation, and reposting have caused considerable distress and pain to her family and friends.”
It added: “Now that she has passed, we hope she can leave peacefully and no longer be disturbed.”
The statement urged the public to “respect the facts,” refrain from sharing unverified or private information, and stop engaging in excessive speculation about her or her relatives.
It did not provide details about the crash or Jiang’s medical treatment.
Jiang, whose real name was Li Xiuting, created videos about paranormal investigations, visits to abandoned buildings, and attempts to challenge or disprove traditional superstitions, according to The Epoch Times.
A screenshot of her Douyin profile showed that she had approximately 1.51 million followers as of Aug. 13. Douyin is a short-form video platform owned by ByteDance and is the Chinese counterpart to TikTok.
Jiang was traveling to Guangzhou during the early hours of July 15 when she was involved in a serious crash, The Epoch Times reported. She was taken to Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.
Medical information cited by the outlet indicated that Jiang sustained multiple traumatic injuries, including severe brain damage, trauma-related blood-clotting problems, and damage to multiple organs. She was placed on a ventilator and remained in intensive care while undergoing treatment for nearly a month.
Jiang’s final Douyin post was uploaded on July 9, according to The Epoch Times. In the video, she called telephone numbers submitted by followers as part of a series involving allegedly frightening or paranormal calls. One number was said to have belonged to a woman who died in a car crash. Jiang reportedly heard only her own voice echoing after making the call.
Jiang had previously attracted criticism for a video in which she struck and destroyed a Guanyin statue with a hammer. Guanyin is a bodhisattva deity revered in Buddhism. During the video, which was presented as a challenge to superstition, Jiang said, “Let’s see how long I can live.”