Zhang Yimou, the acclaimed Chinese film director behind the awe-inspiring opening ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, is under scrutiny because of Internet claims that he fathered up to seven children with four different women.
If true, Zhang could be found in violation of the strict family planning laws that restrict urban families to only one child, reports The New York Times. The web version of the People’s Daily, which is a state-sanction media organization, confirmed that Zhang is under investigation. Since fines are based on the person’s income, he could be fined up to $27 million.
According to The Guardian, the family planning law only allows rural families to have more than one child if their first is a girl, while urban families are restricted to one child no matter what. Violations have become common and China is facing international pressure to end the law.
The Internet reports say that Zhang had his children with two wives and two other women. He has a daughter with his first wife, Xiao Hua. They divorced after he began an affair with actress Gong Li, who appeared in his films. He is now married to another actress, Chen Ting. The Times notes that the number of children he has had with Chen hasn’t been verified.
Interest in Zhang’s children possibly started when a site called Southern Entertainment Weekly published a report that he had a daughter and two songs with Chen.
Zhang’s most recent film is The Flowers Of War, an epic that starred Christian Bale.