Global Courant
A Chinese actress has come under fire for flaunting her wealth at a live-streamed sales event, sparking renewed debate in China over how much celebrities earn.
Zhang Yuqi, also known as Kitty Zhang, rose to fame after starring in the 2008 film CJ7 and The Mermaid by Hong Kong comedic actor Stephen Chow.
Last Saturday, she held her first in-person livestream event on Chinese social media app Douyin.
Her co-host on the livestream, Taiwanese actor Steven Hao, asked if she would pay 699 yuan (S$131) for a Chinese-brand Australian wool duvet that originally cost 1,699 yuan.
Zhang replied, “I can’t even buy a pair of socks with 699 yuan.”
Her comment angered netizens who said she was arrogant.
One said “poverty has limited my imagination as I’ve never seen a 699 yuan pair of socks”, while another commented “we know you are rich so you look down on 699 yuan”.
Zhang apologized on her Weibo account the next day, writing that what she meant to say was that wool is a very expensive material and some wool socks cost more than 699 yuan.
“That’s why it was surprising that a quality wool quilt from a well-known brand can be so affordable,” she added.
“Thanks everyone for your correction. I will do my best to express myself better to avoid any misunderstanding.”
This is not the first time Zhang has made headlines with comments like this.
In 2018, she shared her experience of buying diamonds on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, stating that she had never bought diamonds less than one carat because “small diamonds are worthless”.
Earlier in January, she also told her fans to stop sending her gifts because they waste money and can’t afford her fans “the things she wants”.
