Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu not divorcing, say her mum and manager

Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu with husband, Chinese hotelier Wang Xiaofei, in 2017. They have been married since 2010. – Photo: Weibo/Big S Studio

Actress Barbie Hsu (Meteor Garden, 2001) told Taiwanese tabloid Apple Daily on Saturday (June 5) that she is in the midst of divorcing her husband, Chinese hotelier Wang Xiaofei.

The news came after Mr Wang, 39, made several posts on Weibo that harshly criticised Taiwan in light of news that two confirmed Covid-19 cases from the island had boarded a plane that landed in the Chinese city of Xiamen.

But it seems like the news may just be a lovers' spat blown out of proportion as the 44-year-old Taiwanese actress' mother and manager have come out to refute her claims of divorce.

Hsu's mother told Apple Daily: "Barbie just said some words of anger. What divorce is she speaking about? I will calm her down. Barbie and Xiaofei both care deeply about their children and I will tell them both to bear with it for the moment."

Though she did not say why the couple fought, she revealed that Wang had wanted his wife and two children - a daughter aged seven and a son aged five - to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in China. Hsu, however, felt that plan was too much trouble and decided to stay put in Taiwan instead.

Wang posted on Weibo shortly after news of the divorce surfaced, writing: "I was really worried about my family so I said some things that were not very nice. It's easy to get agitated during this pandemic period and I hope my family will be safe and sound."

Hsu's manager told Apple Daily: "They just had a fight. Which couple doesn't fight? It's not a big deal."

Hsu and Wang met in 2010 and tied the knot that year. Their marriage made headlines as she has long been a popular actress while he was then known as one of the Four Young Masters of Beijing - a term used to refer to sons of four famous and wealthy entrepreneurs in the city.

Wang's mother is a successful restaurateur who founded the high-end South Beauty chain of eateries.

The couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary in March and he posted pictures of the celebration on Weibo. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network