Fan Bingbing’s Return: A Comeback in Green Night
Fan Bingbing is poised to make her much-anticipated return to the Chinese film industry with Green Night, a Hong Kong-Korean co-production that marks her first Chinese project since she was blacklisted in 2018. Aside from a short cameo in the Korean television series Insider in 2022 and a couple of roles in American films, the 43-year-old actress has remained largely absent from the screen for the past six years.
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Her return with a leading role in Green Night, a film that tells the story of a repressed Chinese immigrant who escapes with a mysterious green-haired woman, has taken many by surprise. In 2018, Fan found herself at the center of a scandal when Chinese tax authorities investigated her after filmmaker Feng Xiaogang publicly revealed contract details, raising suspicions of tax evasion. The situation escalated, and it was later revealed that the government ordered Fan to pay CN¥883 million (approximately €110 million) in taxes, effectively blacklisting her from working in mainland China. This ban not only prevented her from participating in new film and television projects but also barred the release of her completed works.
Prior to this turmoil, Fan Bingbing was one of China’s most prominent domestic and international stars, known for her roles in blockbuster films such as Iron Man 3 and X-Men: Days of Future Past. The scandal surrounding her tax issues also triggered a broader crackdown on the entertainment industry in China, leading to a significant increase in tax declarations totaling over CN¥11.747 billion (€1.52 billion).
Interestingly, despite her blacklisting, Fan was allowed to maintain her social media presence, which she leveraged to launch her beauty brand, Fan Beauty, thereby continuing to generate income. As she re-emerges from the shadows of her past, she stands as a rare example of a Chinese artist who has managed to navigate the severe constraints of censorship in her country.
Cinematic Censorship in China
China’s stringent censorship laws have led to the banning of numerous international films. A notable case is the 2018 film Christopher Robin, featuring Ewan McGregor, which was prohibited due to online memes comparing Xi Jinping to the beloved Winnie-the-Pooh character. Furthermore, renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou, famed for his historical martial arts epics such as Hero, faced censure for his 1994 film To Live. This film, an epic portrayal of the Cultural Revolution through the lens of a single family across four generations, won prestigious awards, including the Grand Prix at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. However, like Chen Kaige’s Farewell My Concubine, released a year earlier, it was banned in China for its critical stance towards the Communist Party.
Artists who have been excluded from the Chinese landscape often seek refuge in other countries to continue their artistic expressions. Visual artist Ai Weiwei, known for his outspoken critiques of the regime, was allowed to leave China in 2015 after his 2011 arrest at Beijing International Airport.
A new exhibition at the Pompidou Centre in Paris highlights the work of 21 Chinese visual artists who have confronted the challenges posed by the country’s strict censorship. The exhibition features artists such as Aaajiao, Alice Chen, Chen Fei, Chen Wei, Chu Yun, Cui Jie, Hao Liang, Hu Xiaoyuan, Li Ming, Liu Chuang, Lu Pingyuan, LuYang, Miao Ying, Nabuqi, Qiu Xiaofei, Shen Xin, Xun Sun, Wan Yang, Yao Qingmei, Yu Ji, and Zhang Ding. The 50 works on display explore the complexities of creating art in a nation that so heavily regulates freedom of expression. Remarkably, this exhibition is curated in collaboration with some of China’s prominent arts organizations, titled ‘目 Chine’ (‘Eye China’), and is a product of a partnership with the West Bund Museum Project in Shanghai.
