THIS IS WHAT TOTALITARIANISM LOOKS LIKE
Fan Bingbing is the highest-paid actress in China and ranks number five of the world’s 10 highest-paid actresses. She made $46 million in 2017. She appeared in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and “Iron Man III.” Although she isn’t widely known in the West, she is a mega-celebrity in China, with more 68 million Sina Weibo (the Chinese version of Twitter) followers.
She was secretly taken into custody by the Chinese Communist Party in June on apparently fabricated tax evasion charges. They put her mind right, evidenced by this (English translation) apology published last week.
This line, in particular, jumped out. Sound familiar??
“My success owes to the support from my country and the people. Without the great policies of the [Communist] Party and the country, without the love of the people, there would be no Fan Bingbing.”
LETTER FROM FAN BINGBING
“Recently I have endured an unprecedented amount of pain, undergoing deep self-reflection and introspection. I feel ashamed and guilty for what I did, and here, I offer my sincere apology to everyone.
“For a long period of time, I did not uphold the responsibility of safeguarding the interests of my country and our society against my personal interests. I feel ashamed that I committed tax evasion in “Unbreakable Spirit” and other projects by taking advantage of “split contracts.” Throughout these days of my cooperation with the taxation authorities’ investigation of my accounts as well as my company’s, I have realized that, as a public figure, I should’ve observed the law, setting a good example for society and the industry. I shouldn’t have lost my ability to govern myself in the face of economic interests, leading myself to break the law. Here I sincerely apologize to society, friends who care about me, the public and the taxation authorities.
“I completely accept the penalties given by the taxation authorities after their thorough investigation. I will follow the final order given by the taxation authorities and will do my best to raise funds to pay back the taxes and fines.
“I have been an art lover since I was a child, and I’m also fortunate to have run into the rise of the film and television industries. Thanks to guidance from veterans as well as love from the audience, together with my own hard work, I have achieved a bit of success in my career. As an actor, I take pride in showcasing our country’s culture on the global stage, and I do my best to be in the forefront of this. My success owes to the support from my country and the people. Without the great policies of the [Communist] Party and the country, without the love of the people, there would be no Fan Bingbing.
“Today I’m facing enormous fears and worries over the mistakes I made! I have failed the country, society’s support and trust, and the love of my devoted fans! I offer my sincere apology here once again! I beg for everyone’s forgiveness!
“I believe that, after this incident, I will uphold the law and respect orders, as well as taking my responsibilities. While I will continue to produce great work for everyone, I will keep a close eye on my company’s management to ensure that my company abides by the law, building it into a great company that is cultured and has high integrity, in order to spread positive energy to society!
“Again, I apologize to society and my devoted fans, as well as to my friends and family who care about me. I sincerely say: I am sorry!”
Fan Bingbing
October 3 2018
Sauce:
http://thefederalist.com/2018/10/08/chinas-freaky-treatment-megastar-fan-bingbing-proves-communism-still-viciously-kicking/
https://variety.com/2018/film/news/fan-bingbing-apology-ashamed-and-guilty-for-what-i-did-1202966828/