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.
