Actor Zhang Tielin is suing a 27-year-old singer for claiming that he asked her to have sex with him, a Beijing court said yesterday. 

Beijing Intermediate People's Court No 2 has accepted the lawsuit, and its civil division will hear the case in the "near future," said sources.

Zhang, who is known for playing the emperor in many soap operas, is demanding compensation of 1 million yuan (US$121,000) for psychological damage caused by Zhou Xuan's alleged libel.

The actor is also suing the Chengdu Commercial Daily, a newspaper that first published two stories in June and July on the alleged sexual invitation, for "unfounded reports" and libel.

Many other Chinese newspapers followed up on the two newspaper articles as their top entertainment stories, according to Zhang.

The actor is demanding that he receive a public apology, as well as that the libelous remarks stop.

Zhou Xuan - a singer in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province - claimed early this month that "an actor who often plays the emperor" refused to host the launch ceremony for a book she wrote solely because she refused to have sex with him.

Zhang quickly denied Zhou's allegations. He said: "It is totally misleading the public through rumour-mongering to gain publicity for her, an unknown name to the public."

(China Daily August 2, 2003)