in 2008, intimate and private photographs of hong kong actor edison chen with various women, including actresses gillian chung, bobo chan, rachel ngan, and cecilia cheung, were unlawfully distributed over the internet. the scandal shook the hong kong entertainment industry and received high-profile media attention locally and around the world. many local newspapers headlined the story consecutively during the first fortnight of february 2008, relegating coverage of the 2008 chinese winter storms to secondary prominence during chinese new year.