Beijing: Gu Kailai has been many things to many people: Devoted wife, ambitious lawyer, gracious host, menacing businesswoman and, now, China`s most famous murder suspect.
The wife of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai could go on trial in the coming days, after being formally charged with the murder of a British businessman who was a close associate of the Bo family. Through interviews with Gu`s former associates and biographical details from official Chinese media, a portrait emerges of a woman who rose out of a trying childhood to become a high-flying politician`s wife skilled at turning on the charm when the going was smooth, yet quick to turn hostile when crossed. One account says Gu`s relationship with the victim, Neil Heywood, was tinged with tension at least a decade ago.
PTI