Chinese influencer Jiang Xiaorou has died following a car crash, months after she destroyed a religious statue in a viral video. The 24-year-old ghost hunter was a passenger in a rideshare vehicle when it was involved in a collision on 15 July. Medical staff fought to save her life for almost a month before community officials confirmed her death on 10 August.
Viral video and backlash
Jiang, who had amassed 1.3 million online followers, was known for her controversial content on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. In August 2025, she posted a video of herself striking a hammer against a statue of Guanyin, the Chinese Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, and challenged viewers to see if a curse would materialise.
In the clip, she said: "Let's see how long I can live." The footage circulated rapidly and drew furious reactions at the time. Critics branded it profoundly disrespectful, while some followers applauded the bold gesture.
Crash and medical battle
The collision occurred as Jiang, who went by the online name "Jiang Xiaorou Ya", was travelling to Guangzhou from Guangxi in southern China. She sustained catastrophic trauma, substantial blood loss, organ failure and critical brain damage. She was rushed to Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital and placed on life support.
Jiang remained in a coma while doctors battled to save her life for almost a month, until community officials from her hometown in Hunan province formally confirmed her death on 10 August.
Family plea and ongoing inquiry
Her relatives released a brief statement in August urging people to cease speculating about her online activity. They asked followers to "respect the facts, refrain from spreading unverified information, do not forward content involving privacy, and please stop making excessive speculations about her and her family", according to People. They requested that any tributes be offered as a "quiet blessing, so that she may remain dignified and respectable in everyone's memory".
Some internet users have connected the fatal collision to the destroyed statue and described it as karma, though no evidence suggests the two events are linked. An inquiry into the fatal road collision remains underway.
