A Chinese heiress appears to be launching a one-woman effort to take on those Rich Kids of Instagram by splashing evidence of her immense wealth on a social networking site.
Tomboy Zhang Jiale chose Weibo – China’s version of Twitter - to publish photographs of her diamond-studded iPhone, Aston Martin, private jet and designer shopping sprees – and the snaps have gone viral.
The 22-year-old is the daughter of Zhang Jun, an electronics, property and insurance mogul, who is the head of Sino Llife Insurance in Shenzhen, China Smack revealed.
Zhang Jiale is pictured sitting amongst a pile of shopping bags from upmarket boutiques
According to the Straits Times, the behaviour of China’s “fu’erdai” or “rich second generation” (i.e. the often spoilt children of tycoons from the 80s and 90s) is frequently held up as examples of the country’s moral decline.
Comments left on China Smack seem both envious and angry.
One said: “We do not hate the rich, what we hate is the unfairness behind the wealth.”
Another added: “I believe 90 per cent of rich people spend their money like this, it is normal.”
Jiale accompanies the snaps with somewhat wistful comments including: “Money can buy a house but not a family. It can buy you a watch but not time.
“It can buy you a bed but not sleep, a book but not knowledge, can buy you medical care but not health.”
A masked woman licks cream off Jiale's face
The Telegraph reports Jiale is in a relationship with a 19-year-old model named Vanessa Yang, and that she is nicknamed ‘Wu Zetian’ among her supercar devotees – a reference to a former Tang Dynasty empress.
Rich Kids of Instagram caused a furore in 2012 as privileged American teenagers flooded the internet with pictorial evidence of lavish lifestyles revolving around private jets, champagne and haute couture.
One such rich kid – socialite Annabel Schwartz – later publicly called the naked displays of wealth “very embarrassing”.
Schwartz had been pictured in front of a helicopter with her friends in Saint-Tropez, France.
The 20-year-old added: “This isn’t attractive publicity.
“We all grew up quite nicely but I don’t want to be embarrassed by the fact that I can enjoy myself in Saint-Tropez.
“Everyone here considers themselves to be a lot more substantial than their father’s credit card."
