Shu Qi says husband Stephen Fung 'not handsome enough'

BEIJING - Fans of Taiwanese actress Shu Qi may have many theories why she married actor-director Stephen Fung almost 20 years after they first met, but "he is not handsome" is unlikely to be one of them.

The Taiwanese actress, whose real name is Lin Li-hui, was recently asked on Chinese variety the show, 50km Taohuawu, why she did not fall in love with Fung when they first met in 1997 while acting in the movie Bishonen (1998). The movie also starred Chinese-American actor Daniel Wu.

Shu, 45, quipped that Fung, 46, did not meet her standards, with a guest asking: "How is he not up to your standard when he is so handsome?"

She replied: "I've worked with the likes of Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro. Does he stand a chance?"

Shu, who was referring to Hong Kong singer-actor Lau and Japanese-Taiwanese actor Kaneshiro, sparked more laughter on the show when she added: "They are so handsome."

The topic "Shu Qi ridicules Stephen Fung for not being handsome enough" began trending on Weibo later. Some netizens joked that this was her unique way of showing her love for Fung, while others defended him and said he is equally handsome.

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Shu has been romantically linked to several actors in the past, including Wu, Wang Leehom, Eddie Peng, Shawn Yue and Richie Jen, but she has never confirmed the rumours.

Her most famous relationship was with singer-actor Leon Lai, whom she dated after they starred in the romantic movie City Of Glass (1998). They broke up in 2004.

Meanwhile, Fung dated singer Karen Mok for about nine years before she announced their split in 2007.

Shu and Fung were together for about four years before tying the knot in 2016.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.