A week or more ago, I highlighted a vlogger from China who made it big by showcasing her talent of making handmade crafts and traditional foods. Her YouTube channel name is 李子柒 Liziqi and her videos range from her making strawberry wine to furniture out of bamboo. Once I subscribed to her, I found that she was not the only Chinese girl on the block teaching us about traditional local foods and the village way of life. As YouTube always does when you subscribe to one content provider, they will eventually start recommending similar material. I have decided to list the ones I am currently addicted to now. Before I post my list, I will add that so far, I love all the channels and find uniqueness in all of them. In saying this, I have also noticed that in a few of the comments and articles about some of these influencers many have highlighted the fact that a few of them have stolen from 李子柒 Liziqi in terms of style and the general idea behind the videos. While I can say that Liziqi does have a higher quality approach to executing her work in a very artful and aesthetically pleasing manner, no one has stolen from her. Perhaps they were a bit inspired, but I can see the differences in what they do and can enjoy each of them equally.
Dianxi Xiaoge
A vlogger who seems to be stacked against Liziqi is Dianxi Xiaoge; she also produces similar programs with many videos showcasing her foraging in her garden for vegetables, flowers, and plants. She then shows herself turning them into delicious meals. Yes, I do see the similarity to Liziqi here, but I think Dianxi Xiaoge fills a void. They both have the adorable grandparents, and we see them playing pie-piper to the funny pets. I could be naïve in saying this, but there is room for more people like Liziqi and Dianxi Xiaoge. I am a mega-fan of Liziqi but still can enjoy Dianxi Xiaoge.
YouTube Channel Name: 滇西小哥
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQG_fzADCunBTV1KwjkfAQQ
Drunkard Lee
Drunkard Lee is another vlogger who is always cooking up something delicious. Her YouTube page says, “I have stories and wines, share traditional green foods in rural areas!” There is very little information about this vlogger other than her body of work and it speaks volumes.
YouTube Channel Name: 酒鬼小莉 Drunkard Lee
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT4_rFXULf5E1rWtJC8Kk3w/about
Cooking With Sros
Cooking with Sros is another YouTube channel I personally love. Soros also produced videos cooking tradition foods in the outdoors. I am still unsure where Sros is from, but if I had to guess I would say Cambodia or the Philippines. I find Soros to be refreshing, and I love the way she introduces the food she is about to prepare. Sros says she is not a professional chef, but she would like to share her homemade foods with the world.
YouTube Channel Name: Cooking With Sros
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHp19YI5Alff6jfadPx4l6Q
Village Life
This channel started putting up videos in 2017, and before I saw the channel; I recall seeing video clips making its rounds on Facebook. This channel showcases the food that keeps a community going and brings them together. From what I can see, most of the work is done by grandmother and granddaughter, but the grandmother seems to be the star of the show. In every video she can be seen cutting up heaps of cabbages, peppers, cleaning fish or chopping up something in a very satisfying way.
YouTube Channel Name: Village Life
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIgx7XgSXm9mS3awEWpA4KQ
龙梅梅L
龙梅梅L (Long Meimei L) is another similar vlogger who produced traditional food in a rural location. 龙梅梅L also prepares her food in a very rustic way, she has many videos of herself collecting herbs, plants, and meats to prepare traditional dishes while also showcasing village life.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKu9dQPZcggDmZagZIXGicg/about
Polin Lifestyle
This vlogger has been on YouTube since 2016 showing off her skills at making Cambodian dishes in a rural setting. Polin Lifestyle shows a real country girl going off into the woods, mountain, rivers or sea to collect a variety of food to prepare on camera. This channel is as authentic as they come and does a very good job of showing the best of Polin Lifestyle.
YouTube Channel Name: Polin Lifestyle
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4gDBTG2BMuiwJp_Fe2i_2w
I hope others find these channels and what these women are trying to accomplish as exciting as I do. I will leave it at that by saying I am sure one of these channels will tickle your fancy.
Mauby Tales & Travel 
Thank you for an excellent and informative article! I first discovered Dianxi Xiaoge from a U.S.-based internet article, and from there, soon became acquainted with Liziqi. Like you say, they both have their own distinct style, and I don’t buy into the idea of one vlogger copying from the other. I’ll have to check out the other vloggers you list but I know that my preference for the countryside will determine whether I choose to follow the others. I just wish there were similiar vloggers from other Asian countries like Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietham, etc., places that I will never get to visit. I LOVE that the videos are relatively short, big on visual content, and low on dialog. Like the saying goes….A picture is worth a thousand words.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for reading my blog! I work in a high stress environment and I can say since I started watching these blogs they have become part of my nightly routine to unwine and relax. They are so relaxing and spark so many ideals and shows me another life and way to live. I grew up in the Caribbean in a somewhat similar environment where we had a family garden and animals, a good precentage of our food came from that so these videos really do bring back memories. If you know of anyone vloggers like Dianxi Xiaoge, post them in the comment and I will add them to my list.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The only one that I can add to your list is 我们的小喜 XiaoXi’s Culinary Idyll – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKmCIhj7yzwmkPEIbip2KSA – he, yes HE, is an excellent craftsman and cook, and like the female Chinese vloggers, focuses on the “doing and showing” rather than speaking.
How lovely to have grown up in the Caribbean! I, myself, was born and raised in Hawaii (Kauai Island), but now I live in Italy as my husband is from here. My grandparents and parents cultivated garden plots, and my grandfather raised pigs and goats, so to watch these vloggers gives me a sublime sense of being back home in the old days.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s super cool and nice to meet another islander and by the way your blog is divine!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awww thank you! I started the blog as a hobby – just for fun. But now I feel that it is a permanent journal to leave for future generations. How I wish I could see what it was like for family members way, way before
I was born.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for this! I was looking for information on Polin Lifestyle, where was Polin from, because she seemed to be from a tropical area and, when did she start posting on Youtube. I also wondered when did Liziqi start posting on Youtube too. So your article is a blessing for me. And I’m so glad to know about you, a Caribbean blogger! I’m always so pleased whenever I see a fellow Caribbean person doing things like these and what you do.
You’re right about those vloggers each bringing something a little different, a little unique to the table. They each really do fill different voids. And you’re right about there being room for more. There’s room for a Caribbean perspective, a Hawaiian perspective, Korean , Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese perspectives too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello Natasha thanks for commenting! I often watch these types of videos on YouTube they relax me for some strange reason. How I found Liziqi and the others really stems from a Netflix show called Flavor of Origin. I happen to search for similar shows to that and Liziqi popped up. Watching her work led me to others. I recently discovered a few more from different parts of the world I will post about them soon. I am hoping to stumble upon something similar but perhaps in the Caribbean where the person is cooking, gardening, making local items on their island. If I find such a creator on YouTube that will be an absolute treasure.
LikeLike
No problem : ) Ooh I’ve got to watch that show then! I agree with you that it would be so great to find someone who does all three in the Caribbean. We have persons who do mainly just cooking and maybe 1 or 2 who blog about gardening, but I have yet to find anyone who also blogs or vlogs about making handicrafts or local items as well. If I wasn’t so busy and if I had the time , capital and skills I would try, lol. But I have faith that one or a couple of our millenials or Generation Z will rise to the occasion. Maybe if each island had at least one high school dedicated to the performing arts, culinary skills, agriculture and woodwork, it could happen, we would have our own crop of Liziqi’s.
LikeLike