Zhang Yimou asked to declare income after admitting breach of one-child policy
In an attempt to end a six-month controversy, filmmaker bows to public pressure
Famed film director Zhang Yimou and his wife violated family planning rules by having three children without approval and before they were married, local authorities said yesterday.
The family planning office of Wuxi's Binhu district in Jiangsu province said in an online statement that the couple had had three children - in 2001, 2004 and 2006 in Beijing - without first seeking approval from family planning authorities, and out of wedlock. They obtained a marriage certificate in 2011, the statement said.
Zhang, 62, admitted late on Sunday having breached the provincial family planning regulations, ending months of media speculation and public debate about whether a celebrity was entitled to breach the rules.
The filmmaker said he had two sons and one daughter with his second wife, Chen Ting. He and his wife apologised for causing "adverse effects to society".
Family planning policies and the fines for breaking them vary from city to city. Some consider unmarried childbearing illegal.
The family planning office in Wuxi - where Zhang and his wife hold residency - asked the 62-year old filmmaker to disclose his income to calculate the fine, the provincial daily Yangtse Evening Post reported yesterday.
Last night's Binhu government statement quoted an unnamed spokesman as saying it hoped Zhang and Chen would continue to co-operate with family planning authorities and truthfully report their income.