Top Chinese livestreamer Li Jiaqi sold RMB 21.5 billion ($2.9 billion) worth of goods on the first day of this year’s Singles Day pre-sale period, doubling the sales record (which he also set) in 2021. The massive GMV figure came just weeks after Li resurfaced on Alibaba’s Taobao livestream platform following an unexplained absence since June 3. Li’s e-commerce livestreaming, which started at 3 p.m. on Monday, attracted a total of 460 million viewers over the course of its nine hours. He marketed 291 products, with a focus on Chinese and international cosmetics brands such as Estee Lauder, Lancome, L’Oreal and Florasis. Another popular influencer Luo Yonghao, who announced a high-profile move from Douyin to Taobao earlier this month, attracted more than 26 million viewers in his first e-commerce livestreaming on the Alibaba shopping platform yesterday, ranking second in views. [Beijing Youth Daily, in Chinese]

Update: The story has a new development, with Li rebutting the GMV number.