The media furor that has enveloped Cecilia Cheung (張柏芝) and Nicholas Tse (謝霆鋒) since the former’s in-flight chat with her infamous ex-lover Edison Chen (陳冠希) continues unabated.
Pop Stop readers (and anyone who has not been in a media blackout for the past two weeks) will remember that Cheung and Chen sat next to each other on a flight back to Hong Kong from Taiwan, where they were both guests at the wedding of singer Christine Fan (范瑋琪) and TV personality Charles “Blackie” Chen (陳建州). Nearby passengers reported that the two chatted happily and took snaps together with their mobile phones. The latter detail is somewhat ironic because Cheung publicly lambasted Chen after his naked photos of her were leaked three years ago. She also accused her ex of neglecting to offer a direct apology.
Though Cheung has apparently decided to forgive Chen, the “airplane incident” (機上事件), as it has been dubbed by gossip reporters, reportedly enraged Tse. According to Hong Kong media, the actor was about to sign over some investments to his wife before Cheung’s reunion with her erstwhile partner in amateur erotica prompted a change of heart. This put a damper on Cheung’s plans to buy a luxury apartment and she threatened to call a divorce lawyer in retaliation. Her threat apparently did not bother Tse too much, because he still refused to cough up the dough.
Photo: Taipei Times
Cheung, who is currently shooting a movie in Guangdong, has been spotted looking anxious, her wedding ring missing from her left hand. Her husband, on the other hand, seems to be channeling his frustration into his work. The Apple Daily (蘋果日報) published paparazzi shots of Tse filming a gunfight scene in Kuala Lumpur, his face contorted in rage as he screamed lines of dialogue. After the scene wrapped, Tse was quickly surrounded by an entourage of 20 assistants and security guards who tried unsuccessfully to keep photographers at bay.
If the couple stays together, Cheung might still get enough money to buy her new apartment. Hong Kong TV host Eileen Cha (查小欣) claimed that every time the pair has a big blow-up, Tse begs his wife’s forgiveness by putting the deed on one of his properties in her name. The Apple Daily reported that Cha made her revelation after being prompted by Tse’s mother Deborah Lee (狄波拉), who is allegedly upset at her daughter-in-law’s spendthrift ways.
Though the Cheung-Tse breakup rumors started two weeks ago, the Liberty Times (自由時報), our sister paper, reported that there has been evidence of marital discord in the Hong Kong press over the past four months. At a press conference, Cheung blurted out, “I don’t want my son to be Nicholas Tse.” During a magazine interview, Cheung confided, “my husband isn’t in Hong Kong a lot, the amount of time he spends with our son is very small, really small, extremely small.”
In less meaty but more upbeat celebrity news, PETA Asia Pacific announced last week that newlywed actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) and Hong Kong singer, actor and songwriter Louis Cheung (張繼聰) are in the lead for its annual sexiest vegetarian celebrity poll. Other contenders include Faye Wong (王菲), Maggie Q (李美琪), Jane Zhang (張靚穎), Khalil Fong (方大同) and Gao Yuanyuan (高圓圓).
Hsu, who was the poll’s 2009 winner, announced through PETA that she could never eat meat because “animals are like my brothers and sisters, my friends and family.” The poll runs through June 23.
On Jan. 17, Beijing announced that it would allow residents of Shanghai and Fujian Province to visit Taiwan. The two sides are still working out the details. President William Lai (賴清德) has been promoting cross-strait tourism, perhaps to soften the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) attitudes, perhaps as a sop to international and local opinion leaders. Likely the latter, since many observers understand that the twin drivers of cross-strait tourism — the belief that Chinese tourists will bring money into Taiwan, and the belief that tourism will create better relations — are both false. CHINESE TOURISM PIPE DREAM Back in July
Could Taiwan’s democracy be at risk? There is a lot of apocalyptic commentary right now suggesting that this is the case, but it is always a conspiracy by the other guys — our side is firmly on the side of protecting democracy and always has been, unlike them! The situation is nowhere near that bleak — yet. The concern is that the power struggle between the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and their now effectively pan-blue allies the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) intensifies to the point where democratic functions start to break down. Both
Taiwan doesn’t have a lot of railways, but its network has plenty of history. The government-owned entity that last year became the Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) has been operating trains since 1891. During the 1895-1945 period of Japanese rule, the colonial government made huge investments in rail infrastructure. The northern port city of Keelung was connected to Kaohsiung in the south. New lines appeared in Pingtung, Yilan and the Hualien-Taitung region. Railway enthusiasts exploring Taiwan will find plenty to amuse themselves. Taipei will soon gain its second rail-themed museum. Elsewhere there’s a number of endearing branch lines and rolling-stock collections, some
This was not supposed to be an election year. The local media is billing it as the “2025 great recall era” (2025大罷免時代) or the “2025 great recall wave” (2025大罷免潮), with many now just shortening it to “great recall.” As of this writing the number of campaigns that have submitted the requisite one percent of eligible voters signatures in legislative districts is 51 — 35 targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus lawmakers and 16 targeting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. The pan-green side has more as they started earlier. Many recall campaigns are billing themselves as “Winter Bluebirds” after the “Bluebird Action”
RSS