Shi Pei Pu

Shi Pei Pu
Shi before 1960
Born(1938-12-21)21 December 1938
Died30 June 2009(2009-06-30) (aged 70)
Alma materYunnan University (University of Kunming)
OccupationsOpera singer, spy
PartnerBernard Boursicot
ChildrenShi Du Du
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese时佩璞
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinShí Pèipú
Gwoyeu RomatzyhShyr Peypwu
Wade–GilesShih P'eip'u
IPA[ʂɻ̩̌ pʰêɪpʰǔ]

Shi Pei Pu (Chinese: 时佩璞; pinyin: Shí Pèipú; 21 December 1938 – 30 June 2009) was a Chinese opera singer and spy. He obtained classified information from Bernard Boursicot, an employee at the French embassy, during a 20-year sexual relationship in which he convinced Boursicot that he was a woman. Shi also claimed to have a child, a Uyghur boy whom he insisted was the result of their relationship. The case drew significant media attention in France when the true circumstances were revealed.

The affair inspired American playwright David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly (1988), which was produced on Broadway and was adapted into the 1993 film of the same title.