Many local newspapers headlined the story consecutively during the first fortnight of February , relegating coverage of the Chinese winter storms to secondary prominence during Chinese New Year. In a crackdown which itself became a controversial item, the Hong Kong police enlisted the assistance of Interpol to stem the spread of the photographs. The police crackdown raised questions over violations of the privacy and free speech rights of Internet users. Chen admitted being the author and copyright owner of most of the photographs, and stated that the private photographs had been stolen and published illegally without his consent. He made a public apology, especially to the women involved, and also announced that he would "step away indefinitely" from the Hong Kong entertainment industry.
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In January , nude photos purportedly of Cecilia surfaced on the Internet, believed to be stolen from the personal computer of Edison Chen. On 29 January, at p. Since Hong Kong is a former British colony, unlike in the People's Republic of China, nudity, especially among celebrities was not something scandalous or novel. What shocked the Hong Kong society was that the photographs of Cecilia Cheung circulated on the internet showed her vagina with unshaven, burly, unprocessed, black pubic hair, a critical fashion faux pas in a traditionally Chinese society where the idealized feminine model is a smooth hairless Confucian virgin. The Chinese has been proud for centuries of their hairlessness, as among world civilizations, the Chinese civilization is the oldest, lasting almost years. Body hair in Chinese society is associated with the barbarians like the Japanese, the Manchu and Westerners. Many among the Hong Kong community has been seriously outraged by these photographs, especially among the Hong Kong gay community. As in the U. In addition, the photographs show her exposed vagina and clitoris, without a man subduing it. As principal focus, the vagina connotes intense Yin and diabolical energy, and a vagina in the middle of a photographic portrait in Chinese society is considered highly inauspicious to view, especially during the Chinese New Year.
Picture Detail
It started in January when nude photographs of people resembling the actors engaging in sexual acts with each other were distributed on the internet. As at 4 February, eight people have been arrested for being connected with the distribution of the photos. The affair has dominated news headlines for over a week. The first nude photo, of a man and a woman resembling Chen and Gillian Chung, was published at approximately pm, 27 January , in a post on the website Hong Kong Discuss Forum. The genitals and nipples of the woman and head of the man could be clearly seen. Although the original post was deleted after a few hours, some visitors forwarded the photo to other major forums such as Uwants and HKGolden. Chung's management agency, Emperor Entertainment Group EEG , immediately denied that the photos were authentic and filed a police report. An emergency meeting was held at EEG immediately that evening, after which the company declared through its solicitors that it would pursue the publisher of the image for this "irresponsible" and "malicious act". Gillian Chung was reportedly very distraught, had taken a leave of absence, and would not comment on the matter.
On 31 January , an unemployed 29 year old man was arrested in the New Territories with 12 pictures on his computer. The investigation is still ongoing to find the connection between the suspect and artists but no blackmail was involved. HK Police has also warned that anyone with the pictures not to distribute them as it was in breach of the law.
