Famous Chinese actress Fan Bing Bing might have received much praise following the rescue of an injured boy this past week, but reports are now saying that more cynical readers think the incident was too much of a coincidence and that the 33-year-old had designed the entire thing purely for publicity.

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Fan was filming the Chinese variety show "Challengers Union" Friday in Hangzhou City when she saw a five-year-old boy injuring his mouth during a road accident.

Fan had been playing a taxi driver for the show, and when she saw the boy sitting beside the road all bloodied up after getting knocked off his aunt's bicycle by a car, she offered to take them to the hospital. She then waited inside the hospital as the boy was being checked, and after which she offered his aunt 300 yuan for the medical fees before leaving, according to The Shanghaiist.

On Weibo, users praised the beautiful actress for the much-needed help, but many also deemed the act to be merely a "publicity stunt," saying it had been too much of a coincidence because there had been a cameraman with Fan during the entire incident.

The "Challengers Union" production team also posted photos on their Weibo microblog showing how Fan had helped the boy, according to Channel News Asia.

Meanwhile, other users said celebrities like Fan is needed in a society where public morality has been much debated over the years, Global Times reported.

Over the past few years, several cases have questioned the morals of people in China as they have been seen unhelpful with those injured in accidents. One of the most notorious examples was of a 2011 case where a little girl was run over in a southern market and 18 people had passed by and ignored the bloody scene before a woman raised the alarm.

The toddler died in the hospital later on, according to The International Business Times.

As for Fan, she has had no comments on the issue, but her fans defended her, saying publicity is hardly a need for the actress.

For the past three years, Fan has been at the top of Forbes' celebrity list for China. In more recent times, she has also wowed audiences at the Shanghai Film Festival  as well as at Cannes, donning designer dresses. She is also reportedly known for her charitable work, setting up a heart disease charity for Tibetan kids.

TagsFan Bing Bing, fan bingbing praised, fan bingbing criticized, fan bingbing rescues boy, Challengers Union