Huawei heiress Annabel Yao: a glamorous life

This is Annabel Yao, heiress of the Huawei empire. The glamorous young woman is the daughter of Ren Zhengfei, founder of the biggest tech company in China. Her life is a lavish adventure.

Annabel Yao was born in 1998 in Hong Kong. She first made a name for herself as a fashionista and social media influencer.

Image: Annabel Yao Anna / Weibo

Now, in her mid-twenties, she's embarking on a career in IT while also continuing to seek the spotlight with fabulous outfits and public appearances.

There seems to have been a before and an after for Annabel. As she was studying at Harvard University, she updated her Instagram account (@annabelballerina) regularly.

Now, the account is empty and Annabel has referred us to Weibo and LinkedIn. On the Chinese social media platform Weibo, she has a whopping 1.5 million followers.

Image: Annabel Yao Anna / Weibo

Her Instagram account was called 'Annabel ballerina' because the wealthy influencer loves to dance. She started with ballet in Shanghai when she was 15 years old. Then, as a Harvard student, she trained and performed with the Harvard Ballet Company.

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram

The heiress of the Huawei empire majored in Computer Science at Harvard University. She seems to be following in the footsteps of her famous father, the Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei. However, she also flirts with showbiz.

In 2021, she recorded a single (which, unfortunately, didn't become a hit) and she is regularly seen at fashion events or parties. Annabel Yao even performs occasionally, for example at the Hunan Satellite TV New Year's Eve gala in December 2023.

Image: Annabel Yao Anna / Weibo

Annabel Yao is the daughter of Yao Ling, the second wife of Ren Zhengfei. The founder of Huawei (in the middle of this photo) has two other, much older daughters from another marriage. But Annabel appears to be the apple of his eye.

As Business Insider reports: "It seems like Ren has a particular soft spot for Annabel, describing her love of dancing in interviews and agreeing to an intimate family photoshoot in Paris Match."

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram

"We felt it would be much better to support her in doing whatever she wants to do," he said, as cited by Business Insider.

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram

According to the publication, "Ren said Annabel danced 15 hours a week while at school, and would then do her homework late into the night."

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram

Besides Huawei tycoon, Ren Zhengfei is also an ex-military, member of the Communist Party, and part of the oligarchy that drives the nation's politics and economy. Here we see him with the Chinese president Xi Jinping.

One of Annabel's half-sisters from Ren Zhengfei's first marriage is Meng Wanzhou. She is the Chief Financial Officer of Huawei. In recent years, Annabel's half-sister has taken a lot of heat as the face of the company.

When working in North America, she was prosecuted for alleged fraud in Canada and for breaking trade laws in the U.S. You can see her court-ordered ankle bracelet here in a photo from 2020. Eventually, in 2022, she left the country and charges were dropped.

For her sister Annabel, who's 25 years younger than her, life seems to be a lot easier. She travels, performs, and wears amazing designer clothes.

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram

Annabel stands out for her lifestyle and designer outfits. When she was studying at Harvard, from 2016 to 2020, her appearance and ambitions were absolutely Western and very different from the reality of many Chinese women.

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram

Even though Annabel Yao's father was a protagonist in the Chinese trade war with the United States, she didn't mind celebrating the 4th of July with her American friends.

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram

In 2018, the Huawei heiress drew international attention by participating in the Debutante Ball in Paris. The renowned gala is a traditional event in which the young men and women of the upper class present themselves to society. Annabel Yao made her appearance together with other illuster names that included aristocrats, the grandson of Gregory Peck, and Giacomo Belmondo.

Image: Le Bal / Instagram

From then on, society watchers from the West, as well as the East, began following the fascinating lifestyle of Annabel Yao.

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram

Annabel Yao likes London, but Paris is also one of her favorite cities. In recent years, especially after graduating from Harvard, the young woman has spent a lot of time in Shanghai and Beijing.

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram

In the spring of 2020, Annabel posted more pictures from home and less from other places in the world. She was studying hard to complete her BA degree at Harvard, and because of the pandemic, she couldn't go anywhere.

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram

The official ceremony with the cap and gown, an event seniors in colleges across the world look forward to, was not in the stars for Annabel Yao. On Instagram, she lamented the 'abrupt farewell' from her Alma Mater.

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram

Still, as may be expected for a billionaire heiress, Annabel Yao got her own graduation celebration.

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram

And what came next? A position at the Huawei headquarters like her half-sister? No way! Annabel kept posting about her adventures around the world.

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram

In August 2020, she appeared in a video and photos on Weibo with two other millionaire heiresses: the late casino magnate Stanley Ho's daughter Alice Ho and Sanpower chairman Yuan Yafei's daughter Donna Yuan. They wore identical blue and white outfits, did a dance together, and captioned one of the photos ‘Produce Camp 2020’ after a renowned talent show, TodayOnline reported. The girl group was not heard from again, though.

Image: Weibo

She's been trying different haircuts, too. From the classic long hair and fringes...

Image: Annabel Yao Anna / Weibo

...to a boyish short haircut. The high heels give her a feminine touch at the 2021 Sina Fashion Best Taste event.

Annabel Yao's latest look has been a medium-length, layered hairdo with a mullet effect in the neck. She looks elegant and sympathetic with the new cut!

Image: Annabel Yao Anna / Weibo

Whatever she's up to, in the tech industry or showbiz, Annabel Yao is an icon of the new generation of Chinese millionaires who are leading today's global economy.

Image: @annabelballerina / Instagram