12. Shi Pei-Pu, Spy (1938 – 2009)
Male opera singer Shi Pei-Pu met Bernard Boursicot, an employee at the French Embassy in Beijing,
when Shi was 26. After convincing Boursicot that he was actually a woman dressed as a man, they began an affair. Amazingly, the charade
continued for 20 years, with Shi at one stage claiming to have borne him a son. Boursicot even began handing over secret documents
to the Chinese in order to help Shi’s position in the Communist party. In 1982, Boursicot brought Shi and his son to Paris, where
they were eventually arrested for espionage. When Shi’s identity was revealed, Boursicot physically attacked him, slashing his
throat. Shi survived. A successful play and then movie, M. Butterfly, was loosely based on Shi’s life.
