Sophie Wang's (
Wang started her career as a TV soap-opera actress on China Television Co back in the 1980s. She left the TV business after one year of acting but came back into the spotlight two years ago, when she was widely rumored to be the mistress of KMT Legislator John Chang (
But it is her recent relationship with Cheng that has made her a regular feature in the newspapers. During the summer, the pair were providing reams of column inches to hungry hacks when, after a short and tumultuous affair, they ran off to the US to get married. Journalists were given even more to write about when Cheng returned three months later, vowing never again speak to the woman for whom he had earlier said he would gladly give up his legislative post.
But there was still more to follow. On Dec. 7, Cheng and his newly reunited family had a dinner, the footage of which was broadcasted on Formosa Television. Wang, who had since returned from the US, became jealous and went to Cheng's apartment the next day and fought with Cheng's wife, Lu Pei-ying (呂珮茵).
Wang arrived at Cheng's office building at the Legislative Yuan last Tuesday and got down on her knee at the front door of the building, telling reporters, "I will stay here until he [Cheng] shows up."
After two and a half hours had passed, according to police at the Legislative Yuan, Wang looked very sick. However, when a police officer tried to take her to the hospital, she refused and said, "Leave me alone. I am fine."
Meanwhile, Cheng was holding a public hearing inside, but, because of Wang's behavior, Cheng refused to allow the press to cover the public hearing -- making it the first closed-door public hearing at the Legislature ever.
On Wednesday, Wang arrived at the tomb of Cheng's ancestors. She said that she has the right to pay her respects to the site because legally she is still Cheng's wife.
Asked how and why she did this, she said she was just doing what she was supposed to do.
"How did I know about the whereabouts of the tomb? Cheng brought me here before, of course," she said. "And I think it is normal for a wife to visit and bow before her husband's family's tomb. There is nothing wrong with that, is there?"
Cheng did not comment on Wang's behavior and remarks.
On Thursday, Wang flew to Malaysia. She said that she was going there to shoot a print commercial for the essential-oil business she is running.
It had all started in February when Cheng hired Wang as his personal aide for the legislature. On Aug. 7, Cheng flew to Los Angeles with Wang to demonstrate his resolve to get a divorce from his estranged wife Lu. Lu had refused to give him a divorce, and the pair are still married.
According to Cheng's office, Cheng and Wang were married in Las Vegas during their three-month stay in the US.
At the time, Cheng said that he would rather quit being a lawmaker than part with Wang, though he continued to collect his legislative salary and expense money.
Events took an unexpected twist when Cheng returned to Taiwan on Nov. 9 and said that the relationship between Wang and himself was over.
"In the beginning, I thought she was a present given by God. But it is not like that anymore," said the DPP legislator during a press conference held after his return.
Wang arrived in Taipei on a separate flight on the same day and claimed that she was pregnant.
"We were just bickering. No big deal. Cheng and I still love each other very much and I am now pregnant with his baby," Wang said.
According to Wang, she went to Beijing with Cheng in October and the baby was conceived on the trip.
Last Sunday, gynecologists from Taipei's Chungshan Hospital confirmed that Wang's baby miscarrried due to natural causes approximately one month ago. Wang insists that her baby died when she was beaten by Lu on Dec. 8.
According to Cheng, Wang suffers from a mental disorder and would do something outrageous every so often.
"She would become mad all of a sudden for no reason and that scared me. I really cannot live with her so I decided to come back to Taiwan," Cheng said. "This is the end for us. I do not want to talk about her anymore," he added.
However, Wang insists that Cheng should do something to make it up to her since she gave "everything" to him.
"I will bury my baby at Cheng's family tomb when I return because this baby belongs to his family," Wang said before she left Taiwan.
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed “grave concerns” after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) reiterated the city-state’s opposition to “Taiwanese independence” during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強). In Singapore on Saturday, Wong and Li discussed cross-strait developments, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Prime Minister Wong reiterated that Singapore has a clear and consistent ‘one China’ policy and is opposed to Taiwan independence,” it said. MOFA responded that it is an objective fact and a common understanding shared by many that the Republic of China (ROC) is an independent, sovereign nation, with world-leading
The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) has been investigating nine shell companies working with Prince Holding Group, and the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office is seeking further prosecution of alleged criminals, a source said yesterday. The nine companies and three Taiwanese nationals were named by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Oct. 14 as Specially Designated Nationals as a result of a US federal court indictment. Prince Holding founder Chen Zhi (陳志) has been charged with fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and overseeing Prince Holding’s suspected forced-labor camps in Cambodia, the indictment says. Intelligence shared between Taiwan,
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
RSS