China's 87-year-old renowned calligrapher and painter Fan Zeng has attracted widespread attention online after reports surfaced that he was allegedly taken away by his fourth wife, Xu Meng. Hong Kong media, citing a friend close to Fan Zeng, reported that Fan is currently safe and sound, and is writing a book in seclusion.
The Hong Kong Wen Wei Po reported on the 17th that, according to a friend close to Fan Zeng, he is currently well and is writing a book privately. This anonymous friend said: "He personally thanks everyone for their concern."
Fan Zeng is known as the "most expensive artist" among Chinese calligraphers and painters. In 2019, the total auction turnover of his works in the public market reached 158.3 million yuan (about 93 million Malaysian ringgit).
In April last year, Fan Zeng announced that he had entered his fourth marriage with Xu Meng, who is 50 years younger than him. An investor described the turmoil as a "family feud between two factions within the household."
On Saturday (the 16th), Fan Zeng's daughter, Fan Xiaohui, posted online saying her father was missing, and the news quickly went trending on Weibo.
Fan Xiaohui posted on Weibo that after being taken away from his residence by his new wife Xu Meng, her father went missing, his residence was sealed, valuable collections were moved out, and some long-time employees were dismissed. Xu Meng allegedly threatened employees not to leak information. Large quantities of Fan Zeng's early stored paintings, calligraphy, and antique collections were packed and shipped out in batches.
After Fan Xiaohui's post, the topic "Fan Zeng rumored to be taken away by young wife for 2 billion, daughter speaks out" shot to the top of the Weibo hot search. That same night, a Xiaohongshu account under the name of Fan Zeng's stepson, Fan Yifu, posted three photos of Fan Zeng attending an exhibition, seemingly in response to the rumors.
Yicai reported that the exhibition Fan Zeng attended in the photos was a landscape painting show at the Taoran Tian Art Museum in Beijing, which ran from July 29th to October 28th, seemingly indicating that Fan Zeng had made public appearances recently.