Photo: Screenshot of Weibo video

One of China's most popular hostesses on Thursday asserted that Hong Kong is a part of China after she appeared to refer to them as equal entities while promoting silk stockings on her livestreaming show, sparking uproar on social media platforms.

Li Xiang, former hostess of Happy Camp, one of the most popular variety shows on Hunan TV, said on her Sina Weibo account that someone took her words "out of context" to deliberately provoke the public.

"Hong Kong has always been an inalienable part of China's sacred territory," read the post. Li also attached a photo of the Chinese national flag to the post.

The response, accompanied by 15 exclamation marks, came after Li said, "I don't know if the silk stockings are sold in China, but they are sold in many high-end department stores in Hong Kong," when she tried to sell the socks on a recent livestreaming video.

The remark caused immediate dissatisfaction among netizens. The topic "Li Xiang's livestreaming" has been viewed 230 million times as of press time.

Some pointed out that the remark was a "misnomer" and criticized her for lacking professional quality as a host.

"Even if it was a slip of the tongue, she should not make such a mistake," read a typical comment.

Netizens seemed not to buy Li's response and urged her to apologize. 

Li has disabled the post's comment function. The post has been forwarded and "liked" nearly 15,000 times as of press time.

Li was once seen as a leading presenter of Hunan satellite TV after helping the channel and its program Happy Camp become one of the most famous variety shows in China. 

Li was not only famous for her success in presenting, but also her "ultra-rich woman" image, and reportedly spends 650,000 yuan ($92,606) a month. With internet livestreaming becoming hugely popular in China, Li also became an online celebrity selling products on livestreaming shows recently.