Chinese supermodel Liu Wen: her fabulous life in photos

The New York Times called her China's "first bona fide supermodel" in 2012. Liu Wen is making it big as a top model in all parts of the world. How did this beautiful woman get where she is now? Let's have a look at her life story.

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Liu Wen was born on January 27, 1988 in the city of Yongzhou in southern China. This is her as a baby, posted on Liu Wen's Instagram account. She was cute from the start, wasn't she?

(Photos: Instagram, @liuwenlw)

Liu Wen's family in China had a modest, working-class background. As a tall girl of 1.78 meter, or 5 ft 10 inches, Liu often towered over her classmates. She tended to walk hunched over. Her mother encouraged Liu to enter a modelling contest, so she could practice walking with her chin up.

At age 17, Liu Wen participated in a modelling contest where the main prize was a computer. She did not win the computer, but she continued modelling. This is how Liu Wen's career began in 2005. She had quite a lot of success in China.

In 2007 and 2008, she made her international breakthrough. She walked the runway in outfits by Karl Lagerfeld and Victor & Rolf, and then she starred at the Paris Fashion Week. She was barely 20 years old.

In 2009, Liu Wen was the first woman of Chinese descent to walk in a Victoria's Secret fashion show. Since then, she has participated in the spectacular shows almost every year. This stunning outfit is from the 2018 Victoria's Secret show.

As a child, Liu Wen wanted to be a tour guide, because travelling is her favourite thing. Now that she is a model, Liu is always flying from one place to another. She posts pictures about it on Instagram with the label #WenInFlight. And when she's eating something delicious in a restaurant, she posts #WenIEat.

Liu Wen has been called the endearing nickname 'Big Sister' or 'Big Cousin,' because she feels awkward about her stardom at times. She once told a fan who recognized her on the street that she wasn't Liu Wen but 'her big sister,' the Daily Mail recounts.

People often ask her whether she has a boyfriend. But Liu Wen has no time for that. There's too much work and travelling to do! She says she never had a boyfriend, but she would like to find love some day.

Since December 2020, rumors have been circulating about a possible romance between Liu Wen and the Hong Kong singer and actor William Chan. They were seen together in April 2020 by a contractor who did some renovations in Chan's house. The stars have not confirmed nor denied any of the gossip.

(Images: Instagram, @liuwenlw / @williamchanwaiting)

The supermodel likes to watch TV series like 'Friends,' in order to practice her English. Liu Wen loves to listen to female singers like Adele, Duffy, or Florence Welch from Florence and the Machine.

"Romantic music really stirs my soul," she told W Magazine. "And, of course, I love Chinese music; it makes me feel closer to home."

Liu Wen is one of the models most followed on social media. In 2014, American Vogue said that she had a bigger online following than any other model.

Liu's Instagram account shows pictures of her daily life and of the celebrities she meets. In the spring of 2022, the top model is seen wearing a mask, probably in her home country of China, and enjoying some me-time outside.

Though she is a well-behaved, professional model, one day Liu Wen got into a little bit of a controversy. She wished her Instagram followers a 'Happy Lunar New Year' in February of 2018. This is a common wish for many Asian countries, but not in China!

Some critics from her home country said she should have wished them a 'Happy Chinese New Year' instead. Liu ended up changing the post, out of respect for her fellow countrymen.

Liu Wen's net worth is estimated between $35 and $40 million. She was the first Asian woman to rise to the Forbes list of best paid models in 2013. In 2017, she made number 8 with an income of $6.5 million.

Liu Wen is part of a group of Chinese models conquering the world. Among these supermodels are Ming Xi, Sui He, and Estelle Chen.

(Photo: Instagram, @liuwenlw)

She also hangs out with her other, international colleagues. For example with English-American supermodel Emily Ratajkowski who - as we can see on the photo - likes to make silly faces with Liu.

Laughing and making silly faces is something that Liu Wen is known for. Even though she's world famous, privileged and rich, she comes across as a spontaneous young woman with a great sense of humor. Here she's having a laugh with actor Eddie Peng.

Liu Wen likes to dress boyishly and is known for her streetstyle.

She even admitted to W Magazine that she hardly ever wears make up when she is not working!

In 2017, Liu Wen got her own statue in Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Shanghai.

Liu Wen has been thinking about acting as a next career step. She thinks that acting and modelling are not that different. In 2018, she had a small role in the film 'Ocean's 8' as supermodel 'Wen Liu.'

Although she has not made the definite step onto the silver screen just yet, Liu Wen loves to visit film premieres and festivals. Here she is at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival with Alessandra Ambrosio, Arlenis Sosa, and Eva Herzigova.

Liu Wen has been the face of big brands like Estée Lauder, Prada, Victoria's Secret, and Chanel. For each brand she has taken on a different look. Here she is wearing a gorgeous black Chanel skirt suit in 2019.

Most fashion shows and shoots came to a halt with the coronavirus pandemic of 2020. Liu Wen spent much time in the house (or in William Chan's house, if we believe the grapevine!) but she was also able to do some modelling.

When the Italian fashion house Valentino organized a series of Facetime/Zoom shoots to express solidarity with the victims of the pandemic while promoting its new designs, Liu Wen was in.

In recent years, Liu Wen has become the brand ambassador for e-commerce giant JD Worldwide, fast-fashion store Peacebird, Canadian activewear brand Arc'teryx and the underwear brand Ubras. Here she's modelling Prada at its fashion show in September 2021.

The big question is: Will she continue modeling or maybe become an actress? Who knows! This Chinese superstar could go anywhere.

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