Former actress Gong Xue, who was once called the Most Beautiful Actress in China, bowed out of the spotlight in 1986.

The now 68-year-old was regarded as one of the top actresses of her generation and had won Best Actress at both the Hundred Flowers Awards and Golden Rooster Awards in 1984 for her performance in Under the Bridge. Both award shows are regarded as the most prestigious film ceremonies in China.

Directors lined up to cast Gong Xue after her big win, but she surprised everyone when she retired from showbiz and moved to the US just two years later.

At that time, she was rumoured to have been one of the victims of a high-profile sexual assault case involving government officials.

Truth is, Gong Xue decided to give up her career in the name of love after meeting a man named Zhang Xun in the US.

The couple got married in 1986 and welcomed their daughter Alice two years later.

In 2006, Gong Xue returned to Shanghai and made the occasional appearance at showbiz events.

Netizens have since taken a keen interest in Alice, who is now 33. However, the comments haven't been exactly kind, with many saying that she “doesn’t live up to her mother’s beauty”.

Some really awful netizens even suggested that Gong Xue “brought the wrong baby home from the hospital”.

But guess who has the last laugh?

For all the haters out there, Alice is an accomplished illustrator who graduated from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, which offers one of the world’s top fine arts programmes.

According to Alice's website, her clients include Marvel, BBC Worldwide, DC Films, Lucasfilm and Disney Books. She also has a strong Instagram following (124K and counting!) and she often shares her work on the platform.

Photos: HK01, Alice Zhang's Instagram