Who is Zheng Shuang? Did the Chinese actress abandon her own children in the US?

Chinese actress Zheng Shuang, who captured hearts in the 2010 remake of ever-popular Meteor Garden drama, confirmed that she had two children in the United States through surrogacy in 2019 and 2020. The practice of surrogacy has been prohibited in China, and wealthy women have tried to overcome this hurdle by having them outside of the country.

But reports of Zheng skirting the law isn’t the end of her problems, as she now faces the scrutiny of the Chinese public for her treatment of the children, and the loss of endorsement deals. Prada has dropped her from its contracts, citing intense scrutiny of her personal matters in the media.

Who is Zheng Shuang?

Zheng Shuang shot to stardom when she appeared as the main female lead in the Meteor Garden remake in 2009-2010. Since then she has appeared in several dramas. She was also one of the four actresses to receive acclaim as one of Southern Metropolis Daily‘s “Four Dan Actresses of the post-90s Generation.”

Zheng and her ex-partner met at a variety show on May 2018, and admitted to dating in August that same year. They broke up in December 2019, while the babies in the United States were still in the surrogates’ wombs.

The 29-year-old Chinese actress was then accused of abandoning children she had through surrogacy in the United States, after her ex-partner posted on Chinese social media website Weibo on the matter.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post, her ex-partner,  Zhang Heng, posted that he was stuck in the United States as he had to take care of two children, whom he said were the kids born to the couple through two different surrogates.

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The couple allegedly used American women to carry and deliver their babies.

Zhang said, he and his family had been stranded in the US for over a year because they, “must take care of and protect two young and innocent lives.”

One of Zhang’s friends also gave a Chinese entertainment media outfit documents which, “showed the birth of a boy on December 19, 2019 and a girl on January 4, 2020, both born in the US and alleged to be children of Zheng and Zhang.”

Zheng and Zhang broke up before the children were born

One contention in the issue is a recorded conversation allegedly between Zheng, Zhang, and their families, discussing the fate of the children when the couple’s relationship soured. The same report said, “Zheng’s father suggested that they abandon the children at the hospital, while Zhang’s father said it would be illegal. Zheng’s family then suggested giving the children up “for adoption”, while Zheng expressed annoyance that they could not be aborted as they had been in the womb for seven months.”

When asked about the conversation, Zheng said that it was a sad and private matter for her, then proceeded to accuse Zhang of extortion. Zheng said she and her lawyers are in discussions on how to protect her rights.

Reports said that the children were born on 19 December 2019 and 4 January 2020. Zhang accused Zheng of leaving the children to their own devices, and refusing to sign papers that would allow the children to travel to China.

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