On social media

NO BUN, JUST FUN FOR FAN: Chinese actress Fan Bingbing has taken to social media to post photos of herself, a rare move that may be an attempt to refute rumours of her giving birth in the Chinese city of Nanjing.

In a Weibo post last Saturday, the 40-year-old wrote in Chinese: "Happy in Xi'an. Why is there so much delicious food? I don't feel like leaving. Paomo tastes absolutely great."

Paomo, a hot stew of chopped-up steamed leavened flat bread cooked in lamb broth and served with mutton, is a speciality of Shaanxi cuisine and a typical dish eaten in the provincial city of Xi'an.

Fan also posted several full-length photos of herself.

The actress, who used to top Forbes magazine's list of top-earning Chinese celebrities, shared a shot of her jumping down from a height into the arms of a female companion to further prove her "agility".

In other photos, she was seen cosying up to an unidentified man. Several netizens pointed out he had been among a group of friends who appeared in Fan's social media photos during Qixi festival, more popularly known as Chinese Valentine's Day, in August.

Fan, whose acting career has been in limbo since she was embroiled in a tax-evasion scandal in 2018, has been hit by several rumours of pregnancy and secret weddings of late.

The most recent rumour claimed that she had given birth to a son secretly in a hospital in Nanjing last Friday and alleged the father was a shopping-mall owner in the city.

A month before that, there was speculation that Fan and her ex-fiance, actor Li Chen, had divorced after marrying in a low-profile wedding.

The agencies of both actors swiftly rubbished the rumour.

Fan seemed unperturbed by the gossip.

Later last Saturday, she posted a poster of her new movie 355, with the caption: "Looking forward to it".

The action spy film, also starring Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz and Lupita Nyong'o, is scheduled for release in January next year.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 29, 2021, with the headline On social media. Subscribe