5 Fast Facts About 'China's First Bona Fide Supermodel,' Liu Wen

By Ryan Gandolfo, March 12, 2019

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Sino Celeb is a monthly feature where we introduce a Chinese celebrity to our readers.

Even if you haven’t heard of Liu Wen, you must have seen her before. The Chinese supermodel from Hunan province has graced the covers of numerous magazines, including Vogue China, Style and Forbes Asia. After entering the New Silk Road World Model Contest in 2005, Liu’s stardom took off and has dominated catwalks ever since.

Here are five things you should know about the woman widely regarded as China’s first supermodel.

1. “China’s first bona fide supermodel”

The New York Times bestowed this title on Liu in 2012, as she continued to awe everyone in the fashion industry. The next year, Forbes ranked her the fifth highest paid model with reported earnings of USD4.3 million.

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Image via @liuwenlw/Instagram

2. Tour Guide Aspirations

Liu never planned on being a model. According to E! News Asia, she dreamed of being a tour guide as a means to travel the world. While leading tourists was never in the cards, she has certainly done a fair bit of traveling for countless fashion shows and photo shoots around the world.

3. Victoria’s Chinese Secret

In 2009, Liu became the first Chinese model to walk the runway at Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, just one year after her runway debut in Milan.

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Liu Wen at a Prada Fashion Show. Image via@liuwenlw/Instagram

4. Social Media Dominance

Everyone loves a friendly face, and Liu’s sweet personality and bright smile have made her one of the most followed models on various social media platforms. She boasts around 24 million followers on Weibo and 4.5 million on Instagram.

5. Love Life Lulls

While Liu continues to build upon an incredibly successful modeling career, her relationship status has taken a toll. Liu was once quoted by Live RampUp for saying, “There’s nobody in my life – this is very sad. Perhaps you can put it in the in- terview that I’m looking for a boyfriend; they can contact my agent.” 

For more Sino Celeb, click here.

[Cover image via @liuwenlw/Instagram]

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