Former Miss Hong Kong Photogenic winner Candy Yuen has become a hot topic across Chinese-language social media after openly selling her own revealing photos online, a move that many say has severely damaged her reputation and career. She previously shared that she could earn around HKD 62,800 per month (about USD 8,000) from selling sexy images, but this shocking income stream did not last long. Instead, it left her image tarnished, drawing heavy criticism for being “cheap” and “self-degrading” in the eyes of the public.
With fewer opportunities in the entertainment industry and declining earnings from her 18+ photo sales, Candy Yuen has recently taken up singing at small bars in mainland China. Videos circulating online show her dressed in revealing outfits, trying hard to hype up the atmosphere and interact with the crowd, yet receiving little response. Her current situation has been widely discussed on Weibo, with many commenters saying she is now “paying the price” for past scandals and attention-seeking tactics in her personal life.
Previously, Candy Yuen admitted she was willing to “put her pride aside” to sell bold photos because she needed money to cover living expenses. However, she stressed that her content had limits. According to her, the photos were not fully nude or explicitly exposing sensitive body parts, but rather focused on showing off her figure in bikinis. Viewers had to access a link she provided and pay a fee, with the level of boldness increasing depending on how much they paid. According to local media, she is considered the first beauty pageant titleholder in Hong Kong history to sell sexy photos of herself for money.
Her career and reputation had already suffered a major blow following a high-profile romantic scandal in 2022 involving wealthy businessman Terence Cheung and his son Derek Cheung. At the time, Candy Yuen publicly accused the father and son—who are active in real estate and e-sports—of being “despicable, selfish, and having problematic personalities.” She described her relationship with the Cheung family as a “terrible nightmare,” claiming they made strange and unreasonable demands of her.
Reports say Derek Cheung began dating her in mid-2021 and financially supported her, paying her rent and living expenses after she spoke about her struggles and lack of jobs in showbiz. In early 2022, however, he reportedly fell for another actress and broke up with her. Feeling betrayed and suddenly losing financial support, Candy Yuen lashed out publicly, exposing negative details about the Cheung family.
After the scandal exploded, she left Hong Kong and moved to the UK, but was unable to stay due to the high cost of living. She has since returned to Hong Kong with little to her name. Unemployed, she turned to what many see as her last advantage—her figure and striking looks—to make money in the most controversial way.
Born in 1984, Candy Yuen rose to fame after winning the Photogenic award at Miss Hong Kong 2009. She later appeared in films and dramas such as From Vegas to Macau, Lives of Omission, Prison Flowers, and SPL II: A Time for Consequences, but her recent life path has drawn far more attention than her acting career ever did.
Sources: K14