'PK' Challenge: All About Viral Chinese Trend That Claimed Influencer's Life

A Chinese social media influencer died after gulping down copious amounts of potent local liquor on camera as part of the viral 'PK' challenge. The family of live-streamer Zhong Yuan Huang Ge said he was trying to earn money to repay debt.

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Chinese influencer Zhong Yuan Huang Ge died after binge-drinking alcohol in viral challenge.

A Chinese social media influencer died after gulping down copious amounts of potent local liquor on camera as part of the viral 'PK' challenge. The family of live-streamer Zhong Yuan Huang Ge said he was trying to earn money to repay debt.

Here's everything you need to know about the 'PK' challenge:

Various tools are available on live-streaming apps to help streamers grow their audience and generate content. One of the popular tools is Battles - referred to as 'PK' or player knock-out in China. It is a real-time competition between streamers where the winner is decided by the viewers.
In 'PK' challenge, streamers opt to engage in battles with either their followers or random strangers. Usually, after an agreement is reached, the live-streams of both the participants are merged, allowing the viewers and their followers to view the content simultaneously.

There are various other battles too in the virtual world - singing, dance-offs, impressions, or push-ups - to determine the winner. The winner get to decide a punishment for the loser.
In 'PK' challenge, the influencer who wins earns rewards and gifts from the viewers. The punishment could be a silly one - hopping on one leg or getting the face painted. But sometimes, the winner can also ask the loser to consume baijiu, a Chinese spirit with a typical alcohol content of between 30-60 per cent.

Such a punishment had claimed the life of another Chinese influencer surnamed Wang on May 16. He live-streamed himself drinking at least seven bottles of baijiu spirits on Douyin, China's version of TikTok. The man was found dead 12 hours after the broadcast.
Consuming liquor this strong, without any dilution, can have dangerous consequences, including damage to liver and alcohol poisoning.

The 'PK' battles are very popular on Chinese live-streaming apps and some of them have even surfaced on social media platforms in other countries.
MeetMe, one such app, was recording more than 30,000 battles taking place every day just weeks after adding the challenge to the platform.

Battles provide a new way for influencers to create entertaining content for this followers. Some of these battles last for hours, requiring the participants to come up with new ways to entertain their followers. These contests also give influencers a chance to connect with fellow live-streamers.
But sometimes, influencers go to great lengths to capture viewers' attention. In one such instance, a content creator pretended to be trapped on a rooftop and recorded the whole ordeal. But firefighters had to be called when the situation got out of hands. In India, a YouTuber with 1.2 million followers died in a road accident while taking his superbike to extreme speed.

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'PK' Challenge: All About Viral Chinese Trend That Claimed Influencer's Life

A Chinese social media influencer died after gulping down copious amounts of potent local liquor on camera as part of the viral 'PK' challenge. The family of live-streamer Zhong Yuan Huang Ge said he was trying to earn money to repay debt.