From rural girl to tycoon: China woman, 55, marries lover, 25, with US$7.3 million dowry

A 55-year-old Chinese woman, who became a medical aesthetics tycoon, married her 25-year-old lover with a US$7.3 million dowry.

Photo: SCMP composite/RedNote/Baidu A 55-year-old Chinese medical aesthetics tycoon has shocked the internet by marrying her 25-year-old husband, reportedly with a 50 million yuan (US$7.3 million) dowry.

Yu Wenhong, 55, was born into a financially modest family in Dalian, Liaoning province, in northeastern China.

After her father died, she began working in the beauty industry at the age of 18 to support her mother and younger brother.

Yu Wenhong as a young woman, above.

She was born into a “modest” rural family.

Photo: baike.baidu.com She started as an eyebrow tattooing technician and later went on to establish her own beauty salon.

In 2004, she founded Young Merry Real International Group in Hong Kong, gradually building a medical aesthetics business empire.

Medical aesthetics focuses on non-surgical, doctor-led procedures to enhance appearance and improve skin health, combining clinical treatments with personalised care.

By 2005, the company’s network of partner shops had expanded to more than 150.

Yu, circled in pink, began her working life tattooing eyebrows.

Photo: baike.baidu.com However, her business has been surrounded by controversy.

For instance, Yu and her partners introduced various beauty treatments, including the so-called “Porcelain Doll” procedure.

This treatment involves extracting the client’s own serum and injecting it back into the face to promote skin renewal, allegedly resulting in smooth, fair “porcelain-like” skin.

While such procedures may appear questionable and lack medical proof, a single session can cost as much as 15,000 yuan (US$2,200).

Yu, above, has courted controversy in both her business and personal life.

Photo: baike.baidu.com In 2022, she was also involved in a tax scandal, in which she concealed 4.7 billion yuan (US$682 million) in income and evaded 147 million yuan (US$21 million) in taxes.

Besides Yu’s rise-to-success story, her romantic life has also been complex, as she reportedly had five marriages before the latest one.

At the age of 45, she entered a relationship with a 25-year-old Albanian model, Rolando Lekaj.

The two were together for a decade and had a second child.

Online, Yu has consistently crafted a strong “female lead” persona, portraying herself as an independent and resilient woman.

This image has brought her significant online traffic and helped promote

原文链接: 南华早报