All of Feng Xiaogang's scenes cut from Ash Is Purest White, Fan disappears for 3 months, tainted artists struggle to find a foothold

On September 16, 2018, director Jia Zhangke's Ash Is Purest White premiered in China. The domestic public release version of the film runs 136 minutes, while the version that premiered earlier at the Cannes Film Festival was 141 minutes.

Sharp-eyed netizens compared the two versions and found that all of Feng Xiaogang's scenes had disappeared. In the film, Feng played a doctor, but by the time of the domestic public release the doctor's scenes were gone, with only a pair of hands appearing on screen, and Feng Xiaogang's name was also removed from the film's promotional posters.

At the meet-and-greet after the public screening, an audience member asked: This film has been closely followed from the very beginning, and always avoiding certain matters is not the way to solve problems. The person also brought up the star surnamed Fan, who served as the image ambassador for the "Pingyao International Film Festival" organized by Jia Zhangke last year, while Feng Xiaogang's film was the opening film. Director Jia Zhangke smiled bitterly and said helplessly: [When I was writing the script, I stuck a note on my desk that read [Hard to put into words, mixed feelings], and that is the feeling of this film, and also how I feel right now].

Director Jia took great pains for Ash Is Purest White, and regarding the deletion of these scenes he did not specifically explain the situation to the audience. Could it be because of Huayi and Feng Xiaogang? But Cui responded on Weibo: Feng Kuzi has been completely cut, and Ash Is Purest White will not tolerate this bastard!

Tainted artists struggle to find a foothold

Although some of the revelations online have no definitive conclusion, the deleted scenes in Ash Is Purest White have already sent a signal to everyone, sparking endless speculation. Besides Feng Xiaogang being caught in the vortex, even the actor surnamed Fan has disappeared from the public eye for three months. The film and television industry will only tighten its supervision of tainted artists more and more in the future.