Beijing Pops: Actress Zheng Shuang Fined for Tax Evasion

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Feeling left out when your Chinese colleagues are gossiping about a trending star? Puzzled by those glamorous Chinese faces in subway ads, but can't even tell who they are? Beijing Pops will help you get through it all with the latest pop culture and celebrity news.

Actress Zheng Shuang was fined for tax evasion

The controversy over actress Zheng Shuang is far from over. On August 27, the 30-year-old was ordered by China’s State Tax Administration (STA) to pay a fine of RMB 299 million for tax evasion.

The investigation was launched in April after her ex-boyfriend Zhang Heng reported to Shanghai police that she used a so-called “yin-yang contract” to evade taxes. You might remember this couple from their surrogacy controversy at the beginning of the year. That scandal led to Zhang revealing the evidence that Zheng had forged the aforementioned contract.

According to Zhang, Zheng was paid a sky-high remuneration — RMB160 million for acting in TV series A Chinese Ghost Story 倩女幽魂 qiàn nǚ yōu hún for only 77 days. That is to say, she was able to snag a cool RMB 2.08 million per day for her role.

Zheng Shuang's role as a woman ghost earns her 160 million yuan

According to the investigation report, between 2019 to 2020, Zheng failed to declare RMB 191 million of personal income, allowing her to evade RMB 45,269,600 in taxes. She's also accused of an additional RMB 26,520,700 in tax evasion.

As soon as the investigation report was released, Zheng immediately posted a letter of apology on Weibo, saying she "feels very guilty and regretful” about what she has done, and will “strictly comply with the law in the future”.

Now, Zhen is required to pay the taxes retroactively in addition to overdue fines, and tax authorities are urging her to pay the fines within the prescribed time limit, according to a report from CCTV News.

China’s state broadcasting regulator, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television also pulled Zheng’s previous TV dramas from video platforms and ordered producers not to hire her for future shows.

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Olympic medalist Yang Qian made a donation to Tsinghua University

Yang donated a mascot and her sports suit to Tsinghua University

Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medal winner Yang Qian made her first stop in her alma mater, Tsinghua University, after coming back from Japan. The 21-year-old air rifle medallist, who is also a student of Economy and Management School at Tsinghua, attended the welcoming meeting held by the university on Aug 20 as soon as she finished her 21-day quarantine. Yang donated a Tokyo Olympics mascot and the uniform she wore to the university.

Yang's yellow duck hairpin went viral online along with her gold medal

As a first-time Olympic participant, Yang’s championship came as surprise to all who were watching, albeit a happy one for her country. Prior to the competition, she was an obscure name to the world without even being mentioned in any championship predictions. However, she turned into an instant global sensation when she won the women’s 10m air rifle in Tokyo and topped the podium once again three days later in the 10m air rifle mixed team competition alongside teammate Yang Haoran.

Born in China’s eastern coastal city Ningbo in Zhejiang province, she quickly became the pride of her hometown. Her village celebrated it by painting her moment of victory on the wall, which now attracts many visitors to take selfies. Yang also went viral on Chinese media with her yellow duck and carrot hairpins, which quickly sold out on Taobao.

“National daughter” teams up with Zack of Zack & Cody boy in Turandot

Here come the princess and the prince.

World famous Italian opera Turandot is expected to meet its fans on the big silver screen within this year. Directed by Zheng Xiaolong, the highly acclaimed man who made the well-received historical drama Empresses in the Palace, the film The Curse of Turandot released its first trailer online on August 23 and revealed the all-star cast including character and movie posters.

With “national daughter” Guan Xiaotong playing princess Turandot alongside Dylan Sprouse of Zack and Cody fame, playing Calaf, the film seems like a great mix of the West and the East, not to mention the participation of two additional household names from France: Sophie Marceau and Vincent Perez, who play the queen and the king of the royal family.

...selfie time!

Set against the background of China’s Yuan Dynasty when the Mongol nationality was ruling the country, the fantasy movie follows princess Turandot who is cursed by a mysterious power emanating from three Mazovian bracelets that were given to her as birthday gifts. When these bracelets turned the princess into someone cruel and cold, an imperial power struggle is also underway.

The film is in post-production at present. Although the release date remains unknown, its big-budget production and cool action scenes have attracted a lot of fans, including those who haven’t seen Dylan Sprouse in the public since The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, the once hit Disney TV series that was widely broadcast even on Chinese TV channels.