China woman, 30, earning US$140,000 a month running marketing firm announces retirement

A 30-year-old Chinese woman earning over 1 million yuan (US$140,000) per month has publicly announced her retirement plans to travel to Iceland, igniting widespread envy among younger generations online.Deng Yiran, a geophysics graduate from Nanjing University in Jiangsu province, southeastern China, has garnered considerable attention following her announcement to retire at such a young age.As of this month, Deng collaborates with several companies across China, including those in Beijing, Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Fujian province, holding executive positions in six of them.Deng’s early retirement plan has ignited widespread envy among younger generations online. Photo: BaiduHer primary source of income stems from commission-based cost per sale (CPS) advertising, with reported monthly earnings exceeding 1 million yuan in commissions. Her company’s annual revenue surpasses 100 million yuan.Deng’s business model heavily relies on local lifestyle “traffic” operations. She effectively attracts a large number of users by posting promotional content on social media platforms such as Douyin and RedNote and investing in paid traffic.These users are then redirected into her private traffic groups, where she steadily builds a following of millions of local enthusiasts.For platforms aiming to promote new services, partnering with Deng proves to be highly efficient; she directly links them to users, and when a user clicks through and makes a purchase, Deng earns a commission on the transaction.After her university graduation, her mother, a teacher, encouraged her to take the civil service exam, but Deng declined, now enjoying the success of her career. Photo: Baidu