A Chinese actor's open letter on weibo has hit the internet, apologizing to his fans, his children and his wife for an affair with his co-star on a popular TV show. Many netizens have posted that they do not believe in love any more, after finding out about the once-model husband's betrayal.

With the number of failed marriages increasing and the spotlight on recent celebrity cheating scandals, insurers have sensed new business opportunities in meeting people's desire for a sense of security in wedlock.

A newly-wed couple in Wuhan, Mr. and Ms Gong, have spent 99,999 yuan (16,119 US dollars) on a marriage insurance called "love you forever", which was launched by a local insurance company. The couple will receive 131,417 yuan (21,184 US dollars) in return, but only if they remain married to each other throughout the entire five year term of the policy.

The insurance they bought was in fact a combination of life insurance with additional conditions involving a five-year marriage allowance. Therefore according to the company, the insured could be husband-to-be and wife-to-be.

For example，if a couple buys a 30,000 yuan policy for the first year, with 10,000 yuan each year for the second to fourth year and a one-time 39,999 yuan policies for the fifth year, the couple will get 131,417 yuan on production of their ID cards and their marriage certificates.

"The insurance encourages an enduring and lasting marriage; if the couple divorce, the premiums are not refundable," said an insurance consultant from the company. Marriage insurance won immediate popularity when it was first introduced in February. In the first month we took in premiums of 500 million nationwide."

Some online users have said they believe the idea is meant to encourage enduring marriage, but others have expressed the view that a five-year term is still too short.

"Five years is not enough for mature marriage insurance," according to Wang Ye, a senior consultant in a joint-equity insurance company. "Marriage insurance in some foreign countries runs for terms of as much as two or three decades. The longer a marriage lasts, the higher the return to the couple."