Hermès, Van Cleef & Arpels, Rolls-Royce, Richard Mille, and a subway ride? Doesn’t seem to fit, right? That’s exactly what bewildered the humble netizens who went into a frenzy after witnessing a Tsinghua University student taking the subway. The girl, who was engrossed in her phone, was clad in attire worth millions. On her delicate fingers was a diamond-studded Hermès ring (worth at least $4,500), one hand held a Rolls-Royce umbrella (valued at nearly $1,000), and the other sported a readily recognizable Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet ($6,200). The most striking accessory of her opulent ensemble was the $5 million Richard Mille 52-01 Skull timepiece. Enough to make a watch connoisseur’s jaw drop, the RM 052 Skull epitomizes true Haute Horlogerie and is not something one would expect to see on a subway rider.
The internet was divided over this unexpected and truly contradictory sight: a female, evidently from a background of generational wealth and attending the best high school in Beijing, China, riding the subway. The video that went viral on Instagram garnered mixed reactions. One comment read, ‘She has a Rolls-Royce umbrella and a Hermès ring… Generational wealth yet humble.. probably just quicker to take the train.’ Another remarked, ‘If this was London, she would have lost an arm.’ Watch theft is a serious and increasingly common crime worldwide. The student appears surprisingly calm and carefree, commuting on public transport while dressed in a manner more befitting an exit from a Rolls Royce. This composure even led some to belief her look may be fake. Some bluntly speculated that she was adorned in head-to-toe fakes: ‘If this is Japan, it’s real; if this is China, it’s 100% fake!’
Many observant social media users defended the girl, praising her taste and wealth. One clarified, ‘That’s 100% real. The backpack indicates that she attended the best high school in China, located in the capital, where citizens are much wealthier than in other regions of China. (Yes, I know it says Tsinghua, but that backpack is actually from its affiliated high school.)
People who attend this school are among the wealthiest in China. It’s not just the RM watch, Hermès ring, and RR umbrella you see; she also wore LV trainers and a Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet,’ while another commented, ‘She’s basically from the Harvard of China; the wealth is real.’
This girl has unwittingly found herself at the center of a global debate: Does being exceedingly rich strip away the right to be practical sometimes? The internet seems to think so!
