Chinese filmmaker fined USD 1.2 mn for violating 1-child norm

Renowned Chinese film director Zhang Yimou has had to pay a fine of USD 1.2 million for violating China's strict family planning policy by having three children.
Binhu family planning bureau in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, received the money from Zhang and his wife Chen Ting, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The money will be turned over to the national treasury, the report said.
Zhang and Chen were fined after he acknowledged in December that they had two sons and a daughter. China recently relaxed its longstanding one-child policy by permitting a second child for couples hailing from one-child families.

The fine amount for Zhang was calculated based on the couple's income and the cost of social maintenance. It includes fines and social maintenance fees.
Since November, the bureau has sent nine investigation teams to several cities to collect evidence of the pair's income, and the couple have signed a document authenticating the amount.
They were required to pay the fees within 30 days from January 9, or apply for an administrative review or appeal.
Zhang is one of China's best-known directors with films such as "Hero," "House of Flying Daggers" and 2011's "The Flowers of War" starring Christian Bale. He also designed the grand opening and closing ceremonies for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.