X-Men: Days of Future Past co-star Fan Bingbing has disappeared from social media following reports in June that she’s suspected by the Chinese government of tax evasion.
According to The Associated Press, the popular Chinese actress, model and pop singer hasn’t updated her Weibo account since June 3, and hasn’t been seen in public since July 1, when she visited a children’s hospital. Her boyfriend, actor Li Chen, hasn’t updated his social media account since July 6.
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Chinese television presenter Cui Yongyuan accused Fan of tax evasion in May, and reportedly revealed documents showing the actress had taken multiple contracts for some projects. Known as a “yin-yang contract,” it’s a common practice in China, allowing the actor to submit the contract for the lower value to the government, thus avoiding harsher taxation. On July 3, Fan’s production company denied any wrongdoing, and vowed to cooperate with investigators.
Fan’s absence from social media is unusual, as she’s typically active on Weibo, where she maintains 62 million followers; fans expressed concern for her whereabouts. Although she apparently “liked” several social media posts on July 23, her whereabouts remain unknown.
On July 26, The Economic Observer claimed that Fan’s staff were questioned by police, and her brother was barred from leaving the country, although the article was quickly removed. There are also unconfirmed reports that Fan has been restricted from leaving China as well.
Fan is one of China’s highest-paid actors, having earned roughly $17 million in 2016. She is perhaps best known to Western audiences as the mutant Blink in X-Men: Days of Future Past.