China's state media reported last week that one of its most successful actresses, Fan Bingbing, who vanished from the public eye without explanation in July, was "under control." 
 
 Fan, who played Blink in the 2014 film "X-Men: Days of Future Past," has not been seen in public since July 1 and last posted on social media on June 2. 
 
 Many speculated that she was being held by the Chinese government over allegations of tax evasion. 
 
 Fan played Blink in the 2014 film "X-Men: Days of Future Past." 20th Century Fox/XMen trailer 
 
 Her disappearance came after Cui Yongyuan, a former TV host with the state-owned China Central Television, suggested that the actress had signed secret contracts with a Chinese entertainment company to avoid paying taxes. 
 
 Last week, China's state-run Securities Daily said that Fan was "under control, and will accept the legal decision," several news outlets, including Taiwan News, reported. 
 
 According to Taiwan News, the Securities Daily report added that the actress had been jailed and that what it described as a scandal related to signing multiple contracts to avoid paying higher taxes was only the "tip of the iceberg." 
 
 The Securities Daily article appeared to have been taken down hours after it was published, according to Taiwan News. 
 
 Other news outlets have for months speculated on Fan's whereabouts, and rumors circulated that she was living under house arrest, according to The Epoch Times, a US newspaper focusing on China. 
 
 Her fiancé, the actor Li Chen, last posted on his social-media accounts in early July. 
 
 Fan, right, with the actresses Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Jessica Chastain, and Lupita Nyong'o at the Cannes festival in May. Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter 
 
 China seems to be censoring news about her 
 
 In late July, the independent Chinese newspaper The Economic Observer reported that police in Jiangsu province were examining Fan's financial case and that several of Fan's staff members were also under police investigation. 
 
 It also reported that Fan and her brother were barred from leaving the country. 
 
 But shortly after it was published, that report appeared to have been taken offline. 
 
 Posts about Fan's whereabouts earlier this year were also removed from social media, according to Free Weibo, a website that tracks social-media censorship in China. 
 
 Citing Free Weibo, the BBC reported in August that comments from Fan's supporters expressing concern also appeared to have been taken down. 
 
 Fan at the 2017 Cannes film festival. Andreas Rentz/Getty 
 
 The 36-year-old has been China's highest-paid actress since 2013, Forbes reported last year. It said she pulls in tens of millions of dollars for her acting roles, as well as several high-end endorsements. 
 
 In June, Fan's studio denied allegations that Fan had signed multiple contracts to evade taxes, saying: "The studio and Fan Bingbing will fully cooperate with the relevant authority. We hope the investigation result can be released soon to answer the public doubt." 
 
 A recent report by academics at Beijing Normal University ranked Fan the lowest in a "social responsibility assessment" of Chinese film and television stars. 
 
 The report evaluated celebrities on three criteria — professional work, charitable work, and integrity — based on media reports over the past year. It found that Fan scored zero out of 100 points. 
 
 Rumors have circulated online that Fan's low score may have resulted from the allegations of criminal activity against her. 
 
 Alexandra Ma contributed to this report. ||||| Image copyright WireImage Image caption Fan Bingbing, who got a 0% score in the report, has not been seen in public since 1 July 
 
 Chinese film star Fan Bingbing has been ranked last in a report judging A-list celebrities on how "socially responsible" they are, fuelling further speculation about the whereabouts of the actress, who has not been seen in public for more than two months. 
 
 The 2017-2018 China Film and Television Star Social Responsibility Report, carried widely by state media outlets, ranks Chinese celebrities according to three criteria: professional work, charitable actions and personal integrity. 
 
 It praises celebrities who have become "relatively strong role models", but also highlights cases where it says they have had a "negative" social impact. 
 
 But what is most notable is its 0% rating for Fan Bingbing, one of China's biggest stars, who hasn't been seen in public since 1 July when she visited a children's hospital. 
 
 The report was authored by academics at Beijing Normal University. 
 
 Who is Fan Bingbing? 
 
 She is known internationally as a singer and model, as well as for her appearance in the X-Men film franchise. 
 
 Her name has been linked to a government probe involving celebrities using "yin-yang contracts" - a practice where one contract sets out an actor's real earnings, and another details a lower figure, with the latter submitted to the tax authorities. 
 
 Although Fan Bingbing's studio denies any wrongdoing, online users are speculating that the reason she scored 0% is a result of the widely-circulated allegations, which state media have said have had a negative impact on society. 
 
 There is no word on what has happened to Fan. However there is speculation she has been arrested. 
 
 Most recently, state-run Chinese publication Securities Daily published a report which said she had been placed "under control, and would "accept the legal decision". 
 
 But the story was pulled down a few hours later. 
 
 How does the report rank stars? 
 
 The authors said they studied the behaviour of 100 Chinese singers, actors, and public figures - based in China and abroad - to assess the extent of their social responsibility. 
 
 They did not specify exactly how they arrived at the results in the test, but said that their findings were based on "research and web-scraping". 
 
 Image copyright Visual China Group Image caption The three members of boyband TFBoys passed the 'socially responsible' test 
 
 Only nine celebrities were deemed to be socially responsible enough, however, with a pass requiring a score of more than 60%.The report stressed that celebrities had to do more to promote "positive energy" and hinted that they needed to be more aware of behaviour and actions that might have a "negative social impact". 
 
 "We wanted to have a more thorough evaluation of celebrities," Zhang Hongzhong, who led the project, told English-language news website Sixth Tone. 
 
 He said that many celebrities were in danger of being simply branded "little fresh meats" - an internet buzzword used to describe good looking young men - and that their activism and philanthropy work was often overlooked. 
 
 So who passed? 
 
 Top of the list is actor Xu Zheng (78%), who appeared in the highly acclaimed film Dying to Survive. The film was based on a true story about a Chinese man smuggling cheap Indian drugs into the mainland to help cancer sufferers. 
 
 Image copyright AFP Image caption The Chinese government wants actors like Wu Zheng in 'Dying to Survive' to inspire young people 
 
 Two and three in the list are members of the hugely popular boy band TFBoys, in recognition of their philanthropic work. Another member comes fifth. 
 
 Actor Yang Yang (61.%), who ranks ninth, is highlighted because he set up a charity to help educate underprivileged children in remote mountainous regions. 
 
 How did people react? 
 
 State media are highlighting the report as a significant document, and outlets are praising the higher-ranked celebrities. 
 
 Social media users meanwhile - who have been long been fascinated by celebrity rankings - are weighing in on what the document might mean for their favourite celebrities, particularly Fan Bingbing. 
 
 Many users of the Sina Weibo microblog have voiced their surprise and concern that she has ranked so low, given there is no evidence of her being involved in any misconduct. 
 
 Image copyright Visual China Group Image caption Actor Jackie Chan recently donated 50,000 copies of his autobiography to the China Disabled Persons' Federation 
 
 "Fan Bingbing has been working on a public welfare project," one user said. Another added that for her to get zero was "not right; she does a lot of public welfare." 
 
 "When the Tianjin fire broke out, Fan Bingbing donated one million yuan ($145,655; £112,565) to the Tianjin Fire Brigade. Has all the good she's done before just been erased?" one asked. 
 
 The bad ratings given to other celebrities has caused annoyance as well. One user, for instance, pointed out that actor Jackie Chan and Tibetan singer Han Hong, who rank 42nd and 59th, are well-known philanthropists. 
 
 Why does this report matter? 
 
 Chinese celebrities have long understood that taking a path of "virtue" is key to maintaining mainland audiences, and that it's extremely difficult to bounce back after being linked to scandal. 
 
 The country's media has also long stressed that celebrities need to spread "positive energy" among young audiences; in other words, to be upbeat and promote healthy moral values. 
 
 So they have lauded celebrities who have, for example, openly condemned tobacco or drug use. 
 
 But celebrities who voice opinions in line with government rhetoric gain even higher praise, for example if they promote the importance of young audiences referring to the self-ruling island of Taiwan as a "Chinese region" rather than a "country". 
 
 This latest emphasis on social responsibility, which media and fans alike are taking as a new mark of power, could now put more pressure on them to do just that. 
 
 BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. ||||| BEIJING: China's highest paid movie star Fan Bingbing, who has not been seen in public since July, was placed last in an academic report ranking A-list celebrities on their social responsibility. 
 
 The 36-year-old actress has been a household name in China for years and tasted Hollywood success with a role in the 2014 blockbuster "X-Men: Days of Future Past". 
 
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 Last year, she topped Forbes magazine's list of top-earning Chinese celebrities with income of 300 million yuan (US$43 million). 
 
 But she has gone quiet in recent months, following allegations of tax evasion. 
 
 In the report by Beijing Normal University published earlier this month, 100 Chinese stars including popular actor Jackie Chan and award-winning actress Zhang Ziyi were ranked according to their professional work, charity work and personal integrity. 
 
 But with a pass requiring a score of more than 60 per cent, only nine celebrities made the cut, with Chinese actor Xu Zheng topping the list at 78 per cent. 
 
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 Fan had a score of zero. 
 
 The report's authors said they studied the celebrities' behaviour to assess the extent of their social responsibility but did not elaborate how they arrived at the results, saying that the findings were based on "research and web-scraping". 
 
 The ranking has split fans online, with many jumping to Fan's defence. 
 
 "What kind of a report is this? Fan has done so much good work in the past!" one user wrote on the Twitter-like Weibo platform. 
 
 Fan has been unusually quiet in recent months - with no new posts to her normally active personal Weibo account since May - amid speculation about her whereabouts. 
 
 The actress's troubles began when Cui Yongyuan, a former presenter for state-run China Central Television (CCTV), posted purported contracts online in May that suggested she had received under-the-table payments. 
 
 A statement released by Fan's studio said she was the victim of "slander" but did not dispute the authenticity of the documents Cui released. 
 
 So-called "yin and yang" dual contract arrangements - with one contract for income declared to tax authorities and another kept secret - are reportedly used to evade taxes. 
 
 After the documents posted by Cui went viral, the state tax administration was reportedly investigating alleged use of such dual contracts in the entertainment industry in eastern Jiangsu province. 
 
 Although Fan was not mentioned by name, she has businesses registered in Jiangsu. 
 
 State news agency Xinhua reported in late June that government agencies, including the tax authority and the film and broadcast regulator, would crack down on excessive pay and tax evasion in entertainment. 
 
 Last month, nearly a dozen major Chinese film producers and video sites announced they also would boycott "unreasonable" pay for actors. 
 
 Fan is one of five leading international actresses cast in the upcoming Hollywood spy thriller "355", alongside Jessica Chastain and Penelope Cruz. ||||| After months of rumour and speculation as to what might have come of her, China’s highest-paid actress Fan Bingbing was back centre stage on Wednesday with a grovelling apology to her fans and the Communist Party, and a colossal bill for overdue taxes and fines. 
 
 “Recently, I have experienced unprecedented pain and agony,” she wrote on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, where she has more than 62 million followers. 
 
 “I have undergone profound thought and reflection. I feel ashamed and guilty about what I have done, and I sincerely apologise to you all!” 
 
 Fan’s letter – her first public statement since June – came after China’s tax authorities ordered her to pay nearly 884 million yuan (US$129 million) in overdue taxes and fines, Xinhua reported on Wednesday. 
 
 The star was released from “residential surveillance at a designated location” – a form of secret detention – about two weeks ago and returned to Beijing as the tax authorities completed their investigation, sources with knowledge of the case told the South China Morning Post. 
 
 One said Fan had been kept in a “holiday resort” used to investigate officials, in a suburb of Wuxi in coastal Jiangsu province. 
 
 The sources disagreed, however, on what might happen next, with one saying the star would now face further questioning on related investigations, and the other saying her ordeal was over. 
 
 Fan, 37, who gained international fame after appearing in the X-Men and Iron Man film franchises, is the most famous and bankable star to be incriminated under a government crackdown launched in the summer on tax evasion among high-earning celebrities. 
 
 Her case is expected to serve as a clear warning to others in the entertainment industry about the consequences for those who fail to pay their tax bills, Xinhua said in a separate article. 
 
 In their investigation, the tax authorities found that Fan owed more than 255 million yuan in unpaid taxes, of which 200 million yuan was regarded as tax evasion, the first report said. 
 
 She and her companies were ordered to pay the unpaid taxes, and fined about 600 million yuan. 
 
 In a breakdown of the tax bill and fines, Xinhua said that Fan would have to pay 33 million yuan as a surcharge to her overdue taxes of 255 million yuan. 
 
 She was also fined 240 million yuan for using spurious contracts to conceal her true income and 239 million yuan for using the accounts of her studio to hide her personal income. Her companies, meanwhile, were fined a combined 117 million yuan for offences ranging from omitting income from their books – so as not to pay tax on it – to providing illicit assistance in the act of tax evasion. 
 
 Despite the hefty penalties, Fan will not face criminal charges if she pays all the money by an undisclosed deadline as requested by the tax authorities, Xinhua said, citing a 2009 amendment to China’s criminal law. 
 
 The State Administration of Taxation, meanwhile, said that companies and individuals in the entertainment industry that voluntarily “rectify their behaviour” and pay previously evaded taxes before December 31 will be exempt from administrative punishment and fines. 
 
 In her apology, Fan said she fully accepted the punishment by the authorities and would “overcome all difficulties” to pay what she owed. 
 
 “One could say that every bit of the achievement I have made cannot be separated from the support of the state and the people. Without the good policies of the Communist Party and the state, without the people’s love and care, there would be no Fan Bingbing,” she wrote. 
 
 A familiar face on film and television, as well as serving as ambassador for several luxury brands, Fan earned 300 million yuan (US$43.5 million) last year, according to the 2017 Forbes China Celebrity List. The only Chinese celebrity who earned more than her was Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, with an estimated 330 million yuan. 
 
 According to Forbes, Fan earned 1.4 billion yuan between 2003 and 2016. 
 
 In 2015, she was quoted as saying: “I don’t want to marry someone who’s rich. I am someone who’s rich.” 
 
 Her troubles began in May, when an outspoken presenter on state television, Cui Yongyuan, posted snapshots on Weibo of two contracts that appeared to be for a coming film of Fan’s. One showed a salary of US$1.6 million to be reported to the tax authorities, while the second appeared to show an actual payment of US$7.8 million – a prevalent tax-dodging practice known as yin-yang contracts. 
 
 Amid a public outcry ignited by his whistle-blowing, Cui later apologised to Fan and in June withdrew his claims altogether. That, however, did not stop the State Administration of Taxation from launching an investigation, which led to her disappearance. 
 
 Her abrupt silence sparked a cascade of rumours and concerns, with many people questioning why an investigation into tax evasion was being handled in such a secretive manner. 
 
 Fan was held under “residential surveillance at a designated location”, a form of detention introduced into criminal law in 2012 that lets police detain anyone suspected of endangering state security, terrorism or significant corruption at an undisclosed location for up to six months. 
 
 Since its introduction, the detention has been regularly used to intern rights lawyers and activists and block their access to family members and legal counsel. The practice has been widely condemned by rights groups. 
 
 Fan’s detention was followed by a wide-reaching crackdown on tax evasion and offshore currency transfers among high-profile celebrities in the fields of entertainment and sports. 
 
 The investigations involved tax officials, the foreign exchange watchdog, financial crime investigators and regulators from the publishing, broadcasting and sports bureaus, sources told the Post earlier. 
 
 The investigation found that Fan used yin-yang contracts when working on Unbreakable Spirit, the war film known outside China as Air Strike and also starring Bruce Willis. Of her actual payment of 30 million yuan, only a third was included in the contract that she presented to the tax bureau – enabling her to evade at least 6 million yuan of personal income tax, according to Xinhua. 
 
 Meanwhile, Fan’s agent has been detained by police for further investigation for allegedly hiding and destroying accounting records during an initial investigation in June, the report said. 
 
 Tax officials in Wuxi, a base for the country’s film and television industry near Shanghai where Fan has three movie studios, have also been implicated in the case, it said. 
 
 Additional reporting by Keegan Elmer 
 
 Full text of Fan Bingbing’s letter: 
 
 Letter of Apology 
 
 Recently, I have experienced unprecedented pain and agony, and I have undergone profound thought and reflection. I feel ashamed and guilty about what I have done, and I sincerely apologise to you all! 
 
 For a long time, I did not respect the relationship between the interests of the state, society, and myself, and used “split contracts” and other tax evasion methods in relation to the film Air Strike and others. I am deeply ashamed of this. 
 
 These days, through my cooperation with the tax authorities’ tax inspections of me and my company, I have been reflecting deeply: as a public figure, I should abide by the law and be a role model for society and the industry. 
 
 We should not lose self-discipline and succumb to lax management for economic interests and break the law. Here, I sincerely apologise to society, to the friends who care about me, to the public and to the national tax authorities. 
 
 I completely accept the series of decisions on penalties made in accordance with the law by the tax authorities in their investigation. I will try my best to overcome all difficulties, raise funds, pay taxes, and pay fines according to the final decision of the tax authorities. 
 
 I have liked the arts from an early age, and I had the great opportunity to rise with a booming film industry. With the guidance of many of my seniors, and the love of my audience, I have made my own persistent effort, and with all these things I have made some small achievement in the performing arts. 
 
 As an actor, I am always proud of being able to showcase my country’s culture on the world stage, and I have spared no efforts to promote this. One could say that every bit of the achievement I have made cannot be separated from the support of the state and the people. Without the good policies of the Communist Party and the state, without the people’s love and care, there would be no Fan Bingbing. 
 
 Today, I am deeply disturbed by the mistakes I have made! I have failed the state’s cultivation of me, failed the trust society had in me, and failed the love of my fans! Here, I sincerely apologise once again to everyone! Please forgive me! 
 
 I believe, after going through this rectification, I will follow the rules, be orderly and responsible. While presenting good works to you all, I will also supervise the management of [my] companies, abide the law in company operations, be honest and trustworthy, and strive to be a cultured and good company that spreads positive energy to society! 
 
 Once again, I would like to sincerely say to society, to the fans who have always supported me, and to the friends and family who care for me: sorry! 
 
 Fan Bingbing 
 
 October 3, 2018
– Academics at Beijing Normal University recently compiled a report ranking how "socially responsible" Chinese celebrities are, and China's highest-paid actress, Fan Bingbing, received a 0% rating—which would be eyebrow-raising enough, except that Fan has also gone missing. The BBC reports the 36-year-old X-Men actress, model, and singer hasn't been seen since her last public showing at a children's hospital on July 1, and Business Insider notes her social media posts dried up about a month before that. Her boyfriend, actor Li Chen, also seemingly vanished at the beginning of the summer. Meanwhile, a watchdog site covering social media censorship in China notes that concerned supporters who wondered online what had happened to Fan have since seen their posts scrubbed. Fan vanished not long after state-run TV suggested the contract with her entertainment company misrepresented what she earned so she could pay less in taxes. Her studio said the report was "slander," per Channel NewsAsia. Then came the celebrity-ranking report in which Fan ranked last, with just nine of the 100 celebrities reviewed on their work, philanthropy, and personal integrity deemed to be "socially responsible." The BBC notes that celebrities "who voice opinions in line with government rhetoric" generally get more praise and positive press in China. There have been whispers Fan was arrested by the Chinese government for tax evasion, and a cryptic article has fueled that rumor: The state-run Securities Daily posted a story last week saying Fan was "under control" and "will accept the legal decision"; the article was yanked a few hours later.