The Sixth Daughter Abandoned in the Mountains by Her Parents... How She Became a 50 Billion Won Fashion Brand Owner

A Chinese woman who was abandoned in the mountains by her parents as a child because she was ill has become a sensation by building a fashion brand that generates annual sales of tens of billions of won.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on March 1, Huang Xuanni, age 44, from Binzhou, Hunan Province, China, was born the sixth daughter among seven siblings and grew up feeling isolated. Her parents, who favored sons, showed affection only to their only boy, often failing even to remember Huang's name. As a child, after falling ill, she was abandoned in the mountains by her parents but managed to return home with the help of a passing stranger.

Chinese entrepreneur Huang Xuanni. SCMP

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Her school years were also far from smooth. Her middle school was located far from home, requiring her to walk nearly three hours over mountains to attend classes. Her weekly allowance was just 1 yuan (about 212 won), and the food she brought was often taken by her friends.

Nevertheless, Huang did not give up on her studies. After majoring in animal science at Hunan Agricultural University, she graduated, got married, and moved to Shenzhen to seek work at a logistics company. However, her marriage led to depression and domestic violence, eventually ending in divorce, after which she also lost custody of her daughter. Huang then resolved to start living for herself.

The turning point in her life came in 2015. Huang quit her job and opened a clothing shop on Taobao, one of China's largest online shopping platforms. With a capital of 50,000 yuan (about 10 million won), she and a friend began purchasing small quantities of high-end women's clothing from a market in Shenzhen to sell online. Huang took the photographs, while her friend modeled the clothes.

The business got off to a good start. Within a month, sales surpassed 100,000 yuan (about 21.26 million won). However, in 2017, a poor business decision left her in crisis, saddled with 5 million yuan (about 106 million won) in debt.

Undeterred, Huang immersed herself in books on brand management, business operations, and fashion design, and took online courses to regroup. In 2020, she launched her own brand, "Mix Selection," targeting high-quality products for petite women. Notably, by November 2023, Mix Selection's neo-Chinese style dresses had generated over 8.7 million yuan (about 1.843 billion won) in sales. Afterward, Huang paid off her debts and hosted a celebratory banquet for all her creditors.

Throughout this process, Huang directly engaged with customers via social networking services (SNS), strengthening brand loyalty. She is regarded as one of the female entrepreneurs in China's women's clothing sector who actively utilized SNS. As of 2025, the brand's annual sales had surpassed 250 million yuan (about 53.1 billion won), and she expanded the business to overseas markets.

Huang attributes her success to her keen fashion sense and strong willpower. She said, "To girls suffocated by the bonds of family and marriage like me, I want to say: don't give up. If you can just hold on a little longer, there is hope."

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