bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Yating Yang

A former top actress in China has been declared bankrupt because she cannot afford to pay the production companies compensation they are suing her for.
The revelation has fuelled allegations that Zheng Shuang transferred assets overseas, and experts have warned of the serious legal consequences – such as a possible three-year jail term – if that is the case.
Zheng was once a leading actress on the mainland, rising to stardom with her role as Chu Yuxun in the 2009-2010 television series Meteor Shower.
She also became the youngest nominee for Best Actress at the China TV Golden Eagle Award in 2010.
However, her career took a dramatic turn for the worst in 2021 due to scandals over allegations of surrogacy and tax evasion.

In 2021, her ex-partner, producer Zhang Heng, accused Zheng of abandoning two children born through surrogacy in the United States.
She also faced accusations of having huge earnings without paying tax.
Investigations revealed that between 2019 and 2020 Zheng failed to declare a personal income of 191 million yuan (US$26 million), thereby evading taxes worth 45.27 million yuan.
She was also revealed to have received a salary of 156.25 million yuan for acting in A Chinese Ghost Story, at a daily rate of about two million yuan (US$280,000).
Following the scandals and the public backlash, the airing of Jade Lover, a television series starring Zheng in a lead role, was banned so the production company could sue her for compensation.
On December 16, 2021, the Shanghai Songjiang District People’s Court ordered Zheng to return 30.5 million yuan in fees and 60 million yuan in compensation for the company’s economic losses.
Despite Zheng’s appeal, the court upheld its original ruling in the second judgment in July 2023.
On December 7, 2023, the actress was subject to a compulsory payment for the sum of 90.5 million yuan (US$12.5 million) to the company, along with restrictions on her spending and the freezing of her equity.
Another contract dispute between Zheng and the production company of a different drama she starred in, Jue Mi Zhe, resulted in her studios paying out 128 million yuan in 2023.
On April 1, legal documents revealed by Tianyancha, a data company providing Chinese enterprise information, indicated that Zheng was bankrupt, with no assets available to make legal payments.
News of Zheng’s bankruptcy attracted about 400 million views and sparked more than 30,000 comments on Weibo at the time of writing, with many speculating about asset transfers.

“This is 100 per cent transferred assets. If the investigation proves true, a severe punishment is necessary,” one person alleged.
“She has already transferred assets and never planned to repay the money,” alleged another person.
Zhao Liangshan, a lawyer from Shaanxi Hengda Law Firm, said if it is verified that Zheng Shuang has the ability to repay but refuses to do so, and has deliberately hidden or transferred assets, then she may have violated Article 313 of the Criminal Law.
It stipulates that refusing to execute judgments or comply with rulings can result in a sentence of up to three years in prison, detention, or a fine.


China ‘most beautiful’ Shaolin-trained bodyguard in spotlight during French president visit

China public servants use face masks to bypass facial recognition to help each other skip work

China prankster breaks girlfriend’s bone by accident, then fakes car crash for insurance money

China woman arrested for stealing fish bone waste to feed restaurant staff and customers

Trending in China

Disgraced actress Zheng Shuang sued by production firm for owing US$12.5 million, faces 3-year jail if assets concealed

Disgraced mainland actress Zheng Shuang is being sued by a production firm for US$12.5 million amid allegations that she has hidden assets. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/Sina

Actress Zheng Shuang rose to fame with roles in popular television shows in China. Photo: Baidu

People on mainland social media have accused the former star of hiding her assets. Photo: Baidu

Famous Malaysian singer helps husband find young ‘co-wife’ so she can focus on career, shocks fans, divides opinion

A famous Malaysian singer who helped her husband find a young second wife so she can focus on her career has shocked her fans and divided public opinion. Photo: SCMP composite/YouTube/Instagram

Azline Ariffin went public with her decision to embrace polygamy in March, shocking many fans. Photo: Kosmo

The singer, and her husband, Wan Mohd Hafizam, went to matchmaking events together. Photo: Facebook

China divorce court orders man  who called disabled wife ‘trash’  to pay US$4,200 compensation as insult is ‘domestic violence’

A court in China has ordered an abusive husband who called his disabled wife “trash” to pay her US$4,200 in compensation. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

Qian suffered a near-death experience in a traffic accident which left her in a wheelchair. Photo: Weibo

The law in China can see convicted violent domestic abusers sent to jail for up to seven years. Photo: Weibo

Professional China tomb-sweepers spruce up sites, perform rituals, live-stream rites for absent clients

The annual Ching Ming Festival has seen a growth in the number of professional tomb-sweepers in China who carry out rituals for worshippers who cannot be at gravesides in person. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu

Professional tomb-sweeper, Zou Mengjun, says business has boomed in recent years. Photo: Baidu

Paid-for ritual practitioners will even live-stream the whole process for clients. Photo: Baidu

‘Disgusting’ China tourist swaps used water bottle for new souvenir flask at British Museum, angering mainland social media

A wave of anger has hit mainland social media after a tourist from China swapped a used water bottle for a new flask in the souvenir shop of the British Museum. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/British Museum

The offending water bottle is thought to have originated in China because it carried simplified Chinese characters. Photo: Weibo

The Chinese authorities have issued several warnings about behaviour at tourist spots, such as the British Museum, above. Photo: Xinhua

Shock as freak winds in China kill 3, including a child, by sucking them out of broken high-rise windows as they slept

A series of freak high winds in China which left three people dead after they were sucked out of the broken windows of their high-rise flats has shocked mainland social media. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Weibo

A mother grips onto her child and seeks shelter as the freak winds rip through her home. Photo: Weibo

News

People & Culture

China Personalities

Actress rises to stardom in many roles, youngest TV award nominee
Rocked by surrogacy, tax evasion scandals, declared bankrupt


The star of several popular TV shows in China, who fell from grace after a series of scandals, has been accused of hiding assets so that she does not have to pay firms suing her.


Viral stories

China’s crackdowns

Icons and Influencers

Disgraced actress Zheng Shuang sued by production firm for owing US$12.5 million, faces 3-year jail if assets concealed

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Actress rises to stardom in many roles, youngest TV award nominee Rocked by surrogacy, tax evasion scandals, declared bankrupt

Actress rises to stardom in many roles, youngest TV award nominee

Rocked by surrogacy, tax evasion scandals, declared bankrupt