He Jiaolong passes away following accident

He Jiaolong, a government official-turned social media influencer based in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, passed away on Wednesday night at the age of 47 due to a work-related accident, according to Xinjiang Daily.

He served as the director of Xinjiang's agricultural product brand development and marketing service center, which operates under the regional department of agriculture and rural affairs. Her Douyin account has garnered nearly 6.3 million followers.

She rose to fame in 2020 when she was deputy head of Zhaosu county in the Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture, where she promoted local agricultural products through livestreams.

That November, a video of her galloping across snowy fields in a red cloak to promote local tourism went viral online. According to China Tourism News, her livestreaming sales of local agricultural and sideline products over five months reached 14 million yuan ($2 million) by Nov 30, 2020. She earned over 1 million yuan in tips from viewers.

After taking up her latest position in 2023, He helped more than 400 agriculture-related enterprises complete e-commerce transformations. She actively promoted Xinjiang's culture and tourism and supported local agricultural sales through livestreaming, yet personally declined any payment and directed all viewer donations to public welfare initiatives. Her efforts earned her recognition at both regional and national levels.

According to China News Service, in 2024, her livestreaming team facilitated sales of 240 million yuan for products selected under the "Taste Xinjiang" brand — the regional public brand for Xinjiang's agricultural products, to which she had shifted her work focus.

During a regional agricultural brand development conference in Beijing in December, He revealed that over the past three years, the "Taste Xinjiang" brand had achieved direct and indirect sales exceeding 20 billion yuan.

Xinjiang Daily reported that on Sunday, while conducting preliminary filming in Bole city, Bortala Mongolian autonomous prefecture, for an e-commerce program featuring local agricultural products, He fell from a horse and sustained a severe head injury. She was rushed to a local hospital, and authorities arranged for full medical rescue efforts, including remote consultations with specialists from other parts of the country. The regional health commission of Xinjiang also dispatched experts to assist in Bole.

He was later transferred to a hospital in Urumqi for intensive care. Despite all efforts, she succumbed to her injuries at 23:12 on Wednesday.

Video clip from He Jiaolong's Douyin account.