The authorities in northern China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region have accused an actress of using falsified records to take the country’s national college entrance examination, also known as gaokao, in 2008.

The accusation levelled against the actress, identified in Chinese media as Nashi (pic), has spread widely on social media platform Weibo.

The 35-year-old gained popularity for her role as a female general in Creation Of The Gods II (2025), which was the third highest-grossing film over Chinese New Year. She was recently seen in TV series The Litchi Road (2025).

In a recent interview, Nashi said she graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy through a commissioned training programme designed to develop specialised talent for ethnic and underdeveloped regions.

Her subsequent pursuit of a master’s degree in Norway, rather than returning to work in Inner Mongolia as required by the programme, sparked questions on how she was able to break the agreement.

A statement released on June 21 by Inner Mongolia’s education department said a joint investigation found that Nashi had registered for the 2008 national college entrance exam as a graduating student from Hohhot No. 8 Middle School. However, officials said she had never attended the school and had no official student record there – a violation the department described as “suspected fraud in college application materials”.

In 2008, Nashi was admitted to the Shanghai Theatre Academy through a government-sponsored programme. From 2008 to 2020, the programme enrolled students with the understanding that graduates would return to Inner Mongolia to work in their respective fields.

In 2012, after completing her undergraduate studies, Nashi applied to retrieve her diploma and degree certificate to pursue a master’s degree in Norway. The request was approved, and she did not return to fulfil her employment obligations in Inner Mongolia, according to the investigation.

While her documents were legally returned following a review, the case has raised broader questions about the enforcement of such contracts and the oversight of special training programmes funded or facilitated by public resources.

Commentators online have characterised the incident as a warning about the potential abuse of the education system.

The authorities said the investigation is ongoing and vowed to hold the relevant parties accountable in accordance with laws and regulations. They also pledged to review existing policies and strengthen oversight to prevent similar incidents in the future. – China Daily/Asia News Network