Former mainland Chinese A-list actress Zhao Wei, who has been shrouded in mystery since being completely banned in August 2021, has reemerged in the spotlight. Her social media accounts were previously unblocked, and on August 30, she posted photos of her travels in Xinjiang on Weibo, sparking discussions about her noticeably slimmer appearance.
On December 28 last year, Zhao Wei announced on her newly unblocked Weibo account that she had been divorced from tycoon Huang Youlong for many years and legally no longer had any marital relationship with him. On the same day, Huang Youlong faced a debt chase as a company named “Wisdom Venture Capital” filed a lawsuit in the Hong Kong High Court, accusing him of overdue debts and interest amounting to around 3.72 billion Hong Kong dollars, demanding a total repayment of 753 million Hong Kong dollars including principal and interest. Hong Kong media referred to Huang Youlong as “Zhao Wei’s husband” in their reports.
In the photos shared by Zhao Wei on Weibo on August 30 from her trip to Xinjiang, the scenic views of Xinjiang day and night were captured. Photos include shadows of her and friends jumping before sunset and a selfie of her with disheveled hair. It was apparent from the images that she had lost weight significantly, prompting comments from netizens expressing concern about her slimmer figure. Some fans comforted her by saying, “As long as you are happy.”
Zhao Wei married Huang Youlong in 2008 and gave birth to a daughter named “Little April” in 2010. The couple once actively participated in the capital market together. Reports from Chinese media previously mentioned that Zhao Wei and Huang Youlong were involved in manipulating the market values of the “Wan Jia Culture” company by leveraging 50 times, reaching a market value of 10 billion RMB. They were fined 300,000 RMB each and banned from the securities market for 5 years in 2018 due to their actions. Additionally, they faced numerous lawsuits from shareholders, including over 540 lawsuits in 2019, with Zhao Wei alone involved in more than 215 cases.
On August 26, 2021, Zhao Wei’s film and television works were suddenly pulled from various platforms in mainland China, her super topic on Weibo was closed, roles in unreleased works were recast, and even the search results for “Zhao Wei” on platforms like iQIYI, Youku, and Baidu Baike were unavailable. It was not until the end of 2024 that her social media accounts were restored, and her videos were unblocked.
Since being banned, Zhao Wei’s business empire has been dwindling. At the end of last year, she was forced to pay off a debt of 8,488 RMB and had 14,177 RMB enforced against her. As of earlier this month, shares worth 15.9 million RMB under Zhao Wei’s name were frozen by the Dongcheng District Court in Beijing for 3 years, involving Tibet Longwei Cultural Media Co., Ltd., Wuhu Dongrun Hair Investment Co., Ltd., and Hepower Entertainment Group Co., Ltd. Data from “Tianyancha” shows that Zhao Wei holds 95%, 90%, and 4.51% of the shares in these three companies, with the frozen equity amounts being 1.9 million RMB, 5 million RMB, and 9 million RMB respectively.
The reason for Zhao Wei’s sudden banishment has never been clearly explained by the authorities, leading to various speculations. One theory suggests her proximity to Jack Ma may have been a factor, while another suggests she was caught up in a political power struggle between former leader Zeng Qinghong and current President Xi Jinping. Despite occasional rumors of Zhao Wei’s comeback in recent years, no concrete developments have emerged.