Zheng Shuang breaks 6-month silence, apologises for surrogacy scandal, denies tax evasion

SHANGHAI - Chinese actress Zheng Shuang has broken her social media silence since being embroiled in a surrogacy scandal six months ago.

Zheng, 29, has disappeared from the entertainment industry and not posted anything on Weibo since her former boyfriend, television producer Zhang Heng, accused her in January of abandoning their two surrogate children in the United States.

On Monday (July 19), Zheng offered an apology in a post on Weibo.

"I sincerely apologise for the surrogacy incident, am willing to accept criticisms from all sides and consciously reflect on my mistakes," she wrote in Chinese.

The actress, who rose to fame in Chinese idol drama Meteor Shower (2009), lost the custody of her surrogate children in May after a court in Denver, Colorado, granted "parenting solo decision-making authority" to Zhang, 31.

In her post Zheng also responded to allegations of tax evasion and the inking of so-called "yin-yang contracts". She denied earning 160 million yuan (S$33.8 million) for acting in Chinese television series A Chinese Ghost Story - or 2.08 million yuan per day for 77 days of filming. The show has yet to see the light of day.

[[nid:529117]]

"I am willing to make up the shortfall if there are errors caused by my negligence or unprofessionalism," she wrote. "I hope the tax authorities can accord me due process and not be influenced by the surrogacy incident."

She also warned Zhang in the post to stop harassing her or her family.

Zheng's post sparked an almost instant reaction from Zhang.

On Tuesday morning, he accused her of lying in relation to the surrogacy saga and said her fans have been harassing his friends and family online.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.