It has been said before and it is worth repeating: Fame is a drug, and once you are addicted it is hard to give up. Take the case of Zhang Yong, a 21-year-old jewelry design student in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, who six years ago became an Internet celebrity because of his prominent front teeth - he looks like a human rabbit.

Also known as "Buckteeth Brother", Zhang recently turned up on a TV show claiming he did so because he wanted to prove to people that he was still alive. This is the feeling people who exist in the elevated oxygen of publicity often get when their 15 minutes of fame are over.

Zhang's buckteeth were once the source of mirth for millions and served as the basis for countless Photoshop parodies, including one with the Titanic as the background.

"I was glad my photos made people happy, but I could not take some of the vicious rumors that started up," Zhang said, referring to a claim he had committed suicide.

"So I did the TV show, not to make me more famous but to tell everyone that I didn't die," Zhang said, according to Sina.com. "I'm leading a good life."

To illustrate the fact that the course of true love is never easy, actress Hou Jiao has ended her relationship with veteran actor Li Chengru.

Hou, who keeps her age a secret, would be 28 if, as suggested, she is indeed 28 years younger than the 56-year-old Li.

Often characterized as "May-December" relationships - an old man and young woman, or the other way around - Hou broke up with Li at her parents' insistence.

She admitted that she was preparing to get married to Li, but her father threatened to cut her off if she continued the relationship with a man the same age as himself.

"My parents don't wish for me to find a star husband, and Chengru was under great pressure all the time," she said, according to xinmin.cn.

Actress Zhang Ziyi claims she is single and no longer yearns for marriage, following several failed relationships. Zhang was formerly engaged to billionaire film financier Vivi Nevo, but the two broke up in 2009.

"Director Feng Xiaogang once told me, 'People always think a girl like you has a lot of suitors, but actually you're just by yourself. No one dares to woo you.' It's true," she said.

We believe this should encourage red-blooded males out there to make a play for this eligible 32-year-old, who is financially independent but comes with a certain amount of baggage.

Finally, actor Wang Baoqiang is in the opposite situation. He's married with a 2-year-old child, but has been denying it for years.

At a recent news conference for a new TV show, he finally admitted to having the relationship and said, "I actually got married a long time ago. My son is 2 years old and calls me papa."

It's satisfying to learn that at least Wang's son knows he has a father, even though his "papa" didn't want anyone else to know.

China Daily

(China Daily 05/06/2011 page20)