Scandal sheet

The Global Times recently offended and delighted different groups of people in Beijing with an advice column by the pseudonymous Alessandro, who answered a question from a "reader" named S. Natch: "If unused for a long time, can vaginas really grow closed?"

The Wall Street Journal blog was offended, City Weekend enjoyed it, Peking Duck reproduced the post after Global Times deleted it, and somebody at that august publication probably had a good laugh at the traffic spike caused by the little kerfuffle.

Now, another Global Times writer is at it again. "Doriah Morrison" has written a piece dumping on Zhang Ziyi, who has been the subject of much negative news recently. It includes the following:

What I'm curious about is, where is her finance Vivi Nevo...

...I hate to rush to conclusions that they are no long together, or never were to begin with, but I am left with no choice but to let you in on what I know - something you will read for the first time here and only here.

The relationship between Zhang and Nevo was exposed when they were caught kissing during a NBA game in January, 2007 and she made it official by admitting at the Cannes Film Festival in May the same year that Nevo was her boyfriend.

However, shortly after her love announcement, I saw Zhang checking into a lover's suite at China World Hotel spa with Wang Xiaofei. Wang is the son of South Beauty dining chain's CEO Zhang Lan and the owner of high-end restaurant Lan Club. Later, the spa manager, of who I am acquainted, told me that Zhang and Wang always got together whenever Zhang was in Beijing. Their "relationship" lasted at least until early 2009, according to a close friend of Wang's.

This piece may not draw much traffic to Global Times because it has already been reproduced by Xinhua, the People's Daily English website, Chinese forums Tianya and Haiguinet.

Doriah Morrison is almost certainly a pseudonym.

It will be interesting to see if there is any reaction from any of the other parties concerned: Zhang Ziyi herself, Wang Xiaofei and his mother's company South Beauty, and the China World Hotel, which may prefer not be known as a place where the spa manager reveals the indiscretions of guests to journalists.