Wang Keke, an Alaskan Malamute dog belonging to Wang Sicong, son of China's richest man, now has eight iPhone 7s to add to her collection of Apple Watches, after her owner showered her with the brand new smartphones.
Photographs on her Weibo social network page, which has 1.91 million followers, show Keke sitting on the couch next to a tower of eight new iPhone 7s. The 32-gigabyte version of the iPhone 7 costs 5,388 yuan (€724), which means her owner probably spent nearly €5,800 on this luxurious form of dog toy.
“I can never understand what in the universe is the point of showing off on WeChat [social media]. What’s the point? Now I’m left with no option but to show off,” ran a caption beside the happy hound.
Wang Sicong (28) is the son of the property mogul Wang Jianlin of Wanda, is the most famous member of the fuerdai, or second-generation rich, the children of government officials or business tycoons, who are often roundly criticised for their ostentation.
The eight phones appear to be in rose pink, black and matt black colours.
For many in China, Keke and her owner epitomise the tuhao generation, "vulgar new rich", that has emerged from China's decades of economic boom.
Other posts show her wearing a special Fendi handbag adapted for her collar, and a gift of mooncakes specially for dogs as a gift for Moon Festival earlier this month.
Wang Sicong is no stranger to controversy, having run up a €350,000 tab in a single night at a karaoke bar in Beijing, and saying that his main requirement when choosing a girlfriend was that she should be "buxom".
Although it has seen its wild popularity hit by local manufacturers such as Huawei and Xiaomi, the iPhone remains a big seller in China.
The iPhone 7 is limited to pre-orders in China, after selling out immediately, and People's Daily reported that customs officers in Shenzhen caught more than 60 people trying to smuggle the phone across the border from Hong Kong last week.
The smartphone is more expensive in mainland China than Hong Kong, so people are willing to take the risk.
