The love affair between pop diva Faye Wong and heartthrob Li Yapeng has long been making tabloid headlines, and now the latest whisper is that they have gone to Europe to get married.

The news was revealed Tuesday by a close friend of the couple surnamed Wang who said the pair had gone to Europe to marry at a registry office.

"They might choose France or Switzerland because Wong loves these two places very much. In October last year, Wong, accompanied by Li, went to France to do a commercial and they had a wonderful tour there," Wang said.

If the couple had decided to get married in Europe, they might have done so to avoid the prying eyes of China's paparazzi, Wang said, adding that simple marriage registration procedures in France and Switzerland might have been another reason.

Wong had previously told close friends that she wanted to get married in a foreign country. However, Li's best friend, popular actor Wang Xuebing, said he knew nothing about Li's marriage plans.

If the rumor is true, it will be Wong's second marriage and Li's first. Wong and Li are among the most talked-about celebrity couples in China and their courtship has long been a popular topic. After divorcing Dou Wei, a famous rocker, Wong had an affair with Hong Kong singer Nicolas Tse. Li's former girlfriends include model Qu Ying and actress Zhou Xun.

(Shenzhen Daily)

tabloid: newspaper with half-size pages（小報）

whisper: a piece of imformation passed secretly from one person to another; rumor（傳說，秘密流傳）