Chinese supermodel and actress Lin Chi-ling caused a shock throughout the country last Thursday when she announced she had married Akira, a member of the Japanese pop group Exile.

Lin, 44, used her microblogging site Weibo account to address a long letter in Chinese to her fans, along with a photo of herself and the 37-year-old Akira. 

In her letter, she wrote: "I have always believed that if I never fail to believe in love, love will finally reward me. After many falls, twists and turns, we met at a different space and time. At the right time, we see the face of love."

She continued: "In some corner of our hearts, we have become irreplaceable to each other. At this age, we decided to hold hands and to build a family. Someone says love is a transient gift. I suppose, we may need courage, open-mindedness, selflessness, compromise and ingenuousness to turn that transient moment into lifelong companionship.”

It was reported the two first met on the set of a stage play of Chinese ancient war epic "Red Cliff" in 2011, remaining friends until they began dating about six months ago.

The letter ended with the statement: "I'm married! I hope that every one of you who believes in love will find your own happiness."

Lin's studio also issued a separate statement, saying the two had not made any decision on the staging of a wedding banquet, but they "will share the joy with their families and share the future plans and videos with everyone, if there are any.

"Of course, the couple also hope for a new member of their family to join them in the future," it added, possibly implying pregnancy.

Akira wrote in his own Weibo post, sharing experiences of how the relationship developed. He wrote: "Ever since sharing the stage with her on 'Red Cliff: Love' eight years ago, we developed a friendship and just last year, it evolved into something more. I felt strongly that I want her to be my partner in life as we see our true selves in each other."

He said he had seen how Lin always put her family, friends and fans before herself. "I was strongly attracted to her for her sense of responsibility and kind personality, as she gives out love and shows courage every day. She always smiles to accept me and tolerate me for who I am. Her tenderness and kindness push me to be eager to make her happy."

Lin is a household name as a supermodel in China and an actress, having starred in many TV dramas and films such as John Woo's "Red Cliff". She has also featured in a number of Japanese television series and commercials. Her soft and melting voice is readily identifiable and iconic, even featuring in a Chinese map app as the navigator voice. She has often been described as a "goddess" living in many young people's hearts and words.

Akira joined Exile as a dancer in 2006. He also acted in various roles for Japanese television series and films including "GTO" and "High & Low: The Movie."

Lin's shocking marriage announcement sent shockwaves through China's social media websites to temporarily paralyze the operation of the platforms. Her Weibo announcement post alone has more than 371,000 retweets, more than 369,000 comments and 2.1 million likes. 

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