Liu Shichao in the video of drinking competition Photo: screenshot of the video

A Chinese villager who has become an internet celebrity through his unique beer-drinking methods on Twitter has held a cross-culture drinking competition with netizens around the globe to raise money for doctors and nurses who are fighting on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Liu Shichao, who goes by the handle Pangzai (fat man) and has more than 150,000 followers on Twitter, told the Global Times that the drinking competition has already raised more than $1,150 to purchase protective suits and masks for hospitals in the US.

According to an introduction for the event, the competition aims to bring people together to fight the virus using "the power of beer."

Liu, 34, refers to himself as an ordinary Chinese farmer but is often called "King" by his fans on Twitter. He lives in the village of Xingtai, North China's Hebei Province.

"After seeing how serious the overseas pandemic is, I thought that I could do my part to help those who are in need as the pandemic has no borders," Liu said.

He came up with the idea of using his unique drinking talents to entice people to donate to charity.

Liu reached out to a US Twitter blogger who goes by the name "The Wonton Don," who had previously admired his beer-chugging performances and visited Liu's home, to shoot the competition video.

In the video uploaded on YouTube, Liu performs three different beer drinking tricks such as the tornado-drinking style with which he made a name for himself or drinking without hands and then challenging netizens to attempt the tricks themselves. 

Two netizens accepted the challenge and attempted to imitate Liu, yet only one succeeded. The other ended his attempt as beer squirted out of his mouth. 

Liu said they plan to turn the challenge into a series. Each week, Liu will film a drinking challenge and Don will pick two people to try and copy it to the best of their ability. Then they will judge the contestants and pick a winner. 

They called on netizens to donate at least $1 when they watched the video.

Liu has also tried his hand at livestreaming on YouTube and said he likes communicating with his overseas fans through his channel. 

"Many foreign friends have sent their blessings to me during these live broadcasts, and I also want them to remain safe."

Liu added that if he has the opportunity, he will be more than happy to cooperate with more bloggers overseas and produce more cross cultural videos to promote Chinese culture.