Jing Yidan, a well-known Chinese television host, has died at the age of 71, according to reports from 观察者网 and 紫牛新闻. The cause was illness, 紫牛新闻 reported. The news was published on Sunday, September 13, 2026.
According to 紫牛新闻, Jing had spoken at length in Nanjing last year about the Jiangsu Super League, the regional football competition. 新浪财经 reported that she had also given a talk in Chengdu on the value of sustained media record-keeping.
Bai Yansong, a longtime colleague, paid tribute to her, saying there would never again be a partner as good as her, according to 新浪财经. Fellow presenter Li Xiaomeng recalled that Jing once said her mother's affirmation had shaped her, 新浪财经 reported.
虎嗅网 framed her career around an era when television could still reach everyone, describing her as a figure from that period of the medium.
Jing was a familiar presence on Chinese screens, and the reaction to her death has drawn retrospectives from several outlets within hours of the announcement. The reports so far focus on her broadcast work and on remarks she made at public appearances in Nanjing and Chengdu.
Further tributes and details of memorial arrangements are expected to follow.
