X-Men Actress Vanished in China, Said to Be 'Under Control'

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. (More China stories.)