Star-struck simplicity

From left to right: Huang's trophies from her appearances at charity performances, limited edition Gloomy Bears, her cat Kaka and dinner on the table. Photos by Mao Liang / for China Daily

Ever fantasized about a day at home with your favorite actress? Wu Wencong lives out that dream.

This famous actress lives in Changning, a district in Shanghai that a local cab driver describes as "the wealthiest neighborhood in Shanghai" You cannot help but start thinking "would she be living in a villa with spacious rooms, a private swimming pool, maids in uniform who serve breakfast in bed "But Huang Yi's home is nothing like that. It is a simple three-bedroom, two-living room suite in an apartment tower with 26 floors. A narrow corridor leads to the main living room and you have to squeeze past two racks of clothes that take up most of the space along the corridor. The last bubble bursts when a young woman appears at the end of the corridor, wearing a simple pink chiffon blouse and cut-off jeans, her hair coiled in a shower cap and her face free of makeup.

She walks up, bare-footed, and says with a smile: "Sorry, I just woke up. It was such a long day yesterday."

And that is Huang, 31, a star of stage, screen and video.

She has been working in television for 12 years, starring in countless serials. She has 21 films in her repertoire and her is a film in which she plays the cheerleader, and her co-stars are NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Yi Jianlian.

"Please make yourself at home," she says as she curls up in the European-styled armchair in the living room. In her arms is her cat, Kaka.

"I don't like photos featuring fancy homes in magazines, they are too neat and clean, and look too much like hotels to me," she says. "A little mess makes me relax, and makes my place a real home."

Huang bought the apartment five years ago because it fulfills her needs as a celebrity and her pursuit of comfort. In that, she is a typical Shanghai woman who demands both practical and economic efficiency in life.

"I was looking for privacy, first and foremost," she says. There are 80 families in the apartment block and although there are couches in the lobby, a cigar bar and swimming pool facilities, she hardly ever meets her neighbors.

But Huang says she was most attracted by the living room, which appeared very British to her.

It is round with six large bay windows and the decor, from the color of the wallpaper to the golden couch to the fringed curtains and shining TV wall, falls neatly into the European style.

Huang's friends had said that a round living room may not be practical but Huang has made it the focal point of her home, reveling in its grace, brightness and space.

A rectangular red carpet with gold patterns sits in the center of the room, accentuating the white carved table which stands on it. The intricate carvings on the table base adds a touch of luxury to the decor.

The cream and yellow sofa, armchair and curtains reflect the soft autumn sunshine that filters through the sheer curtains draping the bay windows. Huang's trophies from her appearances at charity performances are displayed on small side tables.

Huang says the Shanghainese tend to pay great attention to details. For her, the home must also be environmentally friendly.

"The walls of the apartment are thickened, making it warm even in Shanghai's winters, where no central heating is provided. So you save on energy," she says.

Huang's hectic lifestyle requires her to travel around China and abroad frequently, and suitcases are vital in her daily life. She calls them her "faithful friends in the battlefields", and stacks them up in the living room right beside the TV bench. Suitcases plastered with colored stamps and stickers form a decorative collage.

Once, she had to take six of them with her for a month-long shoot in the United States.

While she tries her best to enjoy every trip, her colleagues and friends all confirm that she would rather stay at home.

"She would never stay in a hotel if she has the chance and time to go home," says Zhang Chenguang, one of her colleagues.

When she is not working, Huang would play with her cats or spend most of the time in her bedroom, which is sparsely decorated apart from her collection of stuffed bears.

All kinds of bears stand and sit around her bed, from soft plush toys to limited-edition Gloomy Bears, a famous cartoon character created by Japanese illustrator Mori Chack.

Aside from the furry creatures, Huang's bedroom is almost all in white. She once loved orange so much she painted her bedroom that color, but now she thinks white is simpler and cozier.

"I gradually realized home should be decorated in such a way that you can relax and feel comfortable in it. It is there for the people living in it, not just as a pretty presentation."