Cody White
The 36-year-old Chinese actress, Fan Bingbing, the highest paid Chinese actress in the span from 2013 to present, has not been seen in public since July 1st, 2018 and has not posted on social media since July 2nd, according to reports from Business Insider.
Notable in the comics community for her role as Blink in the 2014 X-Men: Days of Future Past, there is speculation that the Chinese government is holding her on allegations of tax evasion. Although Fan’s studio has denied that any secret dealings were done to avoid taxes, the question of her whereabouts and possible motives still remain.
Business Insider notes that “a recent report by academics at Beijing Normal University ranked Fan the lowest in a ‘social responsibility assessment’ of Chinese film and television stars” and points to several instances of possible government censuring regarding the actress, a move not uncommon in recent years.
Many of the details thus far are remarkably similar to the situation surrounding notorious and controversial Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who was similarly held on tax evasion charges following a number of encounters with the Chinese government. Similar to the Ai Weiwei scenario, China’s state-run Securities Daily has been reported as saying Fan is “under control, and will accept the legal decision.”
More on this story as it develops. As always, we will be watching.
Human Rights
This is frightening. The question is what can be done to find her?