Wu Liufang (Chinese: 吴柳芳; pinyin: Wú Liǔfāng), born on 22 December 1994, is a retired Chinese gymnast.[1] Post retirement, she became a teacher before turning into an online influencer in 2024.
Career
Gymnastics career
Wu Liufang made the Chinese national team in 2008. At the 11th Chinese national games in September 2009, she achieved bronze for uneven bars and silver for the team event (as part of Guangdong team).[2]
Wu participated in the 2010 Doha World Cup, where she won gold on balance beam and floor, and silver on uneven bars.[3][4] She also won beam gold at the 17th Internationaux de France world cup held in Paris Bercy.[5]
At the 2010 Chinese national championships, Wu Liufang, participating for the Guangdong team, won silver in all-round, and came 4th in uneven bars and 4th in beam.[6]
Wu Liufang retired from gymnastics in October 2013.[7]
Post gymnastics
After retiring, Wu further her studies at Beijing Sport University before becoming a teacher. She would also involve herself in gymnastics related activities such as refereeing at gymnastics youth competitions, teaching, etc.[8]
In March 2024, she took her first step into being an influencer on Douyin, signing on with Da Hai Xing Chen, a multi-channel network soon after as her account gained followers exponentially.[8] Wu would frequently upload video clips of herself dancing in short shorts, mini skirts and stockings. This eventually led to Guan Chenchen, Wu's junior in the national gymnastics team, criticising Wu publicly and turning public attention to Wu's current job. Despite a public apology, Wu's account was taken down by the platform in November 2024, censured and returned with most of her videos removed.[9][7] On 24 December 2024, her Douyin account, along with 11 other accounts, was banned, and its monetization privileges were revoked. In addition to the ban, the platform removed her substantial number of followers as part of its effort to “maintain a clean online environment.” The multi-channel network representing Wu faced a 30-day restriction on account management after Douyin’s safety center accused them of leveraging accounts to disseminate “vulgar content to attract followers, causing significant negative impact.”[10]
^ ab吕航 (26 November 2024). 从吴柳芳“擦边主播”说起……知名体操运动员退役后有哪些出路. 金羊网. Archived from the original on 26 November 2024. 吴柳芳则在2013年退役后进入了北京体育大学学习，并在毕业后成为了一名老师，此后从事许多体操相关的活动，如青少年比赛裁判、体操教育等。吴柳芳账号近一年直播记录显示，今年3月3日，吴柳芳账号第一次开始直播，后陆陆续续直播上百场，知情人士介绍说，吴柳芳今年才签约了该MCN公司，算起来吴柳芳真正走上主播路线的时间还不到一年。
