After a three-month disappearance, Chinese actress Fan Bingbing returned with an apology on her Weibo account, confirming the theory that her absence had to do with charges of tax evasion. Now, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed where Bingbing was located these past few months, and confirmed that the actress has returned to Beijing.
The star hadn't been in seen public since July 1, and, according to the outlet, was held under "residential surveillance at a designated location" that is a "holiday resort" in a suburb of Wuxi in coastal Jiangsu province. The location is often used to investigate corruption in Chinese officials after the practice of residential surveillance began being implemented in Chinese law in 2012, according to THR.
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Now that she has returned, an executive confirmed to THR that "she has regained her liberty and is in relatively good spirits."
"I feel ashamed and guilty for what I did, and here, I offer my sincere apology to everyone," Bingbing wrote in her apology. "I feel ashamed that I committed tax evasion in Unbreakable Spirit and other projects by taking advantage of 'split contracts.' Throughout these days of my cooperation with the taxation authorities’ investigation of my accounts as well as my company’s, I have realized that, as a public figure, I should’ve observed the law, setting a good example for society and the industry."
She was given a fine of nearly 892 million yuan, or around $130 million.