Film director behind opening ceremony for Beijing Olympics faces up to £17m fine if found to have broken 'one child' policy
Renowned Chinese film director Zhang Yimou, who designed the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics, is under investigation over claims he broke strict family planning laws by fathering seven children, state media have reported.
The website of the People's Daily, the official Communist party newspaper, quoted suggestions that Zhang could face a fine of up to 160m yuan (£16.75m). Parents can be ordered to pay up to twice their annual income for breaching the law, though it is unclear how the estimate of the directors yearly income was reached. Many avoid fines or pay well below the maximum.
China's "one child" policy limits most urban couples to one birth but allows rural families to have a second if their first is a girl. Other exemptions include allowing a childless individual whose spouse already has a child to have another.
Violations are increasingly common and there is growing pressure from experts to abolish the law, which was originally designed to last 30 years.
But offenders can face heavy fines and although forced sterilisations and abortions are illegal they have continued to take place. Disparity in the treatment of those who break the laws has fuelled public anger about inequality.
"It is just a policy for limiting the poor's right to give birth," one angry microblogger wrote in response to the news about Zhang.
Another asked: "Why doesn't China have the world's respect? Look at the rich and officials with flocks of wives and mistresses ... If ordinary people had more children they would be punished or fined to death. He is fine.
"Zhang's quality is worse than ordinary people. An unfair society can never receive respect."
The reports followed claims in Chinese media that he had several children with his two wives and two other women. His personal life has been the subject of gossip for years, notably over his long relationship with Gong Li, whom he met when she was a drama student and who starred in many of his films.
Official news agency Xinhua said officials in Wuxi, the hometown of the 61-year-old's second wife, were investigating.
The website of the People's Daily said it was unclear where Zhang's children were born, citing a worker at the Jiangsu province's population and family planning commission.
Zhang's Los Angeles-based agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Associated Press reported.
The director was widely lauded for films such as Raise the Red Lantern and To Live. But in recent years, critics have been less impressed by films such as Curse of the Golden Flower and last year's The Flowers of War, which starred Christian Bale.
While some of Zhang's early works were banned, he has also been criticised for his closeness to the government, particularly since overseeing the Olympics ceremony.
Last year China's national audit office said the ministry of railways had hired him for a five minute promotional film that cost 18.5m yuan in total. Zhang said he received 2.5m yuan for his work and was astonished to learn of the total budget, adding that he would do more research before taking on projects in future. Reported by guardian.co.uk 53 minutes ago.
Renowned Chinese film director Zhang Yimou, who designed the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics, is under investigation over claims he broke strict family planning laws by fathering seven children, state media have reported.
The website of the People's Daily, the official Communist party newspaper, quoted suggestions that Zhang could face a fine of up to 160m yuan (£16.75m). Parents can be ordered to pay up to twice their annual income for breaching the law, though it is unclear how the estimate of the directors yearly income was reached. Many avoid fines or pay well below the maximum.
China's "one child" policy limits most urban couples to one birth but allows rural families to have a second if their first is a girl. Other exemptions include allowing a childless individual whose spouse already has a child to have another.
Violations are increasingly common and there is growing pressure from experts to abolish the law, which was originally designed to last 30 years.
But offenders can face heavy fines and although forced sterilisations and abortions are illegal they have continued to take place. Disparity in the treatment of those who break the laws has fuelled public anger about inequality.
"It is just a policy for limiting the poor's right to give birth," one angry microblogger wrote in response to the news about Zhang.
Another asked: "Why doesn't China have the world's respect? Look at the rich and officials with flocks of wives and mistresses ... If ordinary people had more children they would be punished or fined to death. He is fine.
"Zhang's quality is worse than ordinary people. An unfair society can never receive respect."
The reports followed claims in Chinese media that he had several children with his two wives and two other women. His personal life has been the subject of gossip for years, notably over his long relationship with Gong Li, whom he met when she was a drama student and who starred in many of his films.
Official news agency Xinhua said officials in Wuxi, the hometown of the 61-year-old's second wife, were investigating.
The website of the People's Daily said it was unclear where Zhang's children were born, citing a worker at the Jiangsu province's population and family planning commission.
Zhang's Los Angeles-based agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Associated Press reported.
The director was widely lauded for films such as Raise the Red Lantern and To Live. But in recent years, critics have been less impressed by films such as Curse of the Golden Flower and last year's The Flowers of War, which starred Christian Bale.
While some of Zhang's early works were banned, he has also been criticised for his closeness to the government, particularly since overseeing the Olympics ceremony.
Last year China's national audit office said the ministry of railways had hired him for a five minute promotional film that cost 18.5m yuan in total. Zhang said he received 2.5m yuan for his work and was astonished to learn of the total budget, adding that he would do more research before taking on projects in future. Reported by guardian.co.uk 53 minutes ago.