Quan Yifeng's daughter is the new face of Apple in China

Television host Quan Yifeng's daughter has become the latest social media sensation in China, after fronting an advertisement campaign for Apple in China.

Eleanor Lee beat thousands of Chinese teens to the job and pocketed a cool six-figure sum for her efforts.

Netizens in China scrambled to identify this mysterious "Apple Girl", with many mistaking her as hailing from South Korea or China. The 16-year-old is actually Singaporean.

The video advertisement, unveiled on Monday, was created by three industry veterans: Hong Kong director Ann Hui, Hong Kong film editor William Chang and Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle, who is based in Hong Kong.

Quan, 41, told Shin Min Daily News yesterday that a representative for the iPhone maker had spotted Eleanor in an ad for celebrity hairstylist Addy Lee, who is her daughter's godfather.

The company had reportedly been searching for a new face for the ad campaign in China for half a year.

"Her photos were sent over, and that very night, we received a call saying that Ann Hui and the team wanted to meet her," Quan told Lianhe Wanbao.

"Upon meeting her, they liked her a lot and decided to feature her. As it was confidential, we found out that she was actually shooting a video for Apple only on the first day of work."

The video runs for 1min 30sec, and Quan told Wanbao that she has watched it together with her daughter.

"We watched it thrice," the host said, adding that she was moved to tears after watching it.

Eleanor, who studies at an international school here, flew to Shanghai in December to shoot the ad. The filming took place over three days.

When asked how she felt about working with three industry greats, Eleanor told Shin Min: "I was nervous at first, but as we filmed, I found that they were very good to me, especially the director. Every time I was done with a shot, she would run over to hug me and encourage me."

Lee, who contributed in no small way to her clinching the job, told Shin Min that ever since the Apple ad was released, agents from China and even Malaysia have been seeking the attractive "Apple Girl".

As of press time, the teenager has more than 20,000 followers on Instagram and at least 17,000 fans on Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo.

Quan told Wanbao that her daughter is set to star in more ads.

"She was previously not very interested in the entertainment circle," Quan said.

"She even rejected a few offers, but this time the Apple shoot has not affected her studies and she had the chance to work with the great film masters, so she accepted it. We generally reject television and film offers, but we are in talks for her to star in some advertisements."

myp@sph.com.sg

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