16th December 2025 – (Shanghai) Fan Zeng, one of China’s most highly valued contemporary artists, has revealed the birth of his only biological son with his wife, Xu Meng, who is 50 years his junior, while publicly distancing himself from his other children. The development has rekindled public scrutiny of the painter’s private affairs.
The 87-year-old master, revered for both painting and calligraphy, has achieved extraordinary commercial success. Between 2008 and 2024, sales of his works surpassed 4 billion yuan (about US$567 million), according to QQ.com. At least 10 of his paintings have realised more than 10 million yuan at auction, including a 1991 piece that fetched 18.4 million yuan at a Beijing sale in 2011.
Fan’s calligraphy also commands notable premiums, typically priced at around 200,000 yuan (approximately US$28,000) per 0.11 square metre, underscoring his stature across multiple disciplines.
The painter has remained a fixture of public conversation in recent years. In April last year, he drew widespread attention when he married Xu Meng. Fan has entrusted his wife with responsibility for managing family matters and has asserted that outside parties should not interfere in their domestic affairs.
