Gao Liu, once a rising actress and singer in China’s entertainment scene, became the center of national attention in 2021, but not for her performances.
Gao Liu’s Disaster Started
Instead, it was her candid revelation of a cosmetic surgery gone horribly wrong that shocked the public and pulled back the curtain on China’s booming, yet dangerously underregulated, beauty industry.
In October 2020, Gao underwent a minor nose augmentation surgery at a clinic in Guangzhou, recommended by a friend. What she expected to be a quick enhancement to help her career turned into a life-altering disaster. Due to an infection during the procedure, the tip of her nose turned necrotic and blackened.
Ryu had to drop out of two dramas that were scheduled to appear due to side effects of nose surgery, and had to pay 400,000 yuan (about 55,000 USD) and 2 million yuan (about 275,000 USD) in penalty. Her image was damaged, her confidence shattered, and her professional path derailed.
The Aftermath and Industry Scandal
Further investigation revealed that the clinic, She’s Times, had received five administrative penalties earlier that same year. Dr. He Ming, the supposed “chief surgeon,” was neither qualified nor authorized to perform the surgery independently. He was later suspended for six months, and the clinic was fined a mere 49,000 yuan (~6,800 USD) before it shut down.
However, before the dust could settle, a new clinic—Qingya—registered at the very same address. The public outcry was swift, sparking calls for stricter regulation, transparency, and criminal accountability in the cosmetic surgery field.
A Nationwide Obsession with Beauty
Gao Liu’s story, while tragic, is far from unique in China today. With disposable incomes rising and beauty ideals shaped by K-pop, anime, and social media, cosmetic procedures have exploded in popularity. Over 20 million Chinese people undergo such surgeries annually, most of them young women under 30.
Abby Wu, a well-known cosmetic surgery influencer, embodies the other side of this phenomenon. She began her journey at 14 with liposuction, encouraged by her mother. Today, she’s had over 100 cosmetic procedures and co-owns a beauty clinic in Beijing. Abby is proud of her transformation and documents her journey openly online.
Despite appearing to thrive in this world, Abby isn’t immune to the cycle of endless “corrections.” “Eye bags? Chin augmentation again? Nose slimming? I’ve done them all,” Abby laughs while reviewing her face on the app.
Beauty or Betrayal?
While influencers like Abby champion cosmetic enhancements as a form of empowerment, stories like Gao Liu’s paint a darker picture of an industry plagued by unlicensed clinics and unqualified practitioners. According to 2019 data, China had 80,000 illegal cosmetic service providers and 100,000 uncertified doctors.
Dr. Yang Lu, a licensed surgeon in Shanghai, estimates hundreds of botched procedures happen daily. Many patients, desperate to undo the damage, end up undergoing multiple corrective surgeries—some never fully recovering.
Yue Yue, a 28-year-old HR professional, faced severe complications from collagen injections at an illegal clinic. She later underwent three repair surgeries, but the trauma—both physical and emotional—remains. “I don’t even want to look prettier anymore. I just want my old face back,” she says.
Redefining the Cost of Beauty
Gao Liu’s transparency sparked a rare public reckoning in China. Her courage in sharing graphic images of her damaged nose broke taboos and opened the floor for honest conversations about beauty, pressure, and safety.
Her story is a chilling reminder that behind the curated filters and trending beauty apps lies an industry that can create, but also destroy.