Fan Bingbing seen in public for first time in months: report
A woman believed to be Fan Bingbing walks outside Beijing Airport on Monday. / Screengrab of Shanghaiist's website
By Jung Min-ho
Fan Bingbing, China's highest-paid actress, has been seen in public for the first time in more than three months, according to local media.
Chinese entertainment news outlets, including
, reported Monday that paparazzi took photos of Fan, 37, who was dressed in black.
The pictures show a young woman walking to a car with a man holding a black umbrella. It is unclear if she really is the actress, who was last seen in public at a children's hospital in Beijing on July 1.
The images quickly became the main topic on Weibo.
After her disappearance, rumors spread Fan had been arrested on tax evasion charges.
Early this month, Chinese authorities ordered Fan to pay 883 million yuan ($129 million) in back taxes and fines, saying she would otherwise go to jail.
Fan has been China's highest-paid celebrity for the past four years. According to Forbes, she earned (a reported) 300 million yuan last year.