Social media frenzy erupts over alleged Wen Zhang infidelity

A celebrity's infidelity has become an internet sensation, with millions commenting on social media after photographs of actor Wen Zhang and actress Yao Di on a secret tour of Shenzhen went viral on March 29.

Wen has been married to Ma Yili, another actress, for six years and the couple had their second child earlier this year. After news of the affair broke, commentators became frenzied online, polarising into two groups, with the majority disgusted by the cheating. Weibo user "Evinest-Belief" asked, "How can you cheat? Have you ever thought about Ma Yili's feeling?", while on the other side netzien "LisaLiLi" posted, "Am I the only one who think they are a good match? Contrary to ethics, love is priceless. Support them at once!!!"

By Monday afternoon, five of Weibo's ten top topics were to do with the affair, with a user total estimated at past 10 million. The top topic "#See you on Monday#" had 7.35 million users alone, highlighting how energetic social commenting is in modern China.

Wen Zhang posted a long apology early Monday morning on his personal Weibo, confessing to the affair with his former Down-To-Earth Marriage co-star and apologising to his wife. A mere three minutes later, Ma replied saying "Falling in love is easy, marriage is not. Walk on and cherish", a message which has since been retweeted over a million times. 

[Image: Wen and his wife, Ma Li. Via Xinhua]