Who is Zheng Shuang, the controversial Chinese actress dropped by Prada after accusations of greed, tax evasion and ‘abandoning’ her surrogate children in the US?
Just three months after her surrogacy scandal, Chinese actress Zheng Shuang has found herself embroiled in yet another furore after it was reported she received shockingly high acting fees for the upcoming drama A Chinese Ghost Story. She is also under suspicion for tax evasion and contract fraud as a result.
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According to screenshots of conversations revealed on Weibo by her former partner, Zhang Heng, Zheng negotiated a 160 million yuan (US$24.6 million) fee for a total of 77 days of filming for the TV show. The fees resulted in an outcry from the Chinese public over inequality and, according to state broadcaster CCTV, the Shanghai Municipal Tax Service, and the Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau, will both now conduct an investigation into Zheng.
So who exactly is Zheng Shuang and how did she get here?
Zheng was born in the northeastern city of Shenyang in 1991 to an office worker mother and a businessman father who were extremely ambitious for their daughter. Cultivating her artistic side from a young age, Zheng learned piano, flute and dance, among other skills.
She performed for the first time on stage when she was four and began to participate in TV performances and competitions a year later. Zheng was only 16 when she was accepted to the Beijing Film Academy’s acting department as its youngest ever student.
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Not long after, Zheng rose to fame with her debut role in the remake of Taiwanese hit drama Meteor Shower. The popularity of the show earned her a nomination for best actress in the 25th China TV Golden Eagle Awards, making her the youngest actress to be nominated in the category. But it wasn’t until 2011 that Zheng received her first big award – for best newcomer – in the 6th Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild Awards thanks to her performance in the film Mural.
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Her quickly rising star began to lead to fame overseas too, with Zheng taking on roles that broadened her acting abilities – from period to fantasy pieces. Her most popular films included Swords of Legends, Love O2O, and My Story for You; and in 2017, Forbes China named her among the region’s most influential people when she made their “30 Under 30 Asia” list.
Her personal life seemed to be on the up too, as in 2018, fans were excited to learn that Zheng was dating producer Zhang Heng after meeting him through a reality TV show. The couple exchanged wedding vows in the US in January 2019, but announced their break-up just 11 months later.
The start of Zheng’s public fall from grace began in January this year, when Zhang said that she had abandoned their two children – born to surrogates in the US – after their acrimonious break-up.
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As the story spread and critics weighed in online, international brands such as Prada began to drop Zheng from their campaigns. She responded to the controversy by posting a simple sentence on Weibo: “This is a very sad and private matter for me.”
Add the ongoing appearance fee controversy to the surrogacy scandal that’s still fresh in people’s minds, and many are wondering whether Zheng’s reputation can handle a second blow.
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- The Love 020 and Swords of Legends star was a prodigious talent, performing on stage by age four – now Prada has dropped her following the surrogacy scandal
- After splitting from husband Zhang Heng after just 11 months, his claims of abandonment and greed are spurring social media hate and Chinese censorship