Netflix's hot new reality show Bling Empire follows the lives of a group of wealthy Asian and Asian American socialites. From self-made millionaires to dynastic heirs set to inherit billions, we take a look inside the extravagant homes of Los Angeles' latest super-rich reality stars. Click or scroll for more...
Scene-stealing Anna Shay is often described as 'the original Asian Queen of Los Angeles' on the show. A billionaire heiress, Shay is the daughter of American weapons maker Edward Shay and her part-Japanese, part-Russian mother, Ai Oizumi Shay. Even though she regularly opens up her home to family and friends, and of course Netflix, Anna is known for being extremely private and shares minimal details of her life online.
A number of Anna's scenes in Bling Empire – including our first introduction to her as she destroys a wall in her closet with a sledgehammer – are filmed at her incredible house. The extravagant mansion sits on one of the best plots along Hollywood's famed Sunset Boulevard and it's currently on the market for $16 million (£11.7m).
The Spanish-inspired home was built in 1926 and clocks in at over 9,000 square feet with five bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms. Jam-packed with original features such as mosaic tilework, stunning ironwork, stencilled beams and period fixtures, the decadent home also has modern amenities fit for an heiress.
Shay bought the home nine years ago for $9.4 million (£6.9m). Urban legend has it that Shirley Temple once lived here, followed by Italian mobster Tony Milano in the 1940s and 1950s. Shay famously announced on Bling Empire that while she didn't believe the home was haunted, she does think that it is inhabited by spirits.
Set on more than one acre of land, the listing photos show Shay's white Lamborghini parked in one of the four car-parking spaces. Elsewhere in the grounds, there's an outdoor swimming pool, fountains and lush manicured gardens. However, it doesn't look like the home will be in the next series with Shay looking to sell up after purchasing Dr Phil's wacky mansion.
The socialite enjoys sharing her vast home with family and friends and is known for her generous gifts including taking fellow cast member Kelly Mi Li to Paris for her birthday in the first episode. Her extravagance can also be seen at her infamous dinner parties, including this setup from the first episode, where she seats rival Christine Chiu at the very end of the table.
37-year-old Christine Chiu lives with her celebrity plastic surgeon husband, Dr Gabriel Chiu and their son Gabrial Chiu III, who is also known as Baby G. The trio reside in their luxurious home in the Beverly Ridge Estates area of Los Angeles.
Inside, the 6,000-square-foot home boasts a grand two-storey hallway that leads through to the living room, eat-in designer kitchen and formal dining room, while upstairs there are six bedrooms and eight bathrooms. With a spacious walk-in wardrobe to house Chiu's huge collection of couture clothes as well as a gym, media room and sound system, it's got everything you'd expect from a family that took over Rodeo Drive to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Outside, the home features a swimming pool, where there were scenes filmed with baby G, beautiful rose gardens and a regulation championship tennis court for the family to play on.
Born in Taiwan and raised in Beverly Hills, Chiu opened Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery Inc, where she is the managing director and her husband performs the surgeries. The couple also have a royal connection, with Dr Chiu a direct descendant of the Song dynasty. "In China, my husband's father would be an emperor, and Baby G would be a little prince," she explains in episode one.
Christine is also a philanthropist and for Baby G's first birthday, which was featured on the show, she donated $1 million (£700k) to the Cayton Children’s Museum in Santa Monica, where the party was held. However, it isn't all catering and couture, this super-wealthy reality star also likes cooking up a storm in her marble-clad, luxurious kitchen with Baby G.
Born and raised in Singapore, entrepreneur Kane Lim moved to Los Angeles around eight years ago. Age 17 the wealthy star set up his own shoe brand and was a millionaire by the time he hit 20. Now 31, the fashionista who describes himself as a real estate developer, investor and philanthropist has a huge fanbase, who can't get enough of his flamboyant fashion and lifestyle on Bling Empire.
Wanting to forge his own path, Lim has kept the identity of his family a secret, but his father is reported to control a billion-dollar company. Lim is pictured here kicking back in his suitably blinged-out living room with unique copper coffee tables and luxury furnishings on display.
Hinting at his unimaginable wealth, co-star Kevin Kreider mentions that Kane's family own “the shopping malls that you go into in Singapore or Thailand, all of Southeast Asia”. So as you would expect, no expense has been spared on his LA home. Contemporary and spacious, it's the perfect backdrop for the fashion-forward socialite to show off his designer collection.
Also a hit on Instagram, Lim is followed by the likes of Rihanna and now has over 300,000 followers on the platform, who get to see him show off his unique sense of style.
Lim's shoe collection alone is reported to be worth $365,000 (£280k). The epic collection of 200+ pairs of Gucci loafers, Louis Vuitton boots, Prada sneakers, and a lot more besides takes up an entire room of custom illuminated shelves.
The designer brands don't stop at the walk-in wardrobe, either, as Lim's bedroom is dripping in designer labels, too. A Louis Vuitton blanket is draped over the bed, while a trunk by the French fashion house worth thousands takes pride of place in the centre of the room.
23-year-old heiress Jaime Xie is the daughter of Ken Xie, who is reported to be worth $4 billion (£2.9bn) and made his fortune in cybersecurity technology. The youngest cast member of Bling Empire, Jaime is pursuing a career as a fashion blogger and social media influencer.
Even though the heiress is said to make a profit from her Instagram posts as an influencer, it isn't nearly enough to cover the rent for her luxury Los Angeles penthouse apartment, which costs $19,000 (£14k) a month. However, with an estimated net worth of $50 million (£37m), her trust fund is ample for the upkeep of her lavish lifestyle.
Seen here in her celebrity-worthy walk-in wardrobe, Jaime is always dressed head-to-toe in high fashion on the reality show. However, Xie wasn't always so set on style – she grew up in the Californian town of Atherton with aspirations to become a champion equestrian.
Used to travelling the world for fashion shows, Jaime doesn't really do loungewear. She can be seen here dressing up in her glamorous hallway during the recent pandemic. With floor-to-ceiling mirrors, grand floral arrangements and a neutral colour palette, it's the perfect spot for an impromptu photo shoot.
The spacious kitchen is just as glamorous with black marble worktops, dark wood cabinets and a picture window overlooking the streets of Los Angeles. With 380,000 Instagram followers and growing, Jaime Xie's home is the perfect backdrop for her developing social media career.
Kelly Mi Li was born in Kunming, China but was raised in Chicago by her mother, who moved for a job at the University of Illinois. Kelly was married in her twenties to a super-wealthy Chinese man but when he was arrested for a huge cyber scam, her luxury life came crashing down around her. Making a fresh start, she has since rebuilt her life producing TV shows and movies in Los Angeles and is one of the producers on Bling Empire.
In the current series, Kelly Mi Li is dating actor Andrew Gray and the pair start out sharing this cosy home. Clean, modern and open-plan, the house is typically gorgeous. The fiery couple often argues on screen and here we see the moment they decided to take a break, with the star moving out during the series.
With the couple still living apart, they share two rescue dogs Kilo and Sophia. Pictured here with Sophia, the reality star can be seen sitting in front of an all-white shelving unit decked out with Tiffany & Co boxes and red roses.
Heiress to an undisclosed 'denim empire', super-private Cherie Chan grew up in Los Angeles. Despite her traditional beliefs, she broke conventional Chinese norms by having children with her boyfriend Jessey Lee, who is heir to a furniture empire, before being married.
Despite their individual family fortunes, the pair set up their organic tequila brand, Religion Tequila together and have welcomed two children. Jadore arrived in 2017, while their son, Jevon, was born in 2019 in the third episode of Bling Empire. With bright yellow walls and soft pink furnishings, this room looks set for the couple's new arrival.
As discreet as it's possible to be while appearing on a reality TV show, Chan only gives small glimpses inside her home on her Instagram account as she focuses on bringing up her children. Here she can be seen in the garden with baby Jevon during the recent pandemic, wearing matching Fendi ensembles. We wouldn't expect anything less!
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