Trinh Ky Phong: Actor in Stephen Chow's film, 'ruined' career for taking advantage of children

Actor and businessman Zheng Jifeng has been detained on suspicion of child abuse. He has starred in Stephen Chow's films and invested in the project "The Mermaid". The Paper reported that the police in Longhua District, Haikou City, Hainan Province, China confirmed his arrest.

A detention notice signed by Longhua District Police on January 18 said that Zheng Jifeng was suspected of child molestation and was criminally arrested at 7 p.m. the same day. He was detained at Haikou City No. 1 Detention Center.

Regarding the investigation results, CCTV reported that during the casting process in Haikou, Zheng Jifeng used the name of "dance instructor" to harass underage actresses who were participating in the rehearsal. The parents of the girls later discovered the incident and called the police. A source said that this was not the first time Zheng Jifeng had committed a crime. According to a lawyer, if it is proven that he committed the crime multiple times, he could be sentenced to at least 15 years in prison.

Upon hearing the news of Trinh Ky Phong's arrest, many viewers left comments: "Just by looking at his face, you can tell he's not a good person, his appearance reflects his mentality", "In the movie, he plays a bad guy, in real life he's the same"... On social media, some bloggers said that Trinh had harmed many girls, and was accused in 2019 but then used money to silence the victims.

Public data on Tianyancha shows that Zheng Jifeng owns five companies, all located in Hainan province (China), including two companies related to the film industry.

Born in 1971 in Lichuan District, Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province, he holds the positions of Chairman of HFIO Capital Management Company Hong Kong, Chairman of Jinxiang Film Industry, Secretary General of the A8 Advertising Forum of China Central Television (CCTV)... and works in many roles such as screenwriter, director, actor, film producer and businessman.

According to data from the Tianyan portal, he has invested in five companies related to film and television, performance and arts in Hainan.

In 2016, Trinh Ky Phong participated in the film The Mermaid directed by Stephen Chow, in which he played the character "General Director Trinh" - a rich tycoon who loves to play with flying devices. When appearing, he took the opportunity to show off his luxurious possessions such as a large villa and a Ferrari.

"The Mermaid" tells a love story but above all the film conveys a message about human crimes against the ocean.

In early 2016, Stephen Chow's The Little Mermaid swept the box office in Asia and many countries and territories around the world, setting many records in terms of revenue. It became the highest-grossing film of all time at the Chinese box office. The film carries two themes - love and environmental protection - through a humorous form of expression.

The story is about businessman Liu Xian (played by Deng Chao) who buys a strait and then spends money on advanced machinery to drive away marine life, including dolphins. This businessman does not know that the strait is also inhabited by rare creatures called mermaids. Due to the influence of the company that Liu Xian owns, the mermaids are dying out and are at risk of extinction. The group of mermaids then discuss sending the most beautiful girl to pretend to be a human to go to the surface and kill the person who caused the tragedy to marine life for business interests. However, the mermaid and Liu Xian fall in love.

Through the love story, the film highlights human crimes against the sea. AFP news agency (France) quoted Chau Tinh Tri: "The director said the film is not about a love story but about how humans destroy nature."

In December 2017, he continued to act in the action comedy Superstar Spy directed by Kok De-Chiau, playing the role of "Eight-Faced Buddha" - the boss of a Thai gang. In June 2019, he tried his hand at directing for the first time when he released the first trailer of the movie The Legend of Pig Warrior. In February 2022, the movie A Chinese Odyssey: The Beginning with his participation was officially released exclusively on the Tencent Video platform.

According to HK01, during the production of Mermaid, Stephen Chow had a conflict with one of the main investors, causing the production budget to run out halfway through, putting the film at risk of stagnation. At this time, businessman Trinh Ky Phong agreed to provide financial support, but on the condition that he could appear in the film.

At first, Stephen Chow thought it was just a joke and happily agreed. However, after receiving the investment, Trinh Ky Phong went directly to the set to ask about the role. At this time, all the main roles had been assigned. With no other choice, Stephen Chow had to quickly write another script and add the character "CEO Trinh".

Although it was just a small role with little screen time, in the end, Mermaid was a huge box office success, becoming the first Chinese film to gross over 3 billion yuan. Thanks to this investment, Zheng Jifeng also reaped huge profits.

Chau Tinh Tri's Mermaid Mermaid once gathered "2 scum" Ngo Diep Pham and La Chi Tuong Hồng Hạnh14:44:48 06/08/2021I don't know if the audience still remembers Ngo Diep Pham in My Nhan Ngu? In 2016, Chau Tinh Tri's Mermaid was famous throughout China, becoming the box office champion of the year with a revenue of 3 billion yuan. Truong Vu Ky and Lam Doan also became famous after this movie...