Seventeen-year-old actress Huangyang Tiantian stirred controversy after attending a school ceremony wearing emerald earrings reportedly worth 2.3 million yuan (US$319,500).
On May 11, Huangyang posted photos from the prom-like event on Xiaohongshu (RedNote), where her earrings were identified as part of luxury brand GRAFF’s collection. In the post, she wrote, “I borrowed the earrings from my mother.”
The high price of the earrings triggered heated online debate about wealth inequality and Huangyang’s family background. Netizens claimed her father, Yang Wei, was formerly a government official in Ya’an, Sichuan Province, prompting questions about the family’s income.
The controversy quickly became one of the top trending topics on Chinese social media. Speculation increased after users found more photos of Huangyang living a lavish lifestyle, including a multi-million-yuan mansion and a collection of expensive jewelry. Some even accused her father of misappropriating relief funds for the 6.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Ya’an on April 20, 2013, killing 196.
On May 16, Yang Wei issued a statement on Weibo, saying the earrings were replicas. He detailed his official posts and retirement in 2017 to start a business in Shenzhen with his wife. He also denied any involvement in post-quake reconstruction and said the person accused of misusing relief funds was a different man with the same name.
On May 22, Ya’an authorities confirmed that while Yang was not involved in post-earthquake reconstruction, he is suspected of engaging in business while still in public office, a violation of regulations. Authorities also found he concealed the birth of an unauthorized second child during the one-child policy. The investigation is ongoing.
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