Photo: Fan Bingbing/Instagram
Fan Bingbingis back!
After China’s highest-paid actressdisappeared from the public eyeand was subsequentlyfined $70 million for tax evasion, Fan finally made her return this week with apost on her Facebookand Instagram accounts.
Sharingseveral close-up photos of herselfin 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.
Fan Bingbing.Fan Bingbing/Instagram
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 in2017-18 China Film and Television Star Social Responsibility Reportand a tax evasion scandal,The Guardianreported.
Another theory that spread was that theX-Menactress, who played Blink in the franchise, was seeking asylum in Los Angeles. A Hong Kong tabloid calledThe Apple Dailyreported that she’d been seen in an immigration office, after taking the advice ofJackie Chan.
Chan’s reps, however, denied the reports and called the claim “nonsense,”The Hollywood Reportersaid.
Venturelli/WireImage
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.
TheX-Menactress 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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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 Fanwas seen in public was at May’s Cannes Film Festivalto promote the female spy thriller355, which costarsJessica Chastain,Penelope Cruz, Lupita Nyong’o andMarion Cotillard.
source: people.com
