12 facts you should know about top Chinese star Angelababy

Angelababy started modelling at the age of 14 after signing with the Hong Kong modelling agency Style International Management after moving to the island just a year prior. In a 2009 interview, Angelababy shared that her foray into modelling started "as a joke" when her classmates sent a photo of her to the agency as a joke.

Angelababy's entry into acting then happened when she scored a cameo appearance in the 2007 film Trivial Matters. She was only 18 then.

Since her debut, Angelababy's acting career only went up from there, starring in shows such as First Time (2012), Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013) and Mojin: The Lost Legend (2015). For her role in Mojin, Angelababy won Best Supporting Actress at the 2016 Hundred Flowers Awards.

In 2013, Angelababy was named one of the New Four Dan Actresses, a group of young actresses noted for their bankability. Alongside her were Yang Mi, Liu Shishi and Ni Ni.

The two films were the action thriller Hitman: Agent 47 (2015) and the sci-fi action Independence Day: Resurgence (2016).

Despite having almost twenty years of acting experience under her belt, Angelababy still gets criticised for her bad acting. In 2021, acting coach You Sihan shot down her acting, adding that she hasn't progressed at all. In 2019, Angelababy was rumoured to explore acting opportunities in Korea as the Chinese market didn't want to hire her over her bad acting and high fees. Even when Zhang Ziyi tried to stand up for Angelababy's acting in 2020, netizens were quick to shut her down with further critiques of her acting.

In October 2015, Huang Xiaoming and Angelababy said "I do" to each other at a wedding estimated to cost US$31 million. For the ceremony, Angelaby wore a custom Dior gown and a US$1.5 million Chaumet wedding ring that had a five-carat diamond. Over 600 guests were present to witness the rose-filled, castle-themed event.

The fairytale didn't last long, however, as Huang Xiaoming and Angelababy called it quits in 2022. The couple has a son, nicknamed Little Sponge, in January 2017.

In 2017, Angelababy placed eighth on the Forbes China Celebrity List and earned close to $30 million in 2016. It shouldn't be a surprise then as Angelababy's star power shone brightly on her own and was brightened when she was with Huang Xiaoming. In 2020, however, it was reported that Angelababy only raked in CNY$10 million, which is said to be lower than certain second-tier celebs.

Having such striking features and being such a public figure, it shouldn't be surprising that Angelababy gets many queries about whether she has had plastic surgery done. In 2015, Angelababy went to Beijing’s Plastic Surgery Hospital (Institute) to have her face properly examined and scanned to check for signs of enhancements after allegations arose. She documented the process, together with the help of notaries and the press, and was eventually declared that she is a natural beauty by the doctor.

Good and bad press alike, there are many people who want to keep up with Angelababy on social media. Dubbed the "Chinese queen of social media" or "Weibo Goddess", Angelababy has over 105 million followers on Weibo and over 10 million followers on Instagram. She is also reported to be the first female Chinese celeb to achieve 10 million on Instagram.

You might think that Angelababy's svelte figure comes from rigorous dieting. But in reality, Angelababy revealed that she has a genetic condition from her mother that makes her difficult to gain weight. As a result, she has to deal with anaemia and low blood pressure and has to supplement her diet with vitamins.

When Angelababy was younger, she admitted that cyberbullies got to her. "I didn’t look at my social media accounts. I was depressed for a period of time. For the first two months I was in Beijing for work, I’d look at the ceiling and cry every night. Someone gave me a book on how to deal with depression, but I flung it aside and told them not to give me such things."

She used video games to distract herself and only learnt how to cope with the negative feelings after having her son. "I used to want to give everything a try, but now that I’m a mother, I want to protect my son. I don’t want him to grow up and have people telling him that his mum is useless."