The hubbub over Zhang Ziyi’s (章子怡) recent sandy sweethearting has prompted considerable moralizing in China. As Pop Stop reported a few weeks back, Zhang and her Israeli fiance, Aviv “Vivi” Nevo, were caught noshing up the beaches of St Barts, a French territory in the Caribbean. A paparazzo snapped pictures of the Memoirs of Geisha and 2046 star in what one blogger from China described as Zhang’s “unpatriotic behavior,” for exposing herself in public so brazenly.
Song Zude (宋組德) blogged that Zhang did this because she was “only interested in her career and money.” Pop Stop must protest. Starlets only expose themselves when their careers are faltering, not when they are at the pinnacle of the celebrity firmament, as Zhang currently is.
Time passes, however, and it seems that nationalistic zeal has taken a backseat to criticism of Zhang’s body — particularly her “tiny” bust size. Which is hardly surprising, given the tabloids’ obsession with this particular part of a woman’s anatomy. This week’s edition of Next Magazine even published a detailed report on why an ageing model wants to have cosmetic surgery done on her breasts. (It’s because they “droop,” if you must know.)
Meanwhile, yWeekend, the online version of the Beijing Youth Daily, caught up with “Fred,” the mystery man from France behind the Zhang photos, who described for readers what he saw.
“Nevo kept rolling his body back and forth. Then he caressed Zhang Ziyi’s back. He caressed it again and again. His hand then slid further and further down. I could not believe what my eyes were seeing. It was getting too hot. Then they went into the ocean to swim. My guess was that they got too ‘hot’ and they had to cool down by jumping into the ocean.”
So this is what constitutes steamy behavior: a man and a woman who plan to marry caressing each other on a beach. Fred probably would have had a heart attack if he’d snapped last year’s photos of Edison Chen (陳冠希) with his coterie.
And speaking of marriage, Hong Kong director and one of the “Four Heavenly Kings of Canto-pop” Andy Lau (劉德華) said that Taiwanese actress Shu Qi (舒淇) would be worth marrying because she is good to her family, according to reports in Apple and the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper).
His comments at a press conference for the release of his new movie Look for a Star (游龍戲鳳) plus a wedding ring on his ring finger predictably sent the assembled gossip hounds into a frenzy. But Lau burst their bubble when he pointed out that the ring was the property of a certain French fashion house and that he and Shu were just old friends.
In other “Heavenly Kings of Cantopop” news, “God of Songs” (歌神) crooner Jacky Cheung (張學友) ended his one-year hiatus from the music industry with a press conference at Hong Kong Disneyland. He said he’ll release a new album, film a movie and hold a concert within the year, according to a report in the Oriental Daily News. He also lamented the lack of solidarity in the music industry and how he was powerless to remedy the situation.
It looks as though pop singer Wen Lan (溫嵐) has hooked up with another woman’s man — again, according to a report in Next. The saga began in July when Wen sent a flurry of text messages to dancer Lin Chun-che (林群哲), who had been in an 11-year relationship with fellow dancer Chen Hsien-he (陳仙禾). Both dancers have collaborated with Wen, and Chen and the singer had been close friends for years. Fast-forward six months and Lin dumps Chen to be with Wen. Par for the course for Lin, really, because the Casanova has allegedly cheated on Chen a number of times.
And finally, no Lunar New Year would be complete without a celebrity prediction. According to a report on Yahoo, a fortune-teller says that Jolin Tsai’s (蔡依林) career will tank this year and that she will be luckless in love because she devotes too much time to her career.
Cheng Ching-hsiang (鄭青祥) turned a small triangle of concrete jammed between two old shops into a cool little bar called 9dimension. In front of the shop, a steampunk-like structure was welded by himself to serve as a booth where he prepares cocktails. “Yancheng used to be just old people,” he says, “but now young people are coming and creating the New Yancheng.” Around the corner, Yu Hsiu-jao (饒毓琇), opened Tiny Cafe. True to its name, it is the size of a cupboard and serves cold-brewed coffee. “Small shops are so special and have personality,” she says, “people come to Yancheng to find such treasures.” She
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Hannah Liao (廖宸萱) recalls the harassment she experienced on dating apps, an experience that left her frightened and disgusted. “I’ve tried some voice-based dating apps,” the 30-year-old says. “Right away, some guys would say things like, ‘Wanna talk dirty?’ or ‘Wanna suck my d**k?’” she says. Liao’s story is not unique. Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics show a more than 50 percent rise in sexual assault cases related to online encounters over the past five years. In 2023 alone, women comprised 7,698 of the 9,413 reported victims. Faced with a dating landscape that can feel more predatory than promising, many in
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