The ongoing “High-priced Earring” incident involving Chinese mainland actress Huang Yangdiandian continues to ferment online. People have raised questions about the whereabouts of disaster relief funds after the Ya’an earthquake based on her father’s career, suspecting possible official corruption. In an attempt to calm public opinion, a joint working group was set up in Ya’an City. On May 22nd, Huang Yangdiandian’s father, Yang Wei, a former public servant in Ya’an City, was placed under investigation. Previous incidents of flaunting wealth in mainland China have already exposed a large number of corrupt officials.
The incident began when Huang Yangdiandian shared a photo of her 18th birthday celebration on social media, where eagle-eyed netizens noticed she was wearing what appeared to be a high-priced earring, suspected to be from the luxury brand GRAFF’s classic series with an official price tag of around 2.3 million yuan. Netizens questioned her family background and the source of her wealth.
Subsequently, the family members behind Huang Yangdiandian were uncovered. Her father, Yang Wei, had served as a public servant in Ya’an City. From April 2011 to September 2017, he worked in various positions related to city management and investment promotion, assisting in investment activities organization and coordination. In October 2014, Yang Wei established the Shenzhen Guoying Film and Television Culture Communication Co., Ltd., with registered capital of 5 million yuan.
Interestingly, following the devastating 8.0-magnitude Wenchuan earthquake in Ya’an on May 20, 2008, reconstruction efforts started in 2013. In 2014, Yang Wei established the film and television company, raising suspicions among netizens about the allocation of disaster relief funds.
In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, Yang Wei founded the Yishantang (Shenzhen) Biotechnology Company, suspected to be involved in nucleic acid testing business. Following the earring incident, the company underwent business changes. According to Yang Wei’s associations, another company, Shenzhen Shuoci Mumei Cosmetic Trading Co., Ltd., saw Yang Wei exit on May 14, 2025. The company’s legal representative changed to “Hao”, major shareholder shifted from Yang to “Zhao”, and key member Si Lingxia also withdrew. The company’s name was changed from “Yishantang (Shenzhen) Biotechnology Co., Ltd.” to “Shenzhen Shuoci Mumei Cosmetic Trading Co., Ltd.”
Huang Yangdiandian’s mother, Si Lingxia, was also linked to several enterprises and had been a key member of the Shenzhen Biotechnology Co., Ltd. Post the earring incident, Si Lingxia’s background was scrutinized, revealing her establishment of Ya’an Shangpin Business Service Co., Ltd. in January 2015 and her role as the legal representative of various establishments.
In February 2012, Si Lingxia established Jielong Immigration Company, where she held majority shares and served as the general manager and legal representative, primarily focusing on private entry and exit intermediary services.
In 2015, Si Lingxia paid nearly 400,000 yuan to Ye Lanfei for processing 27 Hong Kong and Macau travel permits, leading to a legal dispute when the permits were not obtained as promised.
According to court records, Ye Lanfei claimed that Si Lingxia had been engaging in illegal visa business, and they had collaborated from May 2014 to produce false data for Hong Kong and Macau travel permit business visas through bribery of relevant officials.
Netizens revealed Si Lingxia’s involvement in immigration consulting and biotechnology fields, with her enterprises facing investigations for illegal operations during the pandemic.
The official website of the Chinese Communist Party also indicated that Huang Yangdiandian’s grandmother, Huang Yanrong, served as the former vice director, deputy secretary of the party group, and vice chairman (concurrently) of the Sichuan Provincial People’s Congress Standing Committee.
In light of this incident, Yang Wei, her father, was placed under investigation on May 22. Official statements denied the public’s suspicions, stating that Yang had not been involved in post-earthquake reconstruction project bidding or the management of disaster relief and charity donations. However, they acknowledged that Yang was suspected of engaging in illegal business activities during his time in Ya’an, deliberately concealing violations related to a second child during public servant recruitment exams and work. The supervisory authorities have initiated an investigation into these alleged violations.
Past survivors of the Ya’an earthquake lamented, “Through these recent events, we have come to realize that there were many donations made to us back then. We had thought our small town had been overlooked.”
Rights lawyer Wu Shaoping, based in the United States, expressed to Epoch Times that the hierarchical system within the Chinese Communist Party has entrenched nepotism, allowing descendants of officials to enter the system. This has led to a systemic corruption that has become familial in nature. Wu Shaoping believes that the investigation into Yang Wei may end inconclusively, and the CCP may introduce regulations prohibiting officials’ children from flaunting wealth to mask corruption incidents and prevent public scrutiny, thus avoiding backlash.
Wu Shaoping further stated, “Since the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Ya’an, during which a significant amount of donations were collected, with 50.1 billion yuan remaining unaccounted for, it is highly likely that it was embezzled. At that time, there were many doubts and questions about the donations. Despite the enormous disaster caused by the Wenchuan earthquake, many people did not receive proper assistance, leading to financial difficulties, yet the donated money’s destination remained unknown.”
“Subsequently, the Guo Meimei flaunting wealth incident erupted, laying bare the falsehoods in the CCP’s charity industry. The so-called charity by the CCP essentially serves as another form of corruption, another channel for benefit delivery. A large amount of donated funds, whether to the Red Cross Society or other charity organizations, disappeared without trace.”
Previous incidents of flaunting wealth in mainland China have exposed a number of corrupt officials.
For instance, in 2024, Chinese-Canadian singer Qu Wanting caused controversy by posting a photo with her father on social media. Qu Wanting had immigrated to Canada for studies at the age of 16, with her father following suit. Her mother, Zhang Mingjie, had served as the deputy director of the Harbin City Development and Reform Commission and the office director of the urbanization construction leadership group, misappropriating resettlement fees for thousands of unemployed families from Northeast China, leading to a life imprisonment sentence for abusing her power.
In March 2023, the granddaughter of a retired CCP official, under the online alias “Arctic Catfish,” flaunted wealth on Weibo, sparking public outcry. Her grandfather, former Shenzhen Municipal Transportation Bureau director Zhong Gengsi, was subsequently investigated. In an official announcement on October 10 of the same year, Shenzhen authorities declared Zhong Gengsi expelled from the party, demoted in retirement benefits, and confiscated his ill-gotten gains.
In July 2022, Jiangxi State-Owned Capital Operation Holding Group employee Zhou Jie’s show-off of wealth and connections provoked social attention. Zhou Jie boasted on WeChat about his behind-the-scenes support, receiving help through connections, and interactions with high-level officials, ultimately resulting in his suspension. Two years later, in 2024, the official was arrested for corruption. It was speculated that Zhou’s display of wealth had contributed to the downfall of the official.
In July 2022, Liaoning internet celebrity Wang Chengcheng posted a flaunting video depicting her posing with her father in police uniform and potentially using a police helicopter as a background. This raised suspicions among netizens about misuse of public resources and rent-seeking. Official investigations revealed that her father, a teaching officer at a squadron in the Shenyang Municipal Public Security Bureau prior to retiring in February 2022, discredited Wang Chengcheng’s claims of self-made success, leading to her account being terminated and the dismissal of related airline personnel.
Wu Shaoping emphasized that from this series of events, it is evident that the CCP’s anti-corruption efforts only come to light after public attention is drawn, enabling the exposure of corrupt officials. This paradoxical phenomenon in the CCP’s anti-corruption measures renders them ineffective. Consequently, the CCP’s anti-corruption campaigns are not genuine.