On August 16, the news about the 87-year-old Chinese painter and calligrapher Fan Zeng being missing went viral on Weibo. His daughter confirmed that her father had been missing for a month. It was reported that Fan Zeng’s 37-year-old wife emptied the precious items from the Fan’s house, with an estimated value exceeding 2 billion Chinese yuan.
Fan Zeng’s daughter, Fan Xiaohui, released a statement on Weibo on August 16, stating that her father went missing after being taken away from his residence by his wife, Xu Meng. The residence was sealed off, the treasures in the storeroom were taken away, some long-term employees were dismissed, and Xu Meng even threatened the employees not to leak the information.
Fan Xiaohui mentioned that she accompanied her child to attend a summer camp from July 5 onwards. During this period, her father was still able to contact her through WeChat, being told that Xu Meng was ill, and her father was taking care of her in the hospital, thus couldn’t return to his estate. She expressed doubts about the situation, as her 87-year-old father needed care himself, questioning how he could be taking care of a patient in the hospital.
Upon returning to the country, she and her friends drove to the estate to find the main entrance sealed off. Only the chef, assistant, maid, and gatekeeper who had been serving her father for over a decade remained at the house. The items Xu Meng took were the calligraphy, paintings, antiques, and other precious items collected by Fan Zeng over the years, estimated to be worth over 2 billion yuan.
Fan Xiaohui revealed that Xu Meng forced the employees to turn off room monitors and threatened them not to disclose any information. However, the employees informed her that her father was taken away by Xu Meng on July 13, along with all daily necessities, more than a month ago.
Expressing gratitude for the concern shown by netizens, Fan Xiaohui expressed her anxiety about her father’s health and safety. She had been trying to contact her father for days, but his phone was always off. She hoped to get the exact address of her father.
On August 16, a reporter from Red Star News asked several insiders but none were aware of Fan Zeng’s whereabouts.
Previously, there were rumors online that Fan Zeng’s 36-year-old wife Xu Meng, with the help of her lover, emptied out Fan Zeng’s artworks and collections at a low price, involving an amount of 2 billion yuan. It was also alleged that Xu Meng initially approached Fan Zeng with ulterior motives, took care of him to win his heart, became the lady of the house successfully, and then got involved with Fan Zeng’s fellow villager, Fan Mouhua, who was familiar with the art market, assisting in selling Fan Zeng’s works and taking a commission for it.
On August 14, the official account of “Fan Zeng’s Poetry, Calligraphy, and Painting” confirmed that Fan Zeng and his wife recently moved out of the estate, and some valuable calligraphy, paintings, and antiques were also removed. Fan Zeng’s new residence belongs under Xu Meng’s name, and the exact location has not been disclosed.
The explanation given in the post was that the relocation was for privacy reasons and for health purposes requiring rest.
On August 16, during a live broadcast, “Fan Zeng Art Company,” in which Fan Zeng held shares, avoided questions related to Fan Zeng’s disappearance.
Public information shows that Fan Zeng, originally from Nantong, Jiangsu, is a member of the Chinese Artists Association, a lifelong researcher at the Chinese Academy of Arts, a doctoral supervisor, a doctoral supervisor at the History Department of Nankai University, a doctoral supervisor at the Literature Department, a lifelong professor, a mentor at the Chinese Cultural College of Peking University, and the first dean of the Chinese Painting Research Institute at Peking University.
Fan Zeng is revered as a master in the Chinese art community and a prominent figure in contemporary painting and calligraphy. According to the Hurun China Art List released over the years, Fan Zeng has been on the list for 11 consecutive years, with the total transaction value of his works in public auctions exceeding 2.3 billion yuan.
On April 10 last year, Fan Zeng announced his remarriage on social media, revealing his new wife’s name as Xu Meng, with a 50-year age difference between them.