Beijing: State media say authorities are investigating reports that one of Chinese cinema's top names has fathered seven children in violation of the one-child policy.
Media reports have circulated online that director Zhang Yimou has had relationships with four women resulting in seven children. On Thursday, the People's Daily website said an unnamed official from Wuxi city's family planning authority in eastern Jiangsu province had begun investigating the reports. Wuxi and Jiangsu authorities weren't immediately available for comment.
The report said Zhang could face a fine of up to 160 million yuan ($26 million) which is twice his estimated annual income.
The 61-year-old Zhang designed the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. His latest film was "The Flowers of War," starring Christian Bale, about the Japanese army's 1937 rampaging of Nanjing.