- Wang had a 16-year affair with Wen while married to Shang in China
- Wen attended Wang's father's funeral posing as a family member
- Wang lived with Wen in another city and they had a child together
A man's 16-year-long affair was exposed by his wife during a funeral in China's Shandong province. The wife spotted the husband's mistress, dressed in mourning clothes at her father-in-law's funeral, as if she were family. The woman surnamed Shang had been married to her husband, Wang, for 19 years, according to a report in South China Morning Post.
In June 2022, after her father-in-law's death, Shang noticed the strange woman among the mourners. The mistress, identified as Wen, who introduced herself as the daughter-in-law, wept beside Shang's father-in-law's coffin as though she were family.
Surprised by Wen's antics, Shang confronted Wang, who gave vague and evasive answers, which deepened her suspicion. Subsequently, Shang took the matter to the court, where the true extent of the 16-year affair was revealed.
Wang met Wen during the third year of their marriage. He misled Shang by claiming that he was going away on long-haul trucking jobs, but instead, he lived with Wen in another city, where they had a child together.
Bigamy In China
The neighbours said Wang and Wen were not married but still referred to each other as husband and wife. When Wen required a surgical operation, Wang filled out the consent form, where he identified himself as Wen's husband.
Despite this, Wang argued in the court that he and Wen had never formally registered their marriage and were "merely supporting each other".
"However, the court ruled that Wang had effectively entered into a common-law marriage with Wen while still legally married to Shang, constituting bigamy," the report highlighted, adding that Wang was sentenced to one year in prison, and his subsequent appeal was also rejected by the court.
China has a monogamous marriage system where bigamy is seen as a violation of marital integrity. If an individual is convicted of bigamy, it can result in up to two years in prison. Meanwhile, the lawful spouse is entitled to seek financial compensation for emotional and material damages during divorce proceedings.
