Controversial Mainland Chinese director Zheng Jifeng, accused of making pseudo-art films such as “The Legend of Zhu Bajie” under the guise of Stephen Chow, was recently criminally detained for allegedly molesting children during actor recruitment in Hainan. As the incident continues to escalate, several female actors have come forward stating that they were also victims of Zheng’s inappropriate behavior when they were young.
On February 19, the Dragon Hua Sub-Bureau of Haikou Public Security Bureau in Hainan issued a notice stating that the 58-year-old Zheng was arrested in Haikou for molesting underage girls during rehearsals under the pretext of teaching dance moves. After receiving a report, the police apprehended Zheng on January 17.
According to multiple mainland media reports, Zheng, who was detained for suspected child molestation, is a director and businessman from Jiangxi. He had cameo roles in the film “The Mermaid” as the capricious tycoon “Zheng” and later appeared in several film and television dramas such as “Undercover Stars” and “The Monkey King Prologue”.
Public records show that Zheng Jifeng played the role of “Zheng” in the Stephen Chow-directed film “The Mermaid”. In the public eye, Zheng Jifeng wears multiple hats as a screenwriter, director, actor, film producer, and businessman.
Sources revealed that in January of this year, Zheng Jifeng organized underage individuals to participate in rehearsals for his new film “Innocent Era” in Haikou. During this time, he allegedly molested several underage girls under the guise of “teaching dance moves” and “individually guiding acting skills”. On January 17, some parents noticed the abnormalities and chose to report it to the authorities. Zheng Jifeng was arrested that day and subsequently detained the next day.
It is reported that at least three parents alerted the authorities, and a significant amount of disturbing chat records was discovered on Zheng Jifeng’s phone.
With the news unfolding and the incident escalating, numerous mainland actresses have come forward stating that they too were victims of Zheng’s misconduct when they were young.
On February 20, actress Kan Linna, who publicly spoke out, expressed in an interview with “Jimo News” that she stood up with the hope that all victims of Zheng’s harm would come forward, emphasizing that “molesting children is unforgivable”.
Kan Linna recounted that at the age of 12 during the filming of “The Legend of Zhu Bajie”, she was sexually harassed by Zheng Jifeng. According to “Douban”, in the film “The Legend of Zhu Bajie”, Zheng Jifeng served as director, screenwriter, and lead actor.
Kan Linna shared that during a rehearsal, Zheng Jifeng entered the office and locked the door, but she immediately pushed him away and escaped. Afterwards, Zheng Jifeng threatened to delete her scenes and change her role. When the film was released, her scenes were indeed missing. Kan Linna mentioned that despite realizing at a young age on set that Zheng Jifeng’s behavior was inappropriate and evading him in time, it still left a severe psychological impact on her, describing it as a “nightmare”.
According to a person familiar with the matter, Xiao Wang (pseudonym) recalled that in 2016, at the age of 14, she was part of a talent agency specializing in child stars, where Zheng Jifeng, then the director and producer, selected many dancers to practice in his office. He frequently used “nitpicking” as an excuse to be physically inappropriate and even kissed young actresses. He once mentioned privately that providing the opportunity to “sleep with the female lead” would be acceptable.
Reported by “Jimo News”, Zheng Jifeng had only posted over 140 Weibo posts, mostly related to Stephen Chow’s “The Mermaid” and “The Monkey King Prologue”. He followed only three accounts, including the Weibo accounts of the mentioned films and one related to Stephen Chow. In his Weibo bio, he claimed to be an expert in advertising production, Stephen Chow’s partner, producer of the “Journey” film series, screenwriter, director, and producer of “The Legend of Zhu Bajie”.
According to “Chinese Philanthropist”, a Weibo-certified actor blogger disclosed that the film “The Legend of Zhu Bajie” directed by Zheng Jifeng was actually a pseudo-art film made under the guise of Stephen Chow, and he also owed actors’ fees, disappearing for two years afterward. As previously reported by local media in Jiangxi, “The Legend of Zhu Bajie” had a stellar cast and enlisted cinematography and special effects teams from Hong Kong and Hollywood for production. However, the film only held a low rating of 2.2 on Douban.
Back in 2022, mainland self-media outlets reported that during the filming of “The Mermaid”, due to tight funds and heavy visual effects, Stephen Chow sought investment from Zheng Jifeng who requested a role in the film. The fictitious story claimed that within a short time frame, a role was tailored for Zheng Jifeng in the film, and despite having limited on-screen time, his character played a crucial role in the plot, contributing to the film’s box office success surpassing 3 billion yuan, making “The Mermaid” China’s first film to achieve this milestone, with Zheng as an investor profiting handsomely.
Nevertheless, addressing the aforementioned claims, on the morning of February 20, Stephen Chow’s agent, Chen Zhenyu, denied the narrative, labeling it as false.
According to “Tianyancha”, Zheng has ownership stakes in nine companies, with five of them currently in operation. Notably, the production company behind “The Legend of Zhu Bajie”, “Sanya Star Face Film and Television Media Co., Ltd.” is 100% owned by Zheng Jifeng, indicating unusual financial arrangements.