Fake Socialite Student lives in Beijing for Free for 21 Days

A student spent 21 days in Beijing for free, by pretending to be a ‘socialite’. Wearing a fake Hermes bag, a fake ring, and fake necklaces. She slept in the halls of extravagant hotels, tried on jade bracelets at auctions, and ate and drank for free.

“I met a security guard at an auction who asked for my contact info. Maybe he thought I was rich. He was eager to help me. He helped me take photos and offered me drinks several times.”

Zou Yaqi was a final year student at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. She recorded her 21-day experience as her graduation project, which caused quite a sensation online.

“In my experience, it’s interesting how excess in society is distributed. It is usually given to people who look like they already have sufficient wealth in life – they can sleep in extravagant hotel lobbies for free, shower in the airport and use hotel benches for free. So I pretended to be one such person and lived off this ‘surplus’.”

Zou visited many venues which she thought might offer freebies and accommodation. To look like a socialite, she did a lot of research online, to dress, behave and look like them. Her new look: a fake Hermes bag, fake ring, delicate make-up and fancy clothes.

“I made sure my hair was smooth, fresh, and pretty, because according to my research, socialites keep their hair in good condition.”

Zou started her trip on May 1. Her first stop was a bar. She performed in a cosplay show to help the bar’s owner and was allowed to sleep there and got a free flight ticket. She spent the next 5 days in an airport by forging fake VIP entry passes. Zou enjoyed the free food and drinks in the VIP lounge and stuffed the rest into her ‘Hermes’ bag.

When her freebies got too heavy to carry in one bag, she walked into a Gucci shop and got a free paper bag. She cleaned herself in the restroom and slept in the nursery at Starbucks, and on sofas in the lounge. After finishing her experiment in the airport, she took it to the next level, and went to different venues over the next few days. She slept in an extravagant hotel lobby, enjoyed free drinks at bars, tried on jewelry worth millions of yuan, slept in Ikea and enjoyed the hotel’s gym and sauna.

Gradually, it became second nature for Zou to pose as a socialite. She said it was like playing different roles on different occasions.

“I was in the hall of a hotel on May 20, which is Chinese Valentine’s Day. I pretended to be a wife who was trying to catch her cheating husband and slept in the lobby.”

During the entire 21 days, Zou was questioned only once, when she made up a fake name in a hotel. She explained that she had just checked out and was allowed in again. Zou presented her 21-day experiment as a video at the academy with collections of objects gathered during the project. The project received mixed reactions online, prompting heated debate about class, privilege, and wealth inequality which have surfaced as major concerns in recent years.

Some also questioned Zou’s real identity. Zou said she grew up in a small city and was not a socialite and her intention was not to examine wealth inequality.

“My work is not perfect, but it leads to discussion. Many people expressed their appreciation, saying I healed them and inspired them. They said many touching words. I think as long as my project inspires people to think about and discuss these topics, then it was worth it.”

Zou has signed a contract with an art agency and has become a professional artist. A Chinese magazine commented on Zou’s project: “We can say with confidence that she lived freely for 21 days in the metropolis, relying on the tolerance and kindness of our commercial society”