29-year-old mainland Chinese actress Zhang Ruonan has recently gained fame for her role in the TV series “Difficult to Deal With,” earning a staggering 5 million yuan in pay. However, as her popularity surges, some netizens have dug into her background and private life, revealing that she has been renting a house even after working in the industry for 9 years, with most of her earnings going towards filling the financial hole in her original family.
Originally named Zhang Ruonan, she comes from a traditional family where her name signifies her family’s expectation for male offspring. Being the eldest in the family with two younger sisters and a brother, she took on the responsibility of taking care of her siblings and sharing the parents’ worries from a young age, shouldering the role of a pillar in the family.
Since her debut in 2017, Zhang Ruonan has appeared in various film and television works, such as “Sadness Flows into River” and “Your Wedding.” Her latest drama “Difficult to Deal With” has been garnering high viewership and she received a hefty 5 million yuan paycheck. According to information compiled by netizens, the total box office revenue of the works she participated in exceeded 1.5 billion yuan, establishing her as a representative of the new generation of actors.
In contrast to her remarkable achievements in the entertainment industry, Zhang Ruonan leads a very modest and thrifty lifestyle. Some netizens pointed out that she has mainly used her income over the years to pay off her family’s business debts, taking care of her siblings’ tuition and living expenses, as well as preparing a marriage property for her brother. During the pandemic, when the family business faced financial difficulties, she immediately contributed 2 million yuan to help the family tide over the crisis.
In response to public inquiries, Zhang’s mother once said, “The eldest takes care of us, and we support her brothers’ and sisters’ dreams.” This reflects the family ethics of “the eldest daughter as the father,” expressing gratitude towards the eldest daughter and expectations for Zhang Ruonan’s siblings to pursue their own dreams.
For the past 9 years since her debut, Zhang Ruonan has been renting in Beijing, living in shared housing and even commuting by crowded subway. She wears earrings that cost only 58 yuan and chooses carpooling for transportation. Netizens also discovered that before starting her career at the age of 20, her parents arranged for her to meet a man 10 years older for a potential marriage, indicating that important life choices have never been solely for herself. All these aspects have surprised many netizens.
Hailing from Leqing, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, Zhang Ruonan’s family relations have stirred up some controversy. In October 2025, during her younger sister Zhang Qianyi’s extravagant wedding, Zhang Ruonan did not make a public appearance, leading to speculations from the public. Some believe it might be due to local customs that suggest an “unmarried elder daughter should not attend her younger sister’s wedding,” while others speculate it was to prevent the star’s identity from overshadowing the newlyweds.