'Want to make money...': 30-year-old woman earning US$140,000 monthly announces early retirement

Deng’s story has sparked widespread envy on social media. (Image credit: Pexels)

• Chinese woman retires at 30 after making 1M yuan monthly
• Deng Yiran amassed wealth via CPS ads and social media
• Her Iceland trip plans spark envy on Chinese social media

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A 30-year-old Chinese woman earning over 1 million yuan (US$140,000) per month has announced her early retirement to explore Iceland. Deng Yiran is a geophysics graduate from Nanjing University in Jiangsu province.

As of now, Deng works with multiple companies across China, including in Beijing, Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Fujian, serving as an executive in six firms, the South China Morning Post reported.

Deng’s main revenue comes from cost-per-sale (CPS) advertising, with monthly commissions topping 1 million yuan and her company generating more than 100 million yuan a year.

Deng’s business model depends heavily on local lifestyle “traffic” operations, using social media platforms like Douyin and RedNote to post promotional content and investing in paid traffic to attract users.

She redirects these users to private groups, steadily growing a community of millions of local enthusiasts.

Platforms looking to promote new services find partnering with Deng highly effective, as she connects them directly to users and earns a commission whenever a user makes a purchase.

Deng keeps her private traffic groups active with coupons and special offers, generating continuous revenue as users make purchases via the links.

“Currently, my company generates over 100 million yuan each year. I have always set a goal to retire by the age of 30,” she told the South China Morning Post.

According to Deng, her entrepreneurial instincts emerged early. She launched a store selling educational products after graduation, but the venture suffered a loss of 2 million yuan (US$280,000).

Deng’s mother, who is a teacher, suggested she sit for the civil service exam after graduation, but Deng declined.

Today, Deng confidently states that choosing her own path was the right decision, and at just 30, she is set to become the first in her family to retire. She has already purchased a plane ticket to Iceland to begin her travels, sparking widespread envy on Chinese social media.

One user commented, “We were both born in 1996, and she is already retiring while I’m still earning just 5,000 yuan (US$700) a month.”

Another said, “I just want to make money like her.”