Xinba sold 'bird's nest' that was mostly sugar water — and denied it before the tests

辛巴 (Xinba, born 辛有志) is one of China's biggest livestreamers, with tens of millions of followers on Kuaishou (快手); his company 辛选 (Xinxuan) builds its business on his personal recommendation. In October and November 2020 his team, including an apprentice known as 时大漂亮, sold an 'instant bird's nest' (即食燕窝) product under the brand 茗挚 (Mingzhi), marketing it as a premium health food.

Consumers and a well-known anti-fraud tester questioned whether the product was real bird's nest at all. Testing found it contained barely any of the nutrient that marks genuine bird's nest, and it was widely dismissed as 'sugar water' (糖水燕窝). Xinba's first response was to deny the claims and defend the product, which only intensified the uproar; he later admitted the promotion had been exaggerated and apologised.

Market regulators investigated and, on 23 December 2020, announced penalties: Xinba's company was fined ¥900,000 for misleading commercial promotion, and the brand-side company was fined ¥2 million and ordered to stop. Kuaishou banned Xinba's account for 60 days, as it did his apprentice's, and suspended about 27 other anchors on his team for 15 days. Xinba's team offered consumers '退一赔三' — a refund plus triple compensation — paying out tens of millions of yuan. The case became a landmark in holding livestream promoters, not just the brands they sell for, accountable for what they promote.