Editor's note: The following was translated and edited from a post that appeared on the Chinese news site CNXianzai. It's a series of Chinese netizen responses to a recent plea for privacy by Wang Shi, the Chinese real estate tycoon who is rumored to have divorced his wife (the daughter of a high-powered official) after an extra-marital affair with actress Tian Pujun, who is approximately half his age. Wang's desire for the media to respect his privacy has been met with everything from sympathy to boredom to outright contempt from netizens.

The background story

Wang Shi (王石), China's legendary 61-year-old mountain-climbing real-estate millionaire, has apparently had an affair with a woman young enough to be his daughter, or so the rumors say. Tian Pujun (田朴珺), the 31-year-old woman in question, was a D-list TV actress who first met Wang during an EMBA program at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. Then, on October 29, photographs of Wang and Tian together on an airplane sparked rumors of a romance, followed by more speculation that EMBA programs are a secret hookup network for the rich and powerful in China.

Normally, a scandal like this would have faded into the background as so many others do. However, Wang decided to issue a statement last week, denying that he had inflicted any injustice on his family (including his wife, Wang Jiangsui [王江穗]) and urging the public to respect his privacy. Many netizens feel that a public figure like Wang doesn't deserve any right to privacy, especially not the chairman of a listed company, such as Wang's real estate firm Vanke (万科).

Netizens' reactions

Comments from online users collected by the news organization CNXianzai offer a cross-section of public reaction to his alleged philandering:

"If Wang Shi wasn't married when this all happened, there would be nothing to talk about. But when he divorces his wife, cohabitates with the homewrecker, and has a child with her, that's an affront to marriage, an affront to morality, paramount to bigamy! Privacy? What privacy? More like, right to judicial investigation!"

"Wang Shi went to Harvard and learned this word: "privacy", which I think is really a new low for him, so I'll compare it to another situation in America: When the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal broke, we never saw Clinton try to use the word "privacy" to cover anything up. That means in America, the privacy of celebrities is subject to supervision. Americans don't like unwanted visitors either. People who aren't loyal to their families—how do we know they can be loyal to their companies, to the public? Now he says there wasn't any love in the marriage to begin with, so why did they get married? Was it all a show? People who take advantage of marriage just aren't good people! With an age difference of 30 years, she's young enough to be his daughter. One is dumping his wife for a hot new thing, the other dumping her dignity for hot new money! Wang Shi is the chairman of a listed company; his words and actions influence stock prices. For the sake of his stockholders and the public in general, his behavior deserves to be monitored. If you don't want to be talked about, go ahead and resign."

"So he wants the power of fame and his right to privacy? Ha. He puts himself in the spotlight when it benefits him, but the minute anything unflattering comes to light he's off whining about his privacy. Either own up to the limelight and submit to public scrutiny or get off the stage and be a normal nobody. Privacy: a word invented by someone with no sense of shame. Would Tian Pujun still have called Wang Shi "a man among men" if he was just a lowly worker? One is in it for money and fame, the other for sex. Apparently his marriage to the government official was just an investment, and now she's just a discarded banana peel."

"Whether or not Wang Shi has an affair is his own business. If he was a normal person, there wouldn't be too much criticism. Rupert Murdoch marries a much younger woman and no one cares because he's never pretended to be anything but a businessman in every sense of the word. But Wang Shi is different. He hides too much. He and his ex-wife have such illustrious family backgrounds, yet he still wants to say he's just a normal guy who made his own millions. It's so hypocritical not to admit that your background helped you make your first pot of money. And he's still saying over and over that he's some kind of model citizen, just an ordinary person with extraordinary ambition. That's why there's so much controversy, because that hypocrisy is too big to swallow."

"All this hullaballoo about Wang Shi is because of boring media types; who else likes to hear about all this mess? If it weren't for the petty amusement of you media people, our ears would be a little bit clearer. Morality and the law, divorce agreements, division of property, this is the bottom line of the law protecting the weak. Don't let right to privacy become the loincloth of corruption. Moral and legal supervision are two different things. If we block up the expression of opinion, can we still have any moral discussion?"

"Actually I think an age difference of 30 years is pretty perfect. Think about it: if she was 10 years younger than him, she'd be an old woman too and divorce wouldn't do her any good. If she was 20 years younger, she'd be in menopause and would be too tired for all of this. If she was 40 years younger, she'd be too young and naïve. But 30 years is just right—she's 30 years old. Young enough but also mature enough, and this whole thing won't affect her offspring. Haha, so actually Wang Shi and Tian Pujun sure make a pretty good couple as a representative of mainstream culture. Is this good news or bad news?!"

Source: cnxianzai.com
 

Related links
Invasions of Privacy! Explaining the Issue of Personal Space in China
Boxun.com Under Fire Following Zhang Ziyi/Bo Xilai Sex Claims
Money and Affection: Understanding the Financial Motives Behind Chinese Relationships

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.

Keywords: Wang Shi scandal Wang Shi affair Tian Pujun scandal netizens reactions Wang Shi affair