Hong Kong star Edison Chen (陳冠希) — whose 2008 photo scandal shocked the Asian entertainment industry — is again in the spotlight 17 years later as prominent Hong Kong director Wong Jing (王晶) offers a bold new theory about how the private photos were leaked online.
The original scandal involved more than 1,400 intimate photos of Chen with several celebrities — including Gillian Chung (鍾欣桐) and Cecilia Cheung (張柏芝) — that spread rapidly across the Internet, devastating careers and personal lives. At the time, the widely accepted explanation was that a computer technician accessed Chen’s laptop during repair and unauthorizedly leaked the images.
However, in a new video uploaded to his YouTube channel 《王晶笑看江湖》, Wong Jing challenges that long‑held belief. He argues that without a specific lead, a technician wouldn’t randomly sift through thousands of files and intentionally search for sensitive images during a routine repair.
Wong suggests a different possibility: Chen may have casually shown or discussed the photos with friends at social events. In this scenario, someone within Chen’s circle — having been told about the existence or location of the private photos — eventually informed the technician or accessed the data themselves, leading to the leak.
“To find those photos among a sea of files would require a lot of time and guidance,” Wong remarked, questioning why a technician would otherwise take such an unusual step.
Stars
Wong also shared his personal impressions of Chen, describing him as polite and professional during their past collaborations. He expressed regret that someone with great potential in music and film ultimately saw his career derailed after the scandal.
Although many still remember the computer repair explanation as the trigger for the scandal, Wong’s remarks have reignited discussion online, with some agreeing that insider knowledge may have played a role, while others caution against revisiting painful memories for those involved.
The renewed focus on the case underscores how the event — one of the most infamous leaks in Chinese‑language entertainment history — continues to fascinate and divide public opinion nearly two decades later.
Sources: ETtoday星光雲