PUBLISHED ONFebruary 02, 2024 9:54 AMByYeo Shu HuiWith the Lunar New Year season coming up, celebs in China are sending gift boxes to the media and their partners for good wishes and continuous collaborations in the new year.
Here is a look at some of the gift boxes that were sent by notable stars, mostly containing items from brands they endorse.
When actor Dylan Wang, 25, visited Singapore for the Yuewen Global IP Awards last week, there was much excitement among his fans locally and from other parts of Asia as they flocked to Changi Airport and Marina Bay Sands just to see him in person.
Similarly, his gift box was also one of the highly awaited ones by media partners and fans in China, as they were curious to know what it contained — and whether they can purchase it second-hand online.
In this year's package, it reportedly contained a small bottle of perfume from Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria series in Nerolia Vertiver. A 125ml bottle of this cost S$266, according to the brand's official website.
There is also a pair of sunglasses from eyewear fashion brand Bolon, two pairs of socks from streetwear brand Peacebird, a grey bucket hat from sportswear brand Tebu, a tube of Colgate toothpaste and a small stack of photocards featuring Dylan and other stars in the same talent management company as him.
The total value of his package is estimated to be worth around 1,700 yuan (S$320). On the second-hand shopping app Xianyu, the gift box was priced as much as 5,300 yuan (S$1,000).
Dylan is best known for portraying Dao Ming Si in the 2018 remake of idol drama Meteor Garden and shot to fame after portraying Dongfang Qingcang in Love Between Fairy and Devil (2022) and Shi Yan in Only for Love (2023).
Xiao Zhan's Chinese New Year gift box is one of the priciest gift boxes this year, as it contained multiple branded products that he endorses.
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The 32-year-old singer-actor, who visited Singapore in early December for an event, shot to fame after starring in Chinese xianxia drama The Untamed (2019) and is known for his performances in Sunshine By My Side (2023) and The Longest Promise (2023).
Xiao Zhan's package contains a bottle of leave-in hair mask from L'Oreal Professional Paris' Absolut Repair series. The same product costs between S$30 and S$50 online. It also contained a small bottle of Ralph Lauren's Polo Earth Moroccan Neroli perfume. A 100ml bottle of the same perfume can cost over S$130 online.
There is also a bottle of light-reflecting foundation from cosmetic brand Nars, which costs S$80 on the official website and a cleanser from skincare brand Eve Lom, which values at about S$80.
Besides that, it also contained a multi-colour woven strap from luxury brand Tods and a pair of fluffy white gloves from sportswear brand Li-Ning.
Lastly, there is a wooden calendar with 24 photocards of the star in various dramas that he acted in and products or magazines that he had modelled for in 2023.
On second-hand shopping app Xianyu, the gift box was priced as high as 6,000 yuan (SG$1,100).
Zhao Lusi's gift box this year sparked off some controversy when a man from a media outlet found within two packets of Sofy sanitary napkins, of which the 25-year-old actress is a brand ambassador.
In a Weibo video posted on Jan 22, the man introduced multiple items contained in Lusi's package, including Guerlain's skincare products, L'Occitane's hand cream, a tube of Colgate toothpaste and hair products among other items.
He then took the sanitary napkins out of the box, smiling shyly as he showed it to the camera.
"There's also these two products… those who know will know, so I would just show it to you. Lusi is the brand ambassador for Sofy… Oh dear, I think my face is getting red," he said awkwardly.
And because of that, Lusi, whose best-known works include Love Like the Galaxy (2022) and Hidden Love (2023), came under fire for including the items in her gift box.
A netizen commented: "What were they thinking? There are some things that are inappropriate and shouldn't be included inside."
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The same netizen wrote in another post: "I just want to ask everyone, if a celebrity endorses underwear, contraceptives and other products like this, will they also include it in the gift box? They are just strangers to each other, isn't it offensive to give personal items such as sanitary napkins and underwear?"
Despite that, there were many others who backed Lusi, thanking her for being considerate and commenting that there is nothing embarrassing about giving items that all females need to use.
"What's the problem with giving sanitary napkins? Is that something to be embarrassed about? It's also sold in supermarkets, so you want them to take it off the shelves? It's 2024, why are there still people who are apprehensive about looking at sanitary napkins?" one of them commented.
The man who accidentally started the incident also made another post, sharing that although he was "shy" to see the items at first, he was actually "very happy" about the gifts he had received.
"Don't hate just for the sake of hating," he wrote in his post.
Besides these items, Lusi's gift box also contained a pair of sunglasses from eyewear brand Qina and multiple apparels including a sweatshirt from streetwear brand Teenie Weenie, a baseball hat from Skechers and two pairs of Care Bear socks.
Despite the sanitary napkin saga, Lusi's gift box remains highly in demand on the second-hand market and it's priced as high as 3,000 yuan (S$570) on Xianyu.
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