Zhao Benshan, the famous sitcom star who has performed on state broadcaster CCTV's Spring Festival Gala for 11 successive years, is a familiar face to nearly every household in China. In last couple of months, however, rumors emerged that Zhao was being held under investigation and that 20 tons of gold had been found in his home. As a successful entrepreneur, several TV dramas and reality shows produced by his Ben Shan media group faced the danger of being banned.
On the first day of 2015 however, the long-missed Zhao appeared on the stage of Shenyang Liulaogen theater to mock the rumors. “People say there’re 20 tons of gold in my house. I almost believed it! This morning I tossed and turned but how come I didn’t find anything?”
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On December 29 and 30, Zhao appeared in Shanghai to attended the recording of a new program by Dragon TV. Station staff said that the program is currently being looked at by authorities and they're not sure when it’ll be broadcasted.
One thing we can be certain about is that one of Zhao Benshan’s signature clubs in Beijing was closed last September, left with just a sign saying “temporarily closed due to renovation.”
Opened in 2011, the 10,000-square-meters club housed a two-story restaurant and six courtyards serving dishes for as much as RMB2,000. When one Beijing reporter asked about the renovation, staff admitted that the club was actually shut down because “business was not going well.” When asked whether it was because of recent anti-corruption policies, he admitted, “yes.”
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