A woman from Linyi, Shandong Province, discovered her husband’s shocking 16-year affair — and his secret “second wife” — during her father-in-law’s funeral, leading to his conviction for bigamy.
According to Chinese media, Mrs. Shang and her husband, Mr. Wang, had been married for 19 years. But during her father-in-law’s funeral in June 2022, Shang was stunned to see another woman, Ms. Wen, dressed in mourning clothes and attending the ceremony as if she were also the family’s daughter-in-law. Suspicious, Shang began to secretly investigate the relationship between her husband and the woman.
The truth was devastating — Wang had been living with Wen since 2006 and even had a child with her. From 2016 onward, he frequently used “long-distance transportation work” as an excuse to spend time with Wen, publicly introducing her as his wife. Their illicit relationship had lasted 16 years, almost the entire duration of Wang’s marriage to Shang.
When brought to court, Wang attempted to defend himself by saying, “We just lived together. I never got a marriage certificate with her, so it’s not bigamy.” However, the court rejected his claim after collecting overwhelming evidence. Neighbors confirmed that Wang and Wen lived as a married couple, referring to each other as husband and wife. Surveillance footage and hospital documents signed by Wang as Wen’s “husband” further proved his deception.
The court emphasized that under Chinese law, bigamy is not limited to holding two marriage certificates — living with another person as husband and wife while still legally married constitutes the same offense. Since Wang maintained a “marital-style” relationship with Wen for 16 years while still married to Shang, he was found guilty of bigamy and sentenced to one year in prison.
