23-year-old Chinese director falls to death in Phnom Penh

By Linh Le January 7, 2026 | 01:41 am PT

Lai Yuqing, a 23-year-old Chinese director and screenwriter, has died in Phnom Penh after sustaining critical injuries from a fall in a three-story private residence.

Chinese director Lai Yuqing, who dies at 23 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo from Lais Instagram

Chinese director Lai Yuqing, who has died at 23 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo from Lai's Instagram

According to Dimsum Daily, the incident occurred at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 30. Lai was rushed to the Russian Hospital around 12:45 a.m. but succumbed to her injuries at about 5 p.m. on Jan. 2.

Cambodian authorities confirmed that two acquaintances present at the scene, an Indian man named Jatla Siddartha and a Chinese woman named Li Fang, were taken to the Criminal Police Department to assist with the investigation.

CCTV footage reportedly shows that at 11:22 p.m. on Dec. 29, a French resident of the building returned home and opened the gate, after which Lai was brought inside and went upstairs. Shortly thereafter, voices were heard before Lai fell from a height. Siddartha lived on the second floor of the residence, while Li was seen coming downstairs to check on Lai.

A former middle-school classmate who met Lai in Beijing just two weeks earlier said she did not believe Lai had suicidal intentions. Cambodian police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fall.

Lai's father traveled from China to Phnom Penh to handle post-incident arrangements. He said his daughter had moved to Cambodia in 2024 to collaborate with friends on short dramas, including Siddartha and two other Chinese women. He admitted he knew little about her work and daily life in Cambodia but noted that she had traveled to South Korea on Sept. 19 last year to receive an award.

Born in Tianjin with ancestral roots in Fujian, Lai attended high school in Canada and studied directing at a university in the U.S. Her film "Whisperings of the Moon" was screened at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival, according to entertainment news site Kbizoom.

Lai’s last media interview took place in December 2024, when she spoke enthusiastically about her artistic plans for the coming year, following the success of her work "Love Is a Book," which received a special jury mention at the Busan International Short Film Festival in 2024.