Before Sister Hong leaked explicit videos of 1,000+ men, this Chinese man lived as woman for 20 years to fake sexual relationship

Before Sister Hong made headlines for fooling over 1,000 men and leaking their explicit videos, there was another bizarre case in China that sounds almost too wild to be true. Decades ago, a Chinese man posed as a woman and maintained a 20-year sexual relationship with another man, without ever revealing his true identity.

If you’re not caught up on the Sister Hong scandal, here’s the short version: a Chinese man surnamed Jiang was recently detained after going viral for allegedly cross-dressing as a woman and luring more than 1,000 men into sending explicit videos. Those clips have since been leaked across social media, sparking nationwide outrage and global trends.

But long before this digital-age deception, there was Shi Pei Pu, a Chinese opera singer from Beijing who pulled off an equally shocking con. Shi pretended to be a woman and seduced Bernard Boursicot, a French embassy employee, all while secretly working as a spy. The affair lasted two decades and became one of the strangest espionage scandals in modern history.


In early July 2025, Chinese authorities in Nanjing detained a 38-year-old man surnamed Jiao, widely known by the alias “Sister Hong” or “Red Uncle," on July 5 for allegedly posing as a woman to lure and secretly film intimate encounters with hundreds of men in his Nanjing apartment.


Jiao cultivated a feminine persona using heavy makeup, a long wig with blunt bangs, a surgical mask, a blouse, and a long skirt to complete the illusion. Reports suggest he compelled his male visitors—often presenting themselves as straight, young professionals or students—to bring small gifts instead of cash, then filmed the encounters on hidden cameras and sold the footage in private groups for a membership fee of around 150 yuan (≈ US$21).


While social media rumours inflated the number of victims to over 1,600, authorities have neither confirmed nor ruled out that figure, only noting the scale was still substantial, with over 1,000 explicit videos leaked and circulated across platforms like Weibo, Telegram, Instagram, and X—often with victims’ faces uncensored. The scandal has roiled discussions around consent, privacy, and public health, especially after some of those tested reportedly received positive HIV results.


Long before viral catfishing scandals dominated headlines, there was Shi Pei Pu—a Chinese opera singer and spy whose life blurred the lines between gender, performance, and deception. Born in 1938 in Shandong and raised in Kunming, Shi mastered both Mandarin and French and became known in Beijing’s elite circles for his captivating roles as women in traditional opera. But it wasn’t just on stage where Shi assumed a female identity.

In 1964, at a Christmas party in Beijing, Shi met Bernard Boursicot, a 20-year-old French embassy clerk. The two quickly grew close. Shi convinced Boursicot that he was a woman forced to live as a man due to family pressure. It might sound unbelievable now, but at the time, Boursicot believed every word. Their sexual relationship always took place in the dark, and Shi even faked menstruation and pregnancy to keep the illusion alive.


To make things more real, Shi introduced Boursicot to a child he claimed was their son, born through a secret arrangement. Boursicot, smitten and guilt-ridden for leaving Shi and their supposed child behind, began passing sensitive diplomatic documents to Chinese intelligence—not out of malice, but love. Over nearly 20 years, Shi funnelled information to Chinese operatives while maintaining the lie.

The truth unravelled in 1983, when both Shi and Boursicot were arrested in France on espionage charges. Only during the investigation did doctors confirm that Shi was biologically male. Boursicot, devastated by the revelation, attempted suicide but survived. At their trial in 1986, both were sentenced to six years in prison. Shi was released after one year and remained in Paris until his death in 2009.

Their story became the inspiration for the Tony Award-winning play M. Butterfly, which fictionalised the strange but true tale of deception, love, and loyalty during the Cold War. Even today, Shi Pei Pu’s life remains one of the most bizarre and human espionage stories in modern history—a reminder of how far people can go in the name of love, identity, or a cause.

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