China's Fan Bingbing Returns to Social Media After Mysterious Disappearance and Tax Evasion Fines
Fan Bingbing is back!
After China’s highest-paid actress disappeared from the public eye and was subsequently fined $70 million for tax evasion, Fan finally made her return this week with a post on her Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Sharing several close-up photos of herself in a red shirt with small, gold hoop earrings, Fan, 37, wished her followers a happy and healthy Chinese New Year on Monday before reminding her fans that she loved them.
Although the photos were the first time Fan has posted on social media since May 2018, she made no mention of her whereabouts in the months following her disappearance and tax evasion fines.
Representatives for Fan did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
In September, the actress’ fans grew worrisome when she wasn’t seen in public for more than two months or posted on social media in more than seven weeks, leading them to make up theories for her disappearance.
Rumors abound that her disappearance may have been related to troubles with Chinese authorities, as Fan was slapped with a score of zero in 2017-18 China Film and Television Star Social Responsibility Report and a tax evasion scandal, The Guardian reported.
Another theory that spread was that the X-Men actress, who played Blink in the franchise, was seeking asylum in Los Angeles. A Hong Kong tabloid called The Apple Daily reported that she’d been seen in an immigration office, after taking the advice of Jackie Chan.
Chan’s reps, however, denied the reports and called the claim “nonsense,” The Hollywood Reporter said.
That same month, her case made headlines when state-run Chinese paper Securities Daily wrote that she was “under control” and “would accept the legal decision” by local authorities. The story was then pulled by the outlet.
RELATED: China’s Fan Bingbing Breaks Silence After Being Fined $70 Million for Tax Evasion
In October, Fan was fined by Chinese tax authorities, Xinhua first reported. According to Bloomberg, Fan and her companies were fined 884 million yuan, which is equivalent to $129 million. Fan was responsible for $70 million of the fines.
She later broke her silence on the situation in a statement on Weibo — but remained M.I.A. from social media.
“Recently I have been enduring an unprecedented amount of pain, undergoing deep self-reflection and introspection. I am deeply ashamed and feel guilty for what I have done, and I offer my sincere apologies to everyone,” she began.
The X-Men actress said, “I have come to realize that, as a public figure, I should have observed the law, setting a good example for society and the entertainment industry. I shouldn’t have lost the ability to control myself in the face of economic interests, allowing myself to break the law.”
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Fan noted that she committed tax evasion “by taking advantage of ‘yin yang contracts'” (meaning she had one contract with her real salary, and another that had a lesser amount, which she then submitted to tax authorities), and that she accepted the fines.
She continued, “As an actor, I take pride in showcasing our country’s culture on the global stage, and I do my best to be in the forefront of this. I owe my success to the support of my country and the people. Without the great policies of the [Communist] Party and the state, without the love of the people, there would have been no Fan Bingbing.”
“I failed my country which nurtured me; I failed the society which trusted me; I failed the fans who loved me,” she wrote. “I offer my sincere apology here once again! I beg for everyone’s forgiveness!”
One of the last times Fan was seen in public was at May’s Cannes Film Festival to promote the female spy thriller 355, which costars Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Lupita Nyong’o and Marion Cotillard.
