Woman's suicide lie prompts drama on TV show, Internet

Thousands of netizens who have mourned, shed tears or otherwise showed sympathy for a woman claiming to have killed herself over mistress issues are now stunned to see the victim alive a week later, sitting in a TV show to apologize for her fake "death."

"I let my relatives tell everyone that I'm dead, and I planned to never show up again. I thought it was all over, but it never occurred to me that it is not the end, but just a crazy start," the woman, Xiao Yanqin, said on a Beijing TV talk show program on Monday night.

Xiao became China's latest online sensation last week when she claimed to end her life after her husband fell in love with a mistress just months after their wedding. She left a 10,000-word suicide note online that blamed her husband and his mistress, while her relatives confirmed that she hanged herself on December 25, her wedding anniversary.

'Whole world collapsing'

"My whole world is collapsing," Xiao said in her note, which was published online by her sister. It immediately stirred up a huge public discussion and condemnation of the husband and his mistress.

Under public pressure, Xiao's husband, Jiang Hong, published an apology on his blog on Saturday, saying he was sorry but the incident had caused great damage to his life and family and that of Yu Jia, who was believed to be the mistress.