Chinese actress Vicky Zhao forced to pay court-imposed fines

Zhao, alongside Longwei Tibet Cultural Media Co. and Xiangyuan Tourism and Cultural Co., was required to pay a fine of 8,488 yuan (approximately $1,172). The court also enforced an additional payment of 5,689 yuan by the two companies, as reported by Ifeng on Tuesday.

Longwei Tibet, founded in 2016, is 95% owned by Zhao, while Xiangyuan Tourism and Cultural Co., previously Wanjia Culture, is jointly owned by Zhao and her husband, businessman Huang Youlong.

The fines stem from over 400 legal disputes dating back to 2017 related to Longwei’s use of falsified information in securities transactions.

In late 2017, China’s Securities Regulatory Commission revealed that Zhao and her husband had manipulated financial instruments, falsified business data, improperly transferred shares, and established shell companies.

Regulators concluded that theeir actions were deemed to have damaged stock market transparency, undermined investor confidence, and disrupted market fairness. Both were fined 600,000 yuan and banned from securities trading for five years.

Chinese actress Vicky Zhao. Photo from Weibo

In April, Sina reported that Zhao’s shares, worth 5 million yuan (approximately US$700,000), in Hebao Entertainment Group Co. had been frozen by the Beijing Fourth Intermediate People’s Court, with the freeze lasting until April 10, 2027.

Zhao's last public appearance was at a Fendi event in July 2021, where she served as the brand's spokesperson in China. All series and movies featuring her were removed from video platforms the following month, and her name vanished from movie awards portals. Brands she represented also purged or hid any content related to her on China's social media platform Weibo.

Zhao has recently been seen making multiple airport trips and increasing her activity on social media. These developments have fueled speculation about her potential return to the entertainment industry following an alleged three-year ban.

Baidu indicates that the ban imposed on Zhao is a common practice in China's entertainment and sports industries, which prohibits individuals from working in these sectors due to violations of moral or legal codes.

Social media also scrubs any content associated with such celebrities. Other Chinese entertainers, including singer Kris Wu, actress Zheng Shuang, and singer Zhang Zhehan, have faced similar bans in recent years.

Official reasons for Zhao's alleged ban remain undisclosed.

Zhao, 48, was considered one of China's "Four Dan Actresses," a term referring to the four most financially successful young actresses from Mainland China. She is among a limited number of female Chinese artists who have excelled in film, television, and music, according to Xinhua.

Zhao ventured into business in 1999 by establishing multi-industry companies. Alongside her husband, Singaporean businessman Huang Youlong, she amassed an estimated wealth of 4.5 billion yuan (US$625 million) by 2019, ranking 912th on economy and finance news platform Hurun's China Rich List.