In 2007, 22-year-old Zhang Xiaoyu took body photos that became popular on the Internet, with 930,000 searches overnight, known as the "reddest nude model", and in the following years, more than 100 sets of photos with different themes were released, continuing to challenge the public's bottom line.
However, her development path has also been bumpy, she has been controversial for many years, and is still single at nearly 40 years old, so what price did she pay to create her artistic path?
Debut works
In 2007, a college student named Zhang Xiaoyu suddenly broke into people's sight, she posted a series of bold artistic portraits, called "Enchantment", and posted it on the Internet, which instantly caused an uproar.
Zhang Xiaoyu's original intention was only to perform the beauty of the female body through this special art form. However, the popularity of this group of realistic sketches exceeded her expectations, and the number of hits quickly surpassed the popular actress, reaching 930,000 times.
As the popularity rises, so do the doubts and controversies from all sides. At that time, the society's aesthetic concept of women's bodies was relatively constrained, and many people found it difficult to accept a girl showing her body wantonly in front of the camera.
As a result, Zhang Xiaoyu quickly became the target of public criticism, and people began to talk about it, some people believed that she created an avant-garde art form, others thought it was vulgar and obscene, which would have a negative impact on society.
There is even controversy in the art world, with some photography experts believing that Zhang Xiaoyu is just trying to get traffic, which is very different from real body art. And Zhang Xiaoyu's heart is also conflicted, she is considering whether to give up this path.
At this important moment, photographer Fan Xuehui stepped forward and vigorously defended Zhang Xiaoyu. He firmly stated that Zhang Xiaoyu's work conveys the natural beauty of women. And Zhang Xiaoyu was unwavering, resolutely saying that he would stick to his faith and continue to move forward.
The reddest naked model
Zhang Xiaoyu continues to post photos, participates in various cultural activities, and his fame is increasing day by day. According to statistics, she has released more than 100 sets of photo works, and with these photos, Zhang Xiaoyu quickly became the most popular nude model in China.
Despite the controversy, she herself has kept a low profile, emphasizing that she is using art to express her understanding of beauty and hoping that people will understand her work more deeply, rather than arbitrarily labeling her as a "nude model".
At her insistence, the field of "body art" gained great attention. By 2010, Zhang Xiaoyu's domestic search volume had reached 470 million, which enabled her to successfully open up the market in this field, and has since become popular all over the world.
In 2009, a Danish underwear brand took a fancy to Zhang Xiaoyu's unique charm and chose her as the exclusive spokesperson in China, which became another milestone in Zhang Xiaoyu's career.
Immediately after, in 2010, she played an important role in a fairy tale TV series. Zhang Xiaoyu's outstanding performance was warmly welcomed by the audience, and her fame increased day by day.
In 2011, a performance at a zoo in Guangxi brought Zhang Xiaoyu back into the spotlight, and her role as the "butterfly fairy" in body painting attracted the attention of the audience and sparked public debate again.
In 2013, Zhang Xiaoyu came up with a proposal to support public welfare activities by stripping, which surprised everyone. Her behavior has triggered deep thinking and extensive discussion in society about women's bodies, aesthetics and public welfare.
So why did she embark on the path of physical art? It all starts with her upbringing.
Growing background
Zhang Xiaoyu's upbringing is full of inspiration and adventure, she was born in a rural family, her parents lived by farming, but they were full of love for her and gave her a happy childhood.
In addition, Zhang Xiaoyu has a super high learning talent, she was in the top few in the class when she was in elementary school, and she was admitted to the best local middle school in junior high school, and in three years of high school, Zhang Xiaoyu's learning state made her the first in the class, and her teachers and classmates were impressed by her.
In 2002, Zhang Xiaoyu was successfully admitted to Beihua University with excellent scores, which made her family very proud. College life is the most exciting time of Zhang Xiaoyu's life.
Not only did she excel academically, she was also active in various clubs, made many confidants, and in her spare time she was passionate about reading literature, as well as writing prose and poetry.
The students unanimously believed that Zhang Xiaoyu was not only beautiful, intelligent, excellent in academic performance, warm-hearted, and became a goddess in everyone's mind, and in 2006, the school recognized Zhang Xiaoyu for two scholarships, believing that her future is limitless.
However, a chance chance changed the trajectory of Zhang Xiaoyu's life. While participating in campus club activities, she was accidentally exposed to body art, which was unknown at the time, and this art form deeply attracted her and stimulated her interest.
She looked through a lot of materials and was convinced that this was a new exploration of art. After much deliberation, Zhang Xiaoyu decided to practice body portrait creation, which opened a new chapter in her life and became a daring adventure in her life.
After perseverance, Zhang Xiaoyu has finally won praise in this field, and her work is widely respected in the industry. However, after so many years, what has changed in Zhang Xiaoyu's life?
The status quo today
In 2015, 30-year-old Zhang Xiaoyu announced an unexpected decision to officially retire from the art creation circle, a decision that surprised the public for an artist with a thriving career.
Zhang Xiaoyu knows that relying on appearance and fashion to maintain dividends will eventually be replaced by newcomers. Therefore, she did not hesitate to choose to leave this circle early.
After withdrawing, Zhang Xiaoyu gradually faded the public eye, no longer troubled by the controversy and reputation of the past. She began to live a peaceful life, free from the distractions of the world.
She no longer pays too much attention to dressing up, cuts off her long hair, and has a smart and neat short hair, which is more mature and stable. As the years passed, his face was no longer delicate, but Zhang Xiaoyu did not care about external changes.
In order to redefine the meaning of life, Zhang Xiaoyu turned into a food blogger. She records the moments of her travels, shares the delicacies of various places, and explores the taste of different cultures with everyone.
Although she is still single, Zhang Xiaoyu admits that she still longs to have a close partner and build a warm little home. Perhaps, one day in the future, she will meet the right person in her life and start a new chapter in her life.
Zhang's story has ups and downs, but she never fixes her initial choice. Those rebellious years brought her not only temporary fame and fortune, but also a door to open a new world.
Through that experience, Zhang Xiaoyu gradually went from being glitzy to being dull now, and she finally found her own lifestyle, which is the life she really yearns for.