Recently, the news of 18-year-old mainland Chinese actress Huang Yangdian wearing a pair of emerald earrings worth 2.3 million yuan at her coming-of-age ceremony has sparked controversy online. It was revealed that her father was a former public servant in Ya’an, Sichuan, leading to suspicions of illicit enrichment. On May 15th, information related to Huang Yangdian surged to the top of trending searches.
On May 11th, Huang Yangdian posted several photos from her coming-of-age ceremony on her social media account. Netizens quickly identified the earrings she wore as part of the luxury brand GRAFF’s classic collection, with an estimated value of around 2.3 million yuan. Despite the absence of the earrings’ listing on GRAFF’s official website, they were being resold for over 1 million yuan on secondary market platforms. Internet users questioned the mismatch between such expensive jewelry and her status as a newcomer in the entertainment industry.
Subsequently, Huang Yangdian explained in a post that the earrings belonged to her mother. Curious netizens delved further into her family background and found certain inconsistencies in their financial sources.
Netizens pointed out that Huang Yangdian’s father used to work as a public servant at Ya’an Economic and Trade Foreign Affairs Bureau, responsible for bidding. However, there were doubts raised as to the legitimacy of the companies he awarded bids to, such as Shenzhen Xinyifang Exhibition Planning Co., Ltd., whose legal representative shares the Yang surname. Additionally, her mother had served as a shareholder and supervisor at Ya’an Shangpin Service Co., Ltd., which includes exhibition services in its scope of business. It is noted that there are explicit regulations prohibiting family members of officials from engaging in business activities within the jurisdiction or scope of the official’s work.
In response, on May 15th, “Cover News” cited an insider’s information stating that Huang Yangdian’s father had worked at Ya’an Economic and Trade Foreign Affairs Bureau from 2015 to 2017 and has since resigned for 8 years. The source clarified that his personal and family income are indeed unrelated to the bureau.
According to the insider, Huang Yangdian is a hometown celebrity from Ya’an and had been invited by the local government to promote the city, while her mother has been working in the corporate sector for years.
The aforementioned insider informed “Cover News” that as Huang Yangdian’s father had resigned many years ago, the bureau was unaware of his current situation. The bureau has reached out to him to address the doubts raised by netizens, stating that “more information needs to be provided by Huang Yangdian and her family.” However, “Cover News” reporters made repeated attempts to contact Huang Yangdian’s father via phone but received no response.
Moreover, according to an article from Netease account “Meng Shen Mu Mu,” it was suggested that Huang Yangdian’s family wealth did not solely stem from her father’s business ventures after leaving his public service post. Based on a timeline uncovered by netizens, her mother had been seen wearing precious jewelry worth 500,000 yuan back in 2016, including a necklace and earrings each priced at tens of thousands of yuan. Additionally, speculation arose from childhood photos showing their villa worth hundreds of millions.
On May 16th, Huang Yangdian’s talent agency, Jiaying Media, released a statement debunking the rumors, affirming that “Huang Yangdian and her parents are willing to accept reasonable public oversight but will not tolerate any malicious defamation or infringement of rights,” and further stating that they will take legal actions accordingly.
Public records indicate that Huang Yangdian was born in July 2007 in Shenzhen. She entered the entertainment industry in 2017 by portraying young Chu Qiao in the costume drama “Princess Agents,” marking her as a prominent figure among post-2005 female actresses in mainland Chinese film and television. Recently, she starred in “Princess Agents 2,” but controversy arose shortly after the completion of filming.
Amidst the controversy surrounding Huang Yangdian’s alleged “flaunting wealth and burdening father,” related information continued to dominate top searches as of noon on May 15th, accumulating tens of millions of views.