Wang Yuanyuan

    cheekywang@hotmail.com

    CHINESE pop diva Faye Wong refuted many rumors swirling online about her recent divorce from actor husband Li Yapeng on her microblog Wednesday.

    “I was the one who wanted a divorce. There was no third party, no disputes with my mother-in-law and no financial problems. This is not a tragic drama. It’s a peaceful separation, a different way of getting along. For our children, we are still a family. Thanks Yapeng very much for tolerating all this with love and rationality,” Wong wrote on Weibo at about 3 p.m.

    Wong also said she was not leaving public life to be a nun and would continue supporting the Smile Angel Foundation, which Wong and Li jointly founded to help children with cleft lips and palates.

    Fans reposted her Weibo announcement more than 300,000 times in the six hours after it was posted.

    Wong also forwarded a Weibo post by Li, concerning the foundation.

    Li later replied to Wong’s posts with a message that said “Love you forever.”

    It was the first time the two communicated with each other in public after announcing the divorce Sept. 13. The divorce has been one of the most popular topics on Weibo for the past week.

    The most widespread rumor was that Wong had been a Buddhist for years and finally decided to become a nun in Tibet.

    “Wong worshipped at temples in Tibet last month and her forehead was all red because of kowtows. Although she has returned to the stage in recent years, most of her works were related to promoting Buddhism,” a Hong Kong magazine said. “Insiders said Wong thought about becoming a nun. She sold her properties in Hong Kong for her daughters and did other preparations for becoming a nun.”

    Another rumor blamed extramarital affairs for their divorce. Taiwanese media said Hong Kong singer Nicholas Tse, Wong’s ex-boyfriend, wrote to Wong in hopes of “becoming friends again.” The letter reportedly made Li very angry and led to the divorce.

    However, many people believed Wong wanted to divorce Li because Li had been unfaithful. Since their divorce, Li has been said to have had seven suspected mistresses. Even Li’s sister-in-law has been mistaken by the media as his “girlfriend.”

    Rumors also speculated that Wong had been too busy to help take care of their family. Some said Wong was unhappy with Li’s hobby of partying in nightclubs. Others said Li’s tense relationship with Wong’s daughter from her first marriage and Wong’s tense relationship with Li’s mother partly led to their divorce.

    Wong’s announcement was a great comfort to many of her fans.

    “I think Wong did a great job posting the announcement and clarifying the truth. It is not like her. She is always a cool and independent woman who does not care what people say about her, but this announcement shows her great concern for her fans,” said an entertainment critic known as Aishi.

    Many fans also expressed their support for Wong and even said they hoped Li and Wong could get back together.

    “What a great couple. There’s no fighting, no accusations and no sobbing. They still have mutual goals to work for. I really hope that they can get back together,” wrote a netizen identified online as “deep.”