Mystery over disappearing Chinese newspaper report on X-men actress Fan Bingbing’s alleged travel ban
Several associates of country’s highest paid actress said to have been questioned by police since allegations were made
A mystery about China’s highest paid actress, Fan Bingbing – who appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past – has deepened after a Chinese newspaper report claiming she was under a tax cloud and barred from leaving the country was suddenly taken offline without explanation.
Fan, who earns more than Hollywood star Jennifer Lawrence, is at the centre of an online debate over whether Chinese A-list stars earn too much and give back too little to the country.
While Fan, 36, has not been officially accused of any wrongdoing, prominent television host Cui Yongyuan, who is also a controversial, outspoken figure, alleged at the end of May that she was involved in “yin-yang” contracts, which are used to evade tax.
Fan’s studio rejected the allegations and said it would cooperate with the authorities. Tax officials are investigating but have not released any findings.
Fan topped last year’s Forbes list of best paid Chinese celebrities with earnings estimated at US$45 million.
On Saturday The Economic Observer, a respected Chinese-language newspaper, reported that Fan and her younger brother Fan Chengcheng, had been barred from leaving the country over alleged tax evasion. The reporter, Li Weiao, is an experienced investigative journalist in China and a finalist for last year’s Global Shining Light Award from the Global Investigative Journalism Network.