Zhao Wei, a mainland Chinese actress who has been banned for nearly four years, was spotted at Beijing airport on July 23 with her daughter. In the leaked photos, Zhao Wei’s 15-year-old daughter, known as “Xiao Simei,” had long hair, wore shorts, showing off her long legs, and stood shoulder to shoulder with her mother. With her face unobstructed, she confidently faced the camera, allowing netizens to take photos.
Since being officially labeled a “problematic artist” by the authorities in August 2021, Zhao Wei has remained elusive, maintaining an extremely low profile with her whereabouts shrouded in mystery. Last year, Zhao Wei publicly mourned the passing of author Qiong Yao. On December 28 of the same year, she suddenly announced on Weibo, “I divorced Mr. Huang many years ago, and our marriage has long been legally dissolved.” “I urge all parties to acknowledge these facts to avoid implicating me in false associations or baseless reports.”
The reason Zhao Wei chose to make this announcement that day was because Mr. Huang was facing debt collection. At that time, Hong Kong media reported that a company named “Smart Choice Investment” filed a claim in the High Court of Hong Kong, accusing Mr. Huang of overdue debt repayment, including about 372 million Hong Kong dollars in interest arrears, demanding a total repayment of 753 million Hong Kong dollars, including principal and interest. The Hong Kong media referred to Mr. Huang as “Zhao Wei’s husband” in their reports.
Zhao Wei, aged 49, married Mr. Huang in 2008 and gave birth to their daughter “Xiao Simei” in Singapore in 2010. Now at the age of 15, Xiao Simei has been a subject of public interest since childhood. Recently, some netizens encountered Zhao Wei and her daughter at Beijing airport heading to Yunnan Dali for vacation. Xiao Simei, with long hair and showing off her long legs, is almost as tall as Zhao Wei who stands at 166 centimeters.
Many netizens praised her for inheriting Zhao Wei’s striking big eyes and fresh temperament, while some commented that she “smiles like her father,” suggesting a blend of her parents’ features.
According to a report from the Singaporean newspaper “The Straits Times,” Xiao Simei, who attended an international school in Hong Kong in her childhood, now studies at a prestigious school in Switzerland with annual tuition fees that are quite substantial. Earlier reports mentioned that she posted filtered short videos on social media platforms such as Instagram and Xiaohongshu, showing her transformation from a cute little girl to an elegant teenage girl.
Zhao Wei rose to fame with the hit drama “My Fair Princess” based on Qiong Yao’s works. However, on August 26, 2021, she was suddenly banned from various mainland platforms, her Weibo account was shut down, and her unreleased projects had their cast changed, causing turmoil in the entertainment industry. Even close friends in the industry distanced themselves from her on Weibo, seemingly afraid of any association.
Since the ban, Zhao Wei’s business empire has been shrinking continuously. By the end of last year, she was even pursued for a debt of 8,488 yuan by the court, and forced to pay 14,177 yuan in execution. Recently, information from the “Qichacha” app showed that Guangzhou’s Haizhu District Court had sent execution notices and property reporting orders to Hebao Entertainment Group Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Lepai Tianxia Sports Technology Co., Ltd., and a certain Mr. Yang, requesting a written report on their current and past year’s property within five days. The case information indicated that the companies and individual involved in the case had to pay over 480,000 yuan this May. Hebao Entertainment Group Co., Ltd., established in 2015, had shareholders including Zhao Wei, holding about 4.5% of the shares.
It is believed that before Zhao Wei took her daughter to Yunnan Dali for a trip, she must have been aware of this latest development in the case.