Chinese Actress Zhao Wei, who has been banned for nearly four years, has a daughter named “Xiao Sìyu” with her ex-husband, wealthy businessman Huang Youlong. The recent photo of 15-year-old “Xiao Sìyu” has been exposed, praised for inheriting her mother’s big eyes, while some netizens say she looks more like her father.
Zhao Wei has been in hiding since August 2021 when she was officially labeled as a “disgraced artist” by the authorities. She has been extremely low-key and her whereabouts have been a mystery. Last year, Zhao Wei publicly mourned the passing of author Qiong Yao; on December 28 of the same year, she suddenly announced her divorce from Huang Youlong on Weibo. She stated, “I officially divorced Mr. Huang many years ago, our marriage has long been legally dissolved. I earnestly ask everyone to acknowledge these facts and avoid implicating me in false associations or baseless reports.”
The reason Zhao Wei chose to announce the divorce on that particular day was that Huang Youlong was facing debt collection again. According to reports from Hong Kong media, a company called “Wisdom Investment” filed a lawsuit in the Hong Kong High Court, accusing Huang Youlong of overdue debts amounting to approximately 3.72 billion Hong Kong dollars, including interest, demanding a total repayment of 7.53 billion Hong Kong dollars. The Hong Kong media referred to Huang Youlong as “Zhao Wei’s husband.”
Fans were delighted to see Zhao Wei posting on Weibo and hope that one day she will make a comeback. They are also curious about Zhao Wei and her family’s current situation.
After marrying Huang Youlong in 2008, Zhao Wei gave birth to their daughter “Xiao Sìyu” in Singapore in 2010. Following her divorce from Huang Youlong in 2021, the whereabouts of Zhao Wei and her daughter became a mystery. There were rumors that the mother and daughter had lived in Beijing at one point and even relocated to France.
Recently, the whereabouts of “Xiao Sìyu” have been revealed. According to the Singaporean newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, “Xiao Sìyu” is currently studying in Switzerland and is now 15 years old. She has transformed from a cute little girl into an elegant teenage girl, updating her activities on social media platforms like Instagram and Xiaohongshu.
From the photos, it’s evident that “Xiao Sìyu” is tall and slender, with long hair dyed blonde, wearing a lace top with white pants. In one of the photos taken in what seems to be a dormitory, she is making a playful expression. Some netizens praised her for inheriting her mother’s big eyes and commented on her increasing beauty. Some even remarked that she resembles her father more than her mother Zhao Wei. Others noted a resemblance between “Xiao Sìyu” and mainland Chinese actress Yu Shuxin.
Zhao Wei, who rose to fame with the drama “My Fair Princess,” was suddenly banned by various platforms in mainland China on August 26, 2021. Her Weibo account was closed, and her upcoming projects had their roles recast, causing turmoil in the entertainment industry. Even close friends in the industry distanced themselves from her on social media, seemingly afraid of any association.
Since the ban, Zhao Wei’s commercial ventures have been shrinking, and by the end of last year, she was still being pursued for a debt of 8,488 yuan, with a forced execution of 14,177 yuan.
The exact reason for Zhao Wei’s ban by the Chinese authorities has not been clearly stated. However, a recent significant revelation seems to provide some clues.
In late April, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed that the Chinese authorities had misused Interpol to issue a red notice for Zhao Wei’s ex-husband, dragging China’s richest man Jack Ma into the situation. Although the report referred to the wanted individual as Zhao Wei’s ex-husband under the pseudonym “H,” indicating that the Chinese authorities had requested Interpol to issue a red notice for him, leading to his arrest by the French authorities in Bordeaux. Notably, during H’s extradition hearing in Bordeaux, Alibaba’s founder Jack Ma received a call from the Chinese authorities urging H to return home.
Reports indicate that H, aged 48, was born in mainland China, holds Singaporean citizenship, and has known Jack Ma for many years. In 2020, he was residing in Bordeaux, France, where he was wanted by the Chinese authorities for money laundering. However, court documents reveal that the real purpose of the Chinese authorities was to have H testify and assist in the investigation involving former Ministry of Public Security Vice Minister Sun Lijun.
Various speculations surrounded the sudden ban on Zhao Wei on August 26, 2021: one theory connected it to her proximity to Jack Ma, while another speculated that she had become entangled in political power struggles between former Chinese leader Zhou Yongkang and Xi Jinping.