Luxury flat once owned by Chinese actress Vicki Zhao and her ex-husband goes unsold despite 32% discount

HONG KONG: A fancy two-story apartment that used to belong to Chinese actress Vicky Zhao and her ex-husband Huang Youlong did not get a single offer at an auction, even though its price was knocked down by a 32% discount, a report by VNExpress said.

South China Morning Post has also reported that whoever owns that apartment now tried to sell it on Wednesday at an auction by AA Property Auctioneers. They were hoping to get HK$49 million (SGD8.1 million) for it, but nobody even made a bid.

Couple announced divorce

Zhao and Huang announced they were getting divorced late last year. They actually bought that place back in 2012 for HK$72 million, and sold it in 2020, but nobody knows exactly how much they got for it. The apartment itself is big – it’s got four bedrooms, comes with two parking spaces, and is about 3,494 square feet, which is like 324 square meters. It is situated in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, in the upscale residential complex known as The Westminster Terrace.

The building where that apartment is located, which was finished in 2009, is all fancy duplexes. Most of them are pretty big, ranging from about 2,400 to 3,400 square feet. And some of the penthouses up top are even much bigger, going up to 6,500 square feet.

As reported by Dimsum Daily, this sale might be happening because Zhao’s ex-husband, Huang, who’s a 48-year-old Singaporean businessman born in China, has been having a rough time legally. Apparently, Interpol even issued a red notice for him, and he got arrested in France. Plus, the people who regulate the markets in China have also sanctioned him and basically blacklisted him.

Sued for failing to pay rent

Additionally, he was sued for allegedly failing to pay rent since May 2022 while having a home at The Westminster Terrace with six parking spaces since August 2020.

In 2008, Huang and Zhao tied the knot. A bit more about Zhao herself, who’s also 48 – she became a huge star in China because of this really popular TV show called My Fair Princess. It was such a hit that people even gave her the nickname “national goddess!”

Back in 2015, Forbes actually called Zhao Wei “the world’s wealthiest working actress.” That just goes to show she’s not just good at acting; she’s apparently a really smart investor too. Zhao Wei and her ex-husband Huang actually made a lot of money by investing in the Chinese stock market. So, besides her acting and directing career, she’s also got a knack for making money through investments.

Things took a bit of a turn in 2018 when their business started to go downhill after the China Securities Regulatory Commission slapped them with a fine and also banned them from trading stocks. So, that earlier success in the stock market didn’t last forever.

Chinese authorities put Zhao on some kind of blacklist, and after that, all her TV shows and movies started disappearing from online platforms in 2021. She has had a modest public profile ever since.

Zhao Wei, or Vicki Zhao as some people know her, has also directed movies, produced them, and she even sings! Apart from these, she’s also respected and has a lot of influence in the entertainment world there.

Four Dan Actress

Born on March 12, 1976, she rose to pan-Asian fame for her role as the playful Xiaoyanzi (Little Swallow) in the popular television series My Fair Princess (1998-1999). This role earned her the Golden Eagle Award for Best Actress and remains one of the most iconic TV characters of the decade.

Zhao Wei is actually considered one of China’s “Four Dan Actresses.” Basically, that’s a title they give to the actresses who are not only huge box office successes but also get a lot of praise from critics in the Chinese-speaking world.