Zheng Shuang Photo:VCG

The social media accounts of Chinese surrogacy scandal actress Zheng Shuang could not be found on Tuesday, amid China's efforts to rectify the performing arts industry, especially tax evasion.

Both the personal account and the studio account of Zheng on Sina Weibo have been removed. Clicking those pages, it only reads that "the account was accused of violating legal rules and policies of the Weibo community." 

The scenario with Zheng is not exceptional. It comes amid efforts by Chinese authorities to crack down on tax evasion in the film industry that violate laws and disturb the industry's order. 

As of the end of August, more than 660 studios were found to have cancelled their registration, according to the big data service Tianyancha. 

Media reports said that setting up studios is one of the common methods among actors to avoid paying taxes. 

Yue Shenshan, a Beijing-based lawyer, said that if actors have evaded taxes, cancelling studio registration cannot protect them from being punished. 

Zheng was ordered to pay 299 million yuan ($46 million) in fines, taxes and penalties for tax evasion, and was also banned from participating in all shows by the National Radio and Television Administration. Before her social media accounts were found to have been removed, media reports said TV dramas that she participated in have also been removed from major video platforms. 

Recently, several other celebrities either had their works removed from major video platforms or had their companies cancel registration, although the exact reasons remain unknown. 

Chinese actress Zhao Wei's name was removed from many of the works she starred in on major Chinese video platforms weeks ago, and many of the films, talk shows and TV series she acted in were also removed.

Global Times