Zhang Yimou was fined S$1.5 million for breaching China’s one-child policy

Currently, China is experiencing problems with declining fertility rates and an ageing population similar to many countries around the world. China’s birth rate continues to be low despite the abolition of its controversial one-child policy in 2016. Beijing then allowed married couples to have two children, but even that wasn’t enough.  The Chinese government announced last week that married couples are now permitted to have up to three children, something that renowned filmmaker Zhang Yimou was punished for in the past.

The 71-year-old was slapped with a whopping 7.48 million yuan (S$1.5 million) fine back in 2014 for breaching the one-child policy by having two “excessive children” – as he put it in his open letter of apology – with his wife Chen Ting, 39. Zhang and Chen Ting have two sons — Yinan, 20, who is a director like his father, and Yiding, 17 — and a daughter, Yijiao, 14, according to 8days.sg.

All three children were born before Zhang Yimou and Chen Ting officially registered their marriage in 2011. Chen Ting went on Weibo to address the news that couples could have three children.  She posted a photo of the announcement and wrote, “Task completed ahead of schedule.”

Zhang Yimou’s work studio account then shared Chen Ting’s post and added three flexed-biceps emojis in a display of support.

However, some netizens were not pleased with Chen Ting’s post and Yimou’s response. They accused the couple of deliberately trying to pressure the government into giving them a refund of their S$1.5 million fine.

“Since Director Zhang dared to breach the one-child policy, would he dare to ask for his 7.48mil yuan back?” one scoffed.

Chen Ting was also slammed for various other reasons, such as viewing having children as a “task” (come on, it’s not that deep) and for being so proud of her “accomplishments” when she had “obviously violated the law”./TISG