Chinese national Lanlan Yang (left) leaving after police questioning. On the right is the scene of the accident. Source: Daily Mail capture.

Chinese netizens are in an uproar over rumors that a mysterious woman, recently arrested and released in Australia, is the biological daughter of Xi Yuanping—the younger brother of President Xi Jinping—with some speculating that her personal assets amount to 243 trillion won (approx. USD 180 billion).

Lanlan Yang (23), a Chinese national, was arrested on the 27th of last month in a Sydney suburb, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, after driving a 1.5 million Australian dollar (approx. 1.35 billion won) Rolls-Royce against traffic and subsequently refusing a breathalyzer test.

Immediately following the accident, rumors spread online that she had been released on a massive bail payment, allegedly the highest in Australian history at 80 million Australian dollars (approx. 72.1 billion won), due to her immense wealth.

The British Daily Mail, which has been tracking the case since last month, published an article on the 12th (local time) titled "Why is Chinese social media in an uproar over the case of an absurdly wealthy heiress?" The report dismissed the bail rumors as verifiable falsehoods.

According to the newspaper, a court spokesperson stated, "There were no monetary conditions for bail, and some of the rumors circulating online may be inaccurate."

However, Chinese netizens have claimed, without citing specific sources, that authorities discovered 270 billion Australian dollars (approx. 243 trillion won) in a local bank account belonging to Yang at the time of her arrest.

In response, the Daily Mail stated that these claims regarding her bank balance could not be verified.

The newspaper explained that while wild speculation is running rampant across Chinese and Australian social media, the actual reason for Yang’s immense wealth remains unclear.

The British Daily Mail reported on the 12th that Chinese netizens are in an uproar over the Yang case.

According to the Daily Mail, she resides in a luxury penthouse worth tens of millions of Australian dollars in a high-end villa district overlooking the Sydney coast. In addition to the vehicle involved in the accident, she owns an unregistered white Rolls-Royce convertible worth 800,000 Australian dollars (approx. 721 million won), which she leaves unused in her garage. A luxury SUV is parked outside.

Furthermore, it became a hot topic that the Chanel top she wore during her bail hearing on the day of the accident alone was worth 30,000 Australian dollars (approx. 28 million won).

According to The Epoch Times, so-called "netizen detectives" have attempted to track her identity, but no publicly verifiable information—including social media accounts, employment history, property records, or commercial business activities—has surfaced, further fueling the mystery.

Inside and outside of China, suspicions are being raised that Lanlan Yang may be a family member of a high-ranking Communist Party official.

Frank Xie, a professor at the University of South Carolina Aiken's School of Business and an expert on China, commented, "China is a country where personal information leakage is very common," adding, "A case where personal details are this thoroughly scrubbed is usually only possible for the families of top national leaders."

Some have noted that Yang's name, 'Lanlan,' follows a structure of repeating characters. While it is not uncommon for Chinese names to use two of the same character, this naming convention is frequently found among the children of senior Chinese Communist Party officials who are not involved in politics.

Examples include Liu Pingping, the daughter of former President Liu Shaoqi, and Bo Guagua, the grandson of former Vice Premier Bo Yibo. This has led to speculation that Lanlan Yang might be a descendant of the family of former President Yang Shangkun.

Yang Shangkun was one of the "Eight Elders" of the Chinese Communist Party and died of illness in Beijing in 1998. According to reports tracking the assets of the 103 family members of the Eight Elders by Hong Kong and overseas media, the Yang family is also known to have funneled massive assets overseas.

Lanlan Yang (red circle) was arrested on the 27th of last month in Sydney, Australia, on suspicion of drunk driving after a car accident, though she refused a breathalyzer test. She has been released on bail and is awaiting trial. On the right is her personal bodyguard | Provided by NTD / The Epoch Times online edition capture.On Chinese social media, netizens are comparing Yang to "Celestial Dragons" (a reference to the privileged class of gods in the popular Japanese manga 'One Piece'). Although critical comments mentioning "Lanlan Yang" appear on political and social news posts, these expressions are reportedly being deleted quickly, according to The Epoch Times.

Some netizens have even gone as far as to identify her bodyguard, seen in photos taken by Australian media, as a former member of the Beijing Armed Police special forces unit responsible for protecting the Chinese Communist Party leadership, even citing his alleged hometown and real name.

Professor Xie noted that these rumors and suspicions persist because Yang's true identity and the source of her wealth remain obscured, stating, "This incident is a case that exposes the privileges and corruption enjoyed by China's ruling class at home and abroad through the lens of a young woman's traffic accident."

Meanwhile, Lanlan Yang's first trial is scheduled for the 15th at the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney.

Posts circulating online. Speculation is rife that Lanlan Yang is Xi Jinping’s niece and is holding onto money embezzled by the Xi family. / SNS post capture.