Zhang Ziyi's Wealth Isn't Just from Acting Fees! Invested $1.1M 4 Years Ago, Now Cashes Out $140M in Stock Sale, Still Holds 6% Stake

Celebrities don't necessarily earn money only through acting fees. Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi has recently drawn attention due to an equity transaction. Dajiao Investment, a firm she is involved with, is preparing to sell a 23% stake in Shanghai Yiyue—the parent company of the infant skincare brand 'newpage one page'—with a transaction value of approximately 304.5 million RMB (about 1.4 billion TWD). More astonishingly, official announcements reveal that the original acquisition cost of this stake was only 2.3 million RMB (about 11 million TWD), meaning the transaction value is over 130 times the original cost.

Dajiao Investment was an early investor in Shanghai Yiyue. According to the latest announcement by Shanghai UMAX, the original acquisition cost for the 23% stake being sold was 2.3 million RMB. In August 2026, Shanghai UMAX announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Shanghai Qingdao, would acquire Dajiao Investment’s 23% stake in Shanghai Yiyue for approximately 304.518496 million RMB.

It's worth noting that the figure '2.9 million RMB' and the officially disclosed '2.3 million RMB' are not contradictory. The former refers to the total subscribed capital corresponding to Dajiao Investment’s original 29% stake; the actual 23% stake being sold now had an original acquisition cost of 2.3 million RMB, as clearly stated in Shanghai UMAX’s announcement. Calculating with a transaction value of 304.5 million RMB, this represents a return of about 132 times the original cost.

Why has the equity value increased so dramatically? The surge is tied to Shanghai Yiyue’s strong performance in recent years. Shanghai Yiyue primarily operates the efficacy-focused infant skincare brand 'newpage one page,' launched in May 2022. Its products cover skincare, cleansing, and hygiene for children aged 0 to 18.

According to Shanghai UMAX’s announcement, Shanghai Yiyue’s revenue in 2024 was approximately 380 million RMB, with a net profit of 52.645 million RMB. By 2025, revenue had increased to about 880 million RMB, with net profit reaching approximately 132 million RMB—an increase of over 100% in just one year. In rough TWD terms, annual revenue grew from about 1.7 billion to nearly 4 billion TWD.

As of the end of 2025, an independent valuation firm estimated the total equity value of Shanghai Yiyue at approximately 1.335 billion RMB. The transaction price for this 23% stake wasn’t arbitrarily set. It was calculated based on Shanghai Yiyue’s attributable net profit of about 132.4 million RMB in 2025, applying a 10x P/E ratio and multiplying by the 23% equity stake.

In other words, what’s truly remarkable about this investment isn’t just that a celebrity made it, but that the company Zhang Ziyi is involved with successfully backed a rapidly growing brand. As the company’s revenue, profits, and valuation increased, the value of the early-acquired equity rose dramatically.

Zhang Ziyi hasn’t fully exited, however. Before the transaction, Shanghai Qingdao held 51% of Shanghai Yiyue, and Dajiao Investment held 29%. After selling 23%, Dajiao Investment will retain a 6% stake. Another shareholder, Liu Ming, is simultaneously selling 6%, so after both transactions, Shanghai Qingdao’s ownership will rise to 80%, while Dajiao Investment retains 6%.

The official announcement also emphasizes that after the transaction, Zhang Ziyi will continue to be a shareholder of Shanghai Yiyue through Dajiao Investment and will retain her status as a co-founder of the 'newpage one page' brand. She will also continue to serve as the brand ambassador according to relevant agreements. In short, this transaction is more about realizing partial investment gains rather than a complete separation from the brand.

The remaining 6% stake also includes future arrangements. According to a supplementary agreement, under certain conditions, Dajiao Investment may request Shanghai Qingdao to acquire an additional 5% stake in Shanghai Yiyue during an option period from the 3rd to the 8th anniversary of the first transaction’s completion. However, Dajiao Investment’s ownership must not fall below 1% after the transaction.

The future value of this 5% stake will depend on Shanghai Yiyue’s future profitability. The agreement stipulates that the price will be calculated by multiplying Shanghai Yiyue’s audited net profit attributable to parent shareholders from the previous full fiscal year by a 10x P/E ratio and then by 5%, with a maximum price cap of 500 million RMB.

However, the '500 million RMB cap' doesn’t guarantee Zhang Ziyi will definitely receive that amount. It’s merely the contractually set maximum price. Whether the transaction is triggered, Shanghai Yiyue’s future earnings, and whether the conditions are met will all affect the final price.

This transaction also shows that celebrities’ wealth sources aren’t limited to acting fees, movie salaries, or endorsement deals. When income is converted into corporate equity, and a fast-growing company is successfully backed, the gains from equity appreciation can far exceed a single performance’s income. Dajiao Investment’s involvement with Zhang Ziyi—investing in Shanghai Yiyue in 2022 and now selling 23% of its stake for over 300 million RMB—may be one of the most representative examples.

Source: Public announcements from Shanghai UMAX Cosmetics Co., Ltd. on August 11, 2026, China News Service, and other public sources. Transaction prices, original acquisition costs, shareholding ratios, company revenues and profits, and future 5% equity arrangements are all based primarily on official announcements by Shanghai UMAX.