*BEIJING – Fan Bingbing, Chinese movie star who has appeared in the “X-Men”and “Iron Man” film franchises, has more than 62 million followers onlinein China, has mysteriously disappeared.*
The star’s vanishing act – she dropped off the radar in June when reportsstarted to swirl that she was involved in a probe into tax evasion in thefilm industry – has sparked wild speculation in China about her fate,including reports the actress had been detained.
The real-life drama has been playing out at a time when Beijing istightening the reins on popular culture, looking to stamp out behavior seenas going against the ruling Communist Party’s ideological line andco-opting movie stars, pop bands and online celebrities to endorsesocialist values.
“It is written in our new movie promotion law that entertainers need topursue both professional excellence and moral integrity,” said Si Ruo, aresearcher at the School of Journalism and Communication at China’sprestigious Tsinghua University.
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“In the unbridled growth of the industry in the past few years, we mighthave overlooked the need for positive energy, so the government’sintervention is reasonable.”
Fan Bingbing is the most prominent example. The actress, 36, is China’sequivalent of Hollywood star Jennifer Lawrence. She topped Forbes’ Chinacelebrity rich list last year with earnings of 300 million yuan ($43.78million).
