Zhang Ziyi. left and Jang Dong-Gun in Dangerous Liaisons.

Zhang Ziyi left and Jang Dong-Gun in Dangerous Liaisons.




Bo Xilai and his wife Gu Kailai.

Bo Xilai and his wife Gu Kailai. Photo: Reuters

Among those previously alleged to have associated with Mr Bo is Zhang Ziyi, China's most famous film actress, the star of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha.

But her lawyer said such claims were complete fabrication, and said there would be no evidence linking her to the disgraced politician.

Miss Zhang is suing media outlets in Hong Kong and the US that accused her of being one of the 63-year-old Mr Bo's string of conquests.


Nevertheless, rumours of an alleged relationship resurfaced this weekend after the Communist Party released its official verdict on Mr Bo: a lengthy list of crimes designed to bury him politically and which could result in his being sentenced to several decades in prison.

For decades, according to Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, Mr Bo "maintained inappropriate sexual relationships with many women", an accusation certain to tarnish his reputation. "It's an extremely conservative guess to say he had 100 mistresses," said Jiang Weiping, a journalist who has investigated Mr Bo for two decades. "He was very powerful. He had girlfriends himself, and he also used women as a commodity to give to other officials."

Chinese newspapers yesterday gave prominent coverage to the Xinhua account of Mr Bo's expulsion, weeks before a Communist Party congress in which a once-in-a-decade leadership change will be unveiled.


The allegations emerged following the death of Mr Heywood, 42, a Bo family confidant. Mr Bo's wife Gu Kailai was recently convicted with an aide of poisoning Mr Heywood with cyanide in a hotel room after what officials claimed was a fallout over business dealings.

Mr Jiang, who was jailed for his investigative journalism in Mr Bo's former power base of Dalian and now lives in exile in Canada, claimed more details of the politician's philandering would emerge.

One of the women reportedly named in the dossier was a television host who disappeared from screens several years ago. She is rumoured to have received a $1.5?million pay-off from a business tycoon close to Mr Bo after giving birth to a daughter fathered by the politician.



Xinhua noted the seven-month investigation into Mr Bo and his family "also uncovered evidence that suggests his involvement in other crimes". Mr Jiang said Mr Bo may have more "complicated problems", perhaps including smuggling, the possession of arms, and leaking state secrets abroad.

A respected political commentator in Beijing said Mr Bo would be accused of taking bribes worth 6 million yuan ($920,000) personally, and a further 20 million yuan through his family. A date for his trial has not been announced but many expect it to come before the party's congress, which begins on November 8. The same source predicted that Mr Bo would receive a sentence of less than 20 years in prison, rather than the death penalty that some have anticipated.

China's leaders put on a show of unity yesterday at a National Day reception. but Mr Bo's downfall has raised questions over whether the system as a whole is rotten. Liu Jian, of the Economic Observer newspaper, said in a blog: "[If] Bo Xilai was poor at managing people, [does that not mean] that every level of government was also imprudent in managing Bo?"


Additional reporting by Valentina Luo and Sharon Wu

Sunday Telegraph, London