Qingqing wearing makeup and costumes in videos Photo: Screenshot of Qingqing’s videos on Bilibili

 

Qingqing wearing makeup and costumes in videos Photo: Screenshot of Qingqing’s videos on Bilibili

In a makeup tutorial from 2018, Chinese beauty blogger Qingqing, dressed in like an immortal from ancient legends, tells the story of the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, one of the Seven Wonders of the Medieval World. 

Originally posted on Bilibili, one of the most visited ACG (Anime, Comics and Games) websites in China, her video was reposted in 2019 on a YouTube channel named Cosplay Queen, where it ended up raking in more than 1.8 million views and attracting nearly 1,000 of comments in various languages, such as Japanese, Korean, English, German and Russian. A lot of comments written in Chinese said they were touched by the beautiful story and the almost otherworldly look, while those in other languages mentioned that they got emotional while watching the video even though they didn't understand Chinese.

A professional makeup artist who describes herself as an introvert and a person who loves drawing, Qingqing has posted more than 100 makeup videos in Chinese on Bilibili since 2016. One of the unique draws of her videos is how she incorporates traditional Chinese culture into some of her makeup designs. 

For instance, in her series devoted to China's 24 Solar Terms, in addition to explaining how these terms were used to divide up the Chinese calendar into 24 roughly two-week periods, she also presented unique looks to fit with each term, which have names such as Awakening of Insects and White Dew.

In addition to explaining how to apply makeup, Qingqing also carefully selects the hairstyles, outfits and background music she uses in her videos. From the start of doing research to finishing the editing, each video can take up to a month to complete, Qingqing told the Global Times.

National Treasure

She also has come up with a makeup series inspired by National Treasure, a Chinese cultural program that aired on China Central Television in 2017. The program introduces the stories behind some of the most precious items in the collections of China's top museums.  

"I was stunned by the colors when I first saw A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains on National Treasure. How could there be such an amazing shade of blue-green? This look popped into my mind a few minutes later," Qingqing wrote in the description for her video about the famous Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) painting by Chinese painter Wang Ximeng, which is currently in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing.

"It was mainly because I really like traditional Chinese culture and legends. There is so much beauty in them. I hope I can share them with more people so that they can appreciate this beauty as well," she said, explaining why she started her channel.

The above-mentioned Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, one of her most popular works, is also part of her National Treasure series. In the video she introduces the background of the magnificent pagoda in East China's Jiangsu Province, which was first built during the reign of the Yongle Emperor (1403-1425) during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Beauty without borders

In a recent video on Bilibili, she filmed herself drawing a cartoon picture of herself wearing mask and goggles to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

"Let's stay strong together to fight the epidemic. Unless it is necessary, let's try to avoid going out," she wrote at the end of the video, sending her thoughts to people who are battling the virus.

While Qingqing is happy making her videos, she was upset to learn that her Porcelain Tower of Nanjing video was uploaded to YouTube without her permission. The blogger noted that she has tried to reach Cosplay Queen, but that the issue hasn't been resolved yet. 

Despite this cloud around her video, she said she is happy to see that people overseas are interested in Chinese culture. 

 "I'm very grateful for the appreciation from those international friends, which surprised me. Due to things such as ethnicity, religion and cultural and historical backgrounds, people will have different ideas about beauty. Seeing their positive feedback toward my video made me realize that 'beauty' can overcome these barriers," she said.