Liu Mouqiang allegedly attacked livestreamer Sisi with an explosive
On the morning of October 15, 2025, a livestreamer known as Sisi stepped outside her apartment in Yongzhou, China, carrying an unfamiliar package that subsequently exploded, burning her face, neck, and arms while her young daughter narrowly escaped physical injury. The attack marked the fourth escalation in a campaign of targeted violence allegedly carried out by a former viewer, 27-year-old Liu Mouqiang, after rejected romantic advances, legal disputes, and digital harassment.
How Virtual Gifting Built a False Sense of Ownership
Liu first encountered Sisi through her online broadcasts, eventually spending slightly more than 1,000 yuan—roughly $150—on virtual gifts. He later complained to the broadcaster that reaching “Level 28” through the platform’s cumulative spending metrics meant he was being treated worse than a tourist. Sisi explained that the digital tier reflected his spending spread across multiple creators, a clarification that failed to quell his mounting grievances.
He eventually tracked her offline, offering 160,000 yuan if she agreed to marry him. When Sisi repeatedly rebuffed the proposal, Liu left a revealing comment on her social media channels asserting that female livestreamers all belong to their top donors. He subsequently created alternate accounts to post insulting and manipulated content about her.
Livestreaming platforms reward creators for cultivating personal familiarity, attention, and interaction. For women in the creator economy, that commercial intimacy often collides with misogynistic expectations that financial or emotional investment grants a proprietary claim over a creator’s personal life.
Escalating Retaliation Across Digital and Physical Spaces
Sisi attempted to sever ties by transferring Liu 600 yuan—covering roughly 500 yuan she received after the platform took its share of his gifts, plus about 100 yuan for a meal he had purchased. The digital harassment persisted regardless.
On June 4, 2025, the Qiyang People’s Court registered a civil lawsuit filed by Sisi over the ongoing harassment. A court-mediated agreement subsequently required Liu to delete defamatory material, issue a public apology, and pay 3,000 yuan in compensation. However, the legal proceedings introduced an unforeseen vulnerability. The mediation documents contained Sisi’s home address, which Liu used to locate her apartment.
Her live broadcasts provided additional tracking data. Sisi told reporters that Liu had previously found locations where she was streaming and used backgrounds visible in her video feeds to locate her family’s business. Prosecutors state that Liu’s retaliation unfolded in stages over several months:
- May 2025: Liu planted an explosive device above the entrance to Sisi’s parents’ shop and remotely detonated it after spotting her there through her livestream.
- August 2025: He placed a metal spike beneath her car tire.
- October 2025: He sprayed a corrosive liquid inside her home.
- October 15, 2025: He left the disguised explosive package outside her apartment door.
In March 2026, prosecutors formally charged Liu with endangering public safety by dangerous means, sending the case to trial in June. During the proceedings, Liu argued that the attacks stemmed from a personal relationship dispute, a characterization that Sisi rejected. The court stated it would announce its verdict at a later date.
The Structural Vulnerabilities Facing Content Creators
By the time Sisi’s civil case reached mediation, Liu had already staged his first bomb attack, though she remained unaware of his identity at the time. Seeking legal protection inadvertently placed her home address directly into the hands of her assailant.
The Qiyang People’s Court has yet to deliver its final verdict on the attempted bombing and public safety charges, leaving open the question of how China’s judiciary will ultimately penalize violence fueled by digital creator-viewer dynamics.