Actress Zhang Ziyi’s ex-husband denies knowing 19-year-younger girlfriend before divorce

Influencer Li Qiao, also known as Sen Lin Bei, the current girlfriend of singer Wang Feng, the ex-husband of Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi. Photo from Li's Weibo

According to The Straits Times, Wang, 53, denied rumors that he and Li, 34, were in the same city in July last year through a Weibo post on Monday. He asserted that he did not meet Li until after his divorce from Zhang was finalized.

"I met Li Qiao for work-related reasons in [the Chinese autonomous region of] Xinjiang two months after my divorce was completed in October last year," he stated. "Our dating started about four months after that initial meeting."

Li, who also goes by the online alias Sen Lin Bei, further explained in a Weibo video posted on Tuesday that she first encountered Wang in October last year while discussing a cultural tourism project with a music conservatory, and they began a romantic relationship earlier this year. She also mentioned that she was previously married and is now a divorced single mother.

Sinchew reported that the couple’s relationship first caught public attention as they were spotted enjoying a dinner with Wang’s mother and children on May 19, celebrated as Mother’s Day. Following this, Wang confirmed their romantic involvement.

Wang is well-known as a rock musician and as a coach on "The Voice of China."

He married Zhang, 45, in 2015, which was his third marriage and Zhang’s first.

Zhang has received international praise for her performance in the 2000 film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, and she has won multiple awards for her role in the 2013 film "The Grandmaster."