If you’re used to the calm, peaceful cooking style of Li Ziqi, you might be surprised by the intense energy in videos from the channel “Sister Yu.”
“Sister Yu” started gaining attention in China about a year ago, after posting a video where she cuts her own hair with scissors and clippers. Now 45 years old, she’s uploaded nearly 200 videos showcasing daily life, traditional cooking, and local farming methods, racking up hundreds of millions of likes. What really grabs viewers are her bold actions: chopping firewood, slicing mustard plants with lightning speed, kicking open a wooden door, or slamming an aluminum bowl hard onto the kitchen table.
Before her rise to fame, Yu made a living growing filbert trees (similar to hazelnuts), a major crop in her region. Early on, some accused her of copying other YouTubers’ content, but now Sister Yu’s videos are much more polished, with careful shots, angles, characters, and storylines.
Leveraging her popularity and loyal audience, Sister Yu actively helps promote local farm products. Almost everything sold during her livestreams comes from local farmers’ harvests. She has reportedly supported her village’s economy without taking a single penny for herself.
