BEIJING -- A male model who went online to find a wife has been outed by netizens, as the photos he used to depict himself in his post appear to have been doctored.
In model Liang Chao's recent post on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, he portrayed himself as a 30-year-old foreign-educated man with an annual income of 700,000 yuan ($115,000).
He wrote that he was seeking a wife under the age of 30, adding that he would provide a suitable candidate with a monthly spending allowance of 10,000 yuan.
However, Liang's post also included dozens of photos, showing him wearing fashionable clothing and appearing in multiple countries. Although he initially received many messages from prospective brides, it was soon discovered that his photos were fake.
Netizens discovered that Liang's photos had been taken from fashion magazines, with Liang's head replacing those of Western models. In one photo, even Liang's stomach muscles appeared to have been doctored.
Liang's post has received over 70,000 comments thus far. In response to the accusations of photo-doctoring, he wrote a new post in which he said "I have never said I didn't Photoshop my photos."
He also clarified that he has never received any plastic surgery with the exception of some work he had done on his teeth.
On Monday, Liang wrote another post in which he promoted a tailoring business that he is a partner in.
This has led some to believe that his previous posts were written with the intention of attracting attention to his business.