Li has tried to reproduce by herself old inventions like movable type printing and paper. She once made the ultimate traditional paper
from scratch using mulberry bark, and she has also carved messages into
wood, made prints and sent them. Every word made through traditional
methods has so much more depth to it.
Everybody has dreamed about leaving the city and moving to the mountains. A life of self-sufficiency is the best. However, living in a
rural area is not easy. Li mentions in interviews and on her weibo that
she is nothing like how she seems in her videos. Off camera, she is
always doing chores that get her really dirty, and there are many boring
aspects of farming life she does not show her viewers: pest control,
pruning and sowing, to name a few.
Li’s unique videos got her a lot of attention, but inevitably also accusations and criticism. Many people questioned the authenticity of
her videos and tried to spy on her in various ways, even harassing her
and her grandmother. This disturbed Li so much that for a while she had
to stop creating content. On the bright side, the controversy also led
to her landing a new job opportunity. During her hiatus, she put a new
team together and signed a contract that effectively turns her into a
brand so that she can keep doing what she does. Her traditional
lifestyle also came to the attention of the Beijing Palace Museum, who
wanted to collaborate with her on a promotion of the famous Suzao sauce.
At the end of the day, Li has created a beautiful fantasy that we can all enjoy. When you watch her videos, do they make you feel like
living such a life? Let’s all use our creativity to live our own perfect
life.