A young woman has died while attempting to lose a large amount of weight at a Chinese weight loss camp, leaving her family devastated. Photo / Getty Images
A young woman has died while attempting to lose a large amount of weight at a Chinese weight loss camp, leaving her family devastated. Photo / Getty Images
Chinese influencer Cuihua died on Saturday after trying to lose 90kg as quickly as possible at a weight loss camp.
The 21-year-old’s relatives confirmed her death on her Douyin page, the Chinese version of TikTok, according to the New York Post.
“Thank you to everyone for your support and love for Cuihua,” the family wrote, reports Sixth Tone. “Our child has gone to heaven, and we are still processing all of this.”
They went on, “We hope that people won’t be misguided by malicious individuals for their entertainment, which could harm parents and family. Let our child rest in peace, thank you!”
While the cause of death has not yet been confirmed, the woman had gone to the hospital after feeling unwell after exercising, her parents shared on Douyin.
The fit-fluencer, who had nearly 9000 followers on the social media platform, joined one of China’s weight loss camps which garnered international acclaim a few years back during the country’s skyrocketing obesity statistics.
Chinese influencer Cuihua has died after trying to lose 90kg as quickly as possible at a weight loss camp. Photo / Weibo
The influencer’s chosen camp in Xi’an, Shaanxi province offered a closed model of health, featuring a strict diet regimen, rest and, of course, a lot of exercise.
Cuihua’s daily routine, which she videoed in more than 100 posts on Douyin since she started the programme in 2022, included high-intensity cardio and strength-based workouts such as battle ropes and weightlifting.
She also consumed “very little food”, reports the Shanghai Morning News, and maintained a strict diet of coarse grains, cabbages, eggs and fruit.
On top of her intense daytime workouts, Cuihua would also workout in the evenings, which she livestreamed for her followers as well. She often seemed to be struggling through the exercises.
Cuihua’s workout videos have all been set to private since Tuesday, reports Insider.
The exercise influencer alleged that she had shed 36kg in six months – losing 25kg in the first two months – with an end goal of losing 90kg.
Cuihua’s death has had Chinese social media users up in arms, with some accusing the camp of putting too much pressure on the influencer, especially when they don’t have any scientific research to support their harsh methods.
In addition to her gruelling daytime workouts, Cuihua would also engage in evening exercises, which she livestreamed for her fans. Photo / Getty Images
“The training camp is too messy,” said one user on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging platform.
They went on to say that someone with Cuihua’s “figure” should not be participating in “high-intensity exercise”, saying that a “reasonable diet” would help her be “a lot thinner”.
“You should take it slowly to keep your heart rate within the aerobic safety range,” said another.
“It can’t be high-intensity all at once, the heart and knees can’t stand it, and it is easy to die suddenly.”
A third said, “These coaches really don’t have any comprehensive knowledge, and they think they are all sports school trainees.”
However, despite social media backlash of the camps, the family doesn’t blame the institution for Cuihua’s death.
“It didn’t happen at the Hornets [training camp], please don’t cyber bully any more training camps, it’s over, we don’t want to be sad,” they shared on her Douyin page.
This weight loss camp is one of hundreds that have popped up across China to battle the nation’s obesity epidemic.
