A Chinese rooftop climber has died after plunging from a 62-storey building when one of his high-rise stunts went awry.

Wu Yongning, 26, had more than 60,000 followers on Chinese social media network Weibo, where he regularly posted videos and photos of himself 'rooftopping'.

Mr Wu fell from the top of the Huayuan Hua Centre in Changsha, in the Hunan province in China's south-east, the South China Morning Post reported, citing police.

Chinese media reported Mr Wu had been offered prizemoney of 100,000 yuan ($20,000) for his latest stunt, but there were no details about who the sponsor was.

Rooftopping is a dangerous trend involving scaling high-rise buildings and other structures, many of which are not accessible to the public, and performing risky stunts.

Participants regularly post videos online, showing themselves hanging from building ledges, cranes and windows.

Wu Yongning was reportedly being paid for his final, fatal stunt. ( Weibo: Wu Yongning )

Although Mr Wu died on November 8, his death was only picked up by Chinese media in December after a Weibo user identifying themselves as Mr Wu's girlfriend posted about the incident.

Chinese media reported the 26-year-old's online fans had been worried Mr Wu had not posted on Weibo since November 8.

Purported video of the incident circulating online shows Mr Wu lowering himself down the side of the building before attempting to get back up, and losing his grip.

Some media outlets reported Mr Wu fell several storeys and on to a landing.

Dangerous activity widely condemned

Weibo users left about 16,000 comments on Mr Wu's last social media post. While many berated the 26-year-old, others were sympathetic.

"Everyone has something they are passionate about. For this high-risk activity, we can choose not to support him or not to abuse him," one user wrote.

"Although his behaviour was a bad influence on kids and teenagers, he should not be condemned after his death."

Another user wished Mr Wu would "be safe in heaven".

Wu Yongning takes a selfie while standing on a building ledge. ( Weibo: Wu Yongning )

Rooftopping has been widely condemned by law enforcement agencies around the world.

In 2015, Russian police launched a campaign urging young people to take safer selfies after a rise in deaths of people who were striking high-risk poses.

Last year, two teens were arrested in Adelaide after breaking into building sites and taking photos of themselves hanging from cranes, walls and ledges.

The teens were both charged with trespass offences, and were spared convictions and placed on good behaviour bonds.

Two other teens, who were under 18 at the time, were cautioned over the incident.