Sex scandals hurdled onto media's radar
By Wendy Liu (City Weekend)
Updated: 2004-05-14 10:50

China Chat Zhao Zhongxiang tallies up a doctor's bill, and now he's paying for it, big time.

Zhao has always flawlessly maintained a wholesome, honest and scholarly image, eliciting respect from viewers and critics alike. [sina]

The flurry of gossip surrounding Zhang Tielun's elicit affair with a young woman on a quest to hurdle herself onto media's radar, followed by Huang Jianzhong and his "woman", and Zhang Jue's mission (recording conversations with lovers etc.) has met it's match with the entertainment industry's most recent sex scandal involving Zhao Zhongxiang.

Zhao Zhongxiang's fame and reputation rivals Zhang and Huang's. He is one of the earliest anchormen on China's TV news programs and has been a regular on the news desks for as long as television sets have been available to the average Chinese home.

Zhao has always successfully maintained a wholesome, honest and scholarly image, eliciting respect from viewers and critics alike, and as he aged on the screen, a nation has aged with him. Now Zhao is in his 60s, and has experienced a resurgence in popularity, but perhaps for all the wrong reasons.

This past April, a woman named Rao Ying, in her 30s, sued Zhao for withholding money for healthcare that she provided, and at the same time exposed a massive love affair to the media.

Rao Ying shows to the reporter her bloated leg. [sina]

The news hit the public like a brick wall - the ideal image of the scholarly and honest news anchor was destroyed instantly and, credit to his reputation, middle aged viewers across the country admitted that they could not believe Zhao could be so insensitive.

Rao Ying was in fact a doctor at CCTV when she first met Zhao. Rao had separated from her husband and son and was instantly drawn to Zhao and after a house call to his home, over seven years ago, the two embarked on a love affair.

Rao became pregnant twice from Zhao during the seven-year relationship but both times he withdrew when she asked for his assistance, saying, "this is the business of women." (sina.com.cn). Zhao encouraged Rao to leave her job and pursue advanced studies in Chinese medicine, reluctantly handing over Y10,000 in support of her education.

Things got rocky between the two when, last June, Rao accused Zhao of raping her and took the case to court. The court found that she lacked evidence in support of her accusation and in fact, lacked evidence in proving that the relationship even existed.

And now the two are back in the courts with Rao demanding Zhao to pay up for healthcare fees to which he has defaulted on for years. In her corner, the has a 4000 world document citing fees and check-ups. And she has the buzz of the media building up her case. In Zhao's corner - a personal lawyer denouncing the report, threatening to sue Rao Ying for defamation of character.

"This is nothing to Zhao, a small case for him," says Zhao's lawyer, Wang Fu. "It will not have an impact on his daily work or his life." (sina.com.cn)

Zhao has been more vocal with the media that sources anticipated and, through his lawyer, has issued a statement that warns the media to basically back off.

The court date is set for mid-May, and only then will the truth be known.

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