China KOL with inferiority complex owns 7 homes worth US$110 million, wears only

Wang said he chose to live in a smaller property of around 700 sqm in the compound because the larger, 991 sqm one he owns lacks natural light.

Jewellery dealer Wang said he never goes out unless he is wearing an outfit and jewels worth at least 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million).

His small team of eight staff include four people dedicated to his protection.

The wealth-flaunting videos Wang posts have earned him the tag “China’s Kim Kardashian”.

Originally named Wang Hongquan, the 30-something influencer added “xing”, which means “star”, to the name of his online persona.

Wang rose to fame in a 2022 video of him lying on all fours asking for lucky money from his mother.

The casual style of the video, in contrast to the luxurious interior decorations and the sizeable jadeite stones they wore, attracted many to follow his Douyin account.

His account now has 4.4 million followers.

But Wang wants more. He was crystal clear about why he became a KOL: “I don’t care how much I can make. I just want to be in the spotlight.”

He admits to being vain and says he knows nothing but spending money, adding that his wealth makes up for an inferiority complex over his appearance.

Wang rarely speaks about his background. The sparse information he gave was he came from a family who built up their wealth in the coal mining business, and later in the jadeite jewellery business.

Wang is a neighbour and close friend of renowned Chinese actress Fan Bingbing. He also has a wide circle of showbusiness friends and acquaintances.

In March, his 1,000 square-metre boutique, Quranus, had a grand opening in the heart of Beijing’s luxury district.

An array of stars, such as Canadian actress Christy Chung and Bruneian singer and actor Wu Chun, showed up to celebrate his big day.

However, Wang said despite many celebrities trying to befriend him to buy jewellery cheaply, he treated them purely as customers, as many are hypocrites who “live a fake life”.

Wang’s style did not turn people off like other wealth-flaunting KOLs or fuerdai, meaning “second-generation rich”.

Instead, people said his honesty about his wealth and desires made him likeable.

“He is more real than most celebrities, true to his desire for money and fame, and acknowledging his inferiority complex despite owning so much more than ordinary people,” said one online observer on Douyin.