Many people have long viewed Chinese supermodel Ming Xi as a real-life Cinderella who married into one of Asia’s richest families after her infamous fall at the 2017 ceremony. Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2017. However, Chinese media reports suggest that the model’s background is anything but ordinary.
On June 1, Ming Xi and billionaire heir Mario Ho held their wedding ceremony at Mont-Saint-Michel in France, seven years after they started dating. The event symbolized Ming Xi’s full acceptance into the influential Ho family, one of Asia’s most prominent business dynasties.
The “Cinderella” narrative surrounding Ming Xi largely stems from his highly publicized catwalk fall during the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai. Before the incident, he had reportedly joked about this would retire if it ever fell on the Victoria’s Secret runway. Following the accident his appearances on the most important catwalks became less frequent. In late 2018, she began dating Mario Ho and the couple registered their marriage in 2019. That same year, they welcomed their first child, leading many to believe that her life had changed dramatically after the accident.
However, according to Chinese newspaper Sohu, Ming Xi was already very experienced before meeting Mario Ho. Born in 1989, she is the only daughter of an educated and economically well-off family in Shanghai. His father worked in international trade as a senior manager, while his mother was a teacher at a prestigious public secondary school. Education played a central role in his upbringing, with Ming Xi studying ballet from the age of three, piano from the age of five, and later attending an international school where he received a bilingual education.
Ming Xi has also built an impressive career on his own merits. After graduating from Donghua University with a degree in design, she entered the fashion industry and became one of China’s most successful models. She appeared inside Victoria’s Secret fashion shows and has been recognized as one of the country’s top supermodels, alongside figures such as Liu Wen, Qin Shupei and Sun Feifei.
Mario Ho also previously revealed that he was the one who carried on the relationship. Introduced through his sister, who was friends with Ming Xi, he reportedly spent a lot of time winning over her after she initially rejected his advances.
As details of Ming Xi’s upbringing and achievements have resurfaced, many netizens have argued that her relationship with Mario Ho is best described as a case of “birds of a feather flock together” rather than a fairytale love story between a billionaire heir and an ordinary girl. They both came from strong family backgrounds, received excellent educations, and achieved success in their respective fields before becoming a couple.
Now parents of two, Ming Xi and Mario Ho have become one of the highest profile celebrity and business couples in China. While her marriage undoubtedly connected her to one of Asia’s wealthiest families, Ming Xi’s story demonstrates that she was already successful, educated, and influential long before she joined the Ho family.
Sources: Sohu, Sina
