Leading Chinese Director Wang Quan’an Held on Paid Sex Charges
HONG KONG — Wang Quan’an, winner of a Golden Bear in Berlin and one of China’s leading film directors, has been held by authorities in Beijing on charges of using a prostitute.
In a statement, Beijing police said that Wang was found last week with a woman suspected of being a prostitute and to have paid her $130 (RMB800) for her services. They reported that he had used prostitutes three nights in a row.
Prostitution and the use of prostitutes are both illegal in mainland China.
Wang’s wife, the actress Zhang Yuqi was abroad attending the New York Fashion Week, at the time of the alleged incidents.
Wang won the top prize at the Berlin festival in 2007 with his film “Tuya’s Marriage,” and opened the festival in 2010 with “Apart, Together. He returned to the Berlin again in 2011 with epic “White Deer Plain.”
A graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, Wang is a leading light of the so-called ‘sixth generation’ of mainland directors and is known for his touching family and societal dramas.
Chinese authorities have recently arrested several celebrities on drugs or sex charges, with the apparent aim of making an example of their immoral behaviour. In May actor Huang Huaibo was arrested for using a prostitute. Last month actors Jaycee Chan, Taiwan’s Kai Ko and Hong Kong actresses Alice Luo Shi and Chang Yi Jiao were all detained in Beijing on drugs use charges.
Related stories
Alibaba's IPO May Be Biggest In History
Korea Box Office: 'Tazza 2′ Wins Quiet Post-Holiday Weekend
Japanese Actress Shirley Yamaguchi, Who Starred in 'House of Bamboo,' Dies at 94
Get more from Variety and Variety411: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
Solve the daily Crossword
