Chinese actress Fan Bingbing returns to the spotlight following mystery disappearance

A high-profile Chinese actress who suddenly dropped off the radar almost one year ago has returned to the spotlight in glamorous fashion.

Decked in designer gear, megastar Fan Bingbing attended a Beijing gala on Monday night in honour of popular video-streaming platform iQiyi.

The X-Men: Days of Future Past star went into hiding in June 2018 after she was reportedly wanted by the Chinese government for tax evasion.

At the time, authorities announced that Fan and her company would have to a pay back a hefty amount in back taxes, fines and other penalties to the tune of RMB 883 million (approx.$186 million).

Fan briefly re-emerged on social media in October to express her apologies on Chinese blog site Weibo.

"I feel ashamed that I committed tax evasion in [upcoming film] Unbreakable Spirit and other projects by taking advantage of 'split contracts,'" she wrote in her statement. "Throughout these days of my cooperation with the taxation authorities' investigation of my accounts as well as my company's, I have realised that, as a public figure, I should've observed the law, setting a good example for society and the industry."

According to South China Morning Post, Fan was held under "residential surveillance at a designated location", which is a form of detention that allows police to detain anyone suspected of endangering state security, terrorism or significant corruption for up to six months.

Coincidentally, Fan's return to the spotlight comes exactly six months since she issued an online apology.

The actress' deception first came to the government's attention when TV presenter Cui Yongyuan posted screenshots on Weibo of two contracts from Fan's movie Unbreakable Spirit -- one contract was meant for the public eye, showing her official salary of US$1.6 million; another a private contract stating her real pay cheque, which was actually US$7.8 million.