For some unfathomable reason, CNN has posted a list of five famous/semi-famous crossdressers, including Shi Pei-Pu:

Crossdressers\’ R \’Us

There have been many instances of cross-dressing spies (including Sarah Edmonds, mentioned above), but one of the most impressive deceptions in history was carried out by Shi Pei-Pu, a singer with the Beijing Opera (in which, traditionally, all roles are played by men).

In 1964 he disguised himself as a woman to seduce Bernard Boursicot, an attache in the French Foreign Service. Their affair lasted 20 years (on and off), during which Boursicot passed several official documents to Shi, believing that “her” safety was at risk if he didn’t participate. After they were separated in 1965, Shi came back into Boursicot’s life by claiming to be pregnant, and even revealed a baby boy. They later lived as a family. The happy couple was eventually arrested for espionage in 1983, and Shi’s secret was revealed, Crying Game style, to the stunned Boursicot.

But how did they have this romance for so long without Bousicot knowing the truth? Officially, they rarely made love, and always did it hurriedly and in darkness — something that Boursicot always ascribed to Shi’s demure Chinese upbringing. One theory, however, is that he always knew the truth, but played dumb to conceal his homosexuality. (He later came out.)

The affair was the basis for the play “M. Butterfly.” It was filmed in 1993, starring Jeremy Irons and former Beijing Opera player John Lone (better known for the title role in the film “The Last Emperor”).

The movie is just OK, but the play is wicked awesome (it originally starred John Lithgow and B.D. Wong).