Fan Bingbing, first confession in 5 years, "It was a good experience"

Chinese actor Fan Bingbing appeared at an official event for the first time in five years since the 'tax evasion controversy'. He mentioned something that happened to him in the past.

On the 23rd (local time), a press conference was held for the film 'Green Knight' (directed by Han Shuai), which was officially invited to the Panorama section of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival. Director Han Shuai, Fan Bingbing, and Juyoung Lee attended the event.

'Green Knight' is about Jin Xia (played by Fan Bingbing), a Chinese immigrant who works at a security checkpoint, who one day meets a young and lively green-haired woman (played by Joo-young Lee), and the two lonely women who have never relied on anyone but themselves. It is a story about going into the Korean underworld against the.

At the press conference, Fan Bingbing was asked about the 'tax evasion controversy' that occurred five years ago. It was expected that questions unrelated to the movie 'Green Knight' would not be answered. The press conference host asked people to refrain from asking questions. However, Fan Bingbing chose to attack head-on.

After being asked a question, Fan Bingbing said, "It's okay." He said, “I was at home and I want to say thank you to all the fans around the world who worried about me.” He added, "As you know, everyone's life has highs and lows. Even if you reach a low point, you slowly go up again."

Fan Bingbing explained, "It was a difficult process, but at the same time, I learned a lot of new things and learned a lot about the world and people. Looking back, it was a really good experience. Everything is okay now."

In June 2018, suspicions arose that Fan Bingbing had evaded taxes by signing a double contract following revelations from Chinese CCTV announcer Cui Yongyuan. Then, Fan Bingbing disappeared without a word for about four months. In some communities, rumors of disappearance, exile, and death circulated.

Four months later, Chinese authorities charged Fan Bingbing with tax evasion worth 248 million yuan (about 40.3 billion won). Fan Bingbing admitted to the charge of tax evasion, posted an apology, and paid a fine of 883.94 million yuan (about 143 billion won).

Fan Bingbing returned to activity in 2019. He also appeared in the Hollywood movie '355'. She was spotted leaving for the U.S. to dub for '355', but her belly appeared protruding, sparking rumors that she was pregnant. The agency explained, "The problem was that he ate a lot. Foreign food is high in calories, so please adjust the amount of food you eat."

Fan Bingbing is actively working, starting with '355' and making a special appearance in the Korean drama 'The Insider'. 'Green Knight', filmed with Lee Joo-young, was officially invited to the Berlin International Film Festival, and it was the first time in a long time that he walked the red carpet at a film festival. In particular, it attracts attention by mentioning the 'tax evasion controversy' for the first time at an official event. Attention is being paid to what the future holds for Fan Bingbing, who has attracted numerous topics, including tax evasion controversies, disappearance rumors, and imprisoned rumors.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr