Actor Wang Baoqiang in court for divorce case

A Beijing court held a pretrial conference for a high-profile divorce case involving Chinese actor Wang Baoqiang on Tuesday, aiming to clarify focus and evidence in the high-profile dispute.

The conference is to understand appeals and opinions of the two parties, collect their evidence and summarize the focus of the case, in accordance with Chinese Civil Procedure Law. It means the formal trial will come soon.

Wang, 32, who rose to fame in 2003 and is known for his roles in comedy and kung-fu films, appeared in the Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court around 1:15pm, getting out of a red car and wearing black clothes and sunglasses.

Ma Rong, his wife, who was not present, has applied for the court to hear the case in private.

The case has made media headlines and triggered heated discussions in public since Wang made a "divorce announcement" on his micro blog account on August 14, claiming his wife had an improper relationship with his agent Song Zhe, hid and transferred property and "hurt his family members".

The couple were married in 2010 and have had two children since then. On Aug 15, Wang, with his lawyer, filed the case in the court, demanding full custody of their son and daughter, and requesting that Ma paid child support until both the kids turn 18.

He also demanded a split of the couple’s belongings, including nine apartments, stock and investments, luxurious handbags, cars and insurance.

Two days later, the court accepted a defamation case brought by Ma, in which, the woman required Wang to delete the statement he posted, "as it is untrue and defamatory".

She also wanted Wang to make a public apply on his account and keep it there for at least 30 days. At 4 pm Tuesday, the court also held a pretrial conference for the defamation case.

Wang was born in Hebei province and studied martial arts in Shaolin Temple in Henan province. He won a Golden Horse Award for best leading actor for Blind Shaft in 2003.

Eight years later, he was nominated as Best Actor at the 5th Annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards for Mr. Tree. The couple often showed affection each other over the past few years.