A 1964 Christmas party in Beijing served as the initial point of contact for a two-decade espionage saga between a French embassy accountant and a Chinese opera performer. This relationship, predicated on a persistent deception regarding biological sex, eventually resulted in the theft of over 500 classified documents and a complex legal fallout in France.
Early Career and Training
Born in 1938 in Shandong, Shi Pei Pu was the son of a college professor and a teacher. He spent his formative years in Kunming, Yunnan province. After graduating from Yunnan University with a literature degree, he established himself as an actor and singer by age 17. During his twenties, he began writing plays and operas focusing on the lives of workers, while also teaching the Chinese language to embassy staff.
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In December 1964, Shi met Bernard Boursicot, an accountant at the French embassy. Shi convinced Boursicot that he was a woman, claiming he was a female performer forced to adopt a male persona to satisfy his father’s desire for a son. This relationship, maintained in darkness, provided the Chinese government with access to embassy documents between 1969 and 1972 in Beijing, and again in Ulaanbaatar from 1977 to 1979.
Public Exposure and Legal Outcome
The pair arrived in Paris in 1982. By June 1983, French authorities arrested both men. Medical examinations revealed that Shi had hidden his genitals by tucking his penis and retracting his testicles to simulate female anatomy. Shi claimed a child named Shi Du Du, whom he had introduced to Boursicot, was their biological son; he later admitted the boy was actually a Uyghur child he had adopted. Both were convicted of espionage in 1986 and sentenced to six years in prison, though French President François Mitterrand pardoned both in 1987.
Legacy and Final Years
The case inspired David Henry Hwang's 1988 play M. Butterfly, which was later adapted into a 1993 film. Following his release from prison, Shi returned to his career as an opera singer. He died on 30 June 2009, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, and is buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery. He is survived by his adopted son, Shi Du Du.
Fast facts
- Born: 1938, Shandong
- Died: 30 June 2009, 16th arrondissement of Paris
- Occupations: Playwright, artist, opera singer, spy
- Education: Yunnan University
- Conviction year: 1986
- Pardon date: 10 April 1987
- Burial site: Père Lachaise Cemetery
Questions readers ask
How did Shi Pei Pu hide his identity for twenty years?
Shi maintained the deception through sexual relations kept in darkness and by physically tucking his genitals to mimic female anatomy.
What happened to the child, Shi Du Du?
Shi Du Du was an adopted Uyghur child brought to France; he later became a father of three.
Achievements
- Instruments: voice
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