Formerly one of the Four Rising Actresses in the Mainland Chinese entertainment industry alongside Yang Mi and Liu Yifei, Wang Luodan has chosen to retreat to the deep mountains of Hebei in recent years, leading a relaxed life far away from the hustle and bustle of the entertainment circle. This decision has drawn attention and sparked discussions.
According to reports from mainland media outlet “NetEase,” Wang Luodan left her luxurious villa in Changping, Beijing, unoccupied and spent two years exploring the surrounding areas of Beijing before settling on the pine forest village of Songlin in the A’na’ya Jinshan Ridge area of Chengde, Hebei in 2023. She went through the proper channels to sign a legal twenty-year lease and personally funded the renovation of an old courtyard.
Subsequently, she streamlined her urban properties, brought along her two beloved dogs, and moved into the mountains with her guitar, LEGO sets, succulents, and a large iron pot. She now dresses in old cotton jackets, rides a second-hand electric tricycle, and even squats down to help neighbors peel corn.
The report stated that unlike stars who temporarily experience a different lifestyle for publicity’s sake, Wang Luodan is genuinely rooted and settled in her new environment. Despite the challenges of secluded transportation in the mountains, unstable network signals, cumbersome winter heating routines, and inconvenience in daily medical care, she has accepted and quietly adapted to these difficulties.
Today, Wang Luodan no longer rushes to walk the red carpet or attend social gatherings, refuses to marry even in her early forties, and even her mother, who had been urging her to marry for over a decade, has finally relented and stands by her side.
At the age of 41, Wang Luodan, who rose to fame with her role as “Miley” in the drama “Struggle,” was pigeonholed in the market for a long time with the label of a “rebellious urban girl.” Capital and investors continuously offered her stereotypical scripts, making her feel like she was losing her creative autonomy. In order to combat the industry’s homogeneity, uphold the actor’s original intentions, she chose to step back from the limelight, distance herself from fame and fortune, and narrow her work down to accepting “at most one truly inspiring role per year.”
Having lived for years in the spotlight and under media scrutiny, the high-pressure fast-paced urban life, constant social engagements, and endless public opinions led to immense mental exhaustion. Wang Luodan, in an interview, expressed her desire for a more pure, controlled life rhythm. In the mountains, she can wake up to bird songs in the morning and go to bed at 9 p.m., engaging in activities like building LEGO sets and cooking in a large iron pot to eliminate restlessness and achieve inner healing.
In the eyes of society, reaching a certain age usually comes with expectations of marriage and having children. Thus, Wang Luodan faced long-standing pressures from gossip about her love life and family urging her to marry. She even had a heated argument with her mother on the variety show “Mother and Daughter” over marriage pressure. Moving to the mountains signifies her decision to let go of external expectations, reject a predetermined life path. Fortunately, on her birthday in 2025, her mother sent a handwritten letter supporting her decision saying “it’s okay not to get married,” leading to reconciliation between mother and daughter.
The public’s response to Wang Luodan’s retreat to the mountains of Hebei has been intense, showing not just criticism or mockery but a deep societal resonance and multi-dimensional interpretations.
Initially, when the news broke, many internet users and gossip media speculated negatively, wondering if she was “fading out and laying low” in the entertainment industry, being ignored or forced out due to lack of film offers. However, as more details emerged, the tone of comments swiftly changed.
Many media outlets analyzed that Wang Luodan did not retreat due to destitution or lack of work. Prior to this, she had just finished filming “Riding the Wind 2025” and won both the annual Wind Rider position and Team Leader award. After completing these professional challenges, she chose to set aside external expectations, embracing a more relaxed lifestyle for herself.
Regarding Wang Luodan’s current status of being 41, not owning a luxurious villa, and choosing not to marry, many female internet users expressed “extreme envy and admiration.” Amidst the admiration, there were also rational voices pointing out that “ordinary people cannot replicate Wang Luodan’s laid-back lifestyle.”
Overall, public opinion widely praises Wang Luodan’s courage to give up her villa in Changping to sign a 20-year lease in the mountains and renovate an old house, attributing it to her financial independence and having the capital and exit to return to fame at any time. If ordinary workers were to blindly imitate her, they would not be greeted with poetry and horizons but rather the harsh reality of survival in the freezing cold mountains, cut-off transportation, and disrupted income streams.