Life should not be lived for another person, but for herself, says Shu Qi.

Breaking the silence about her break up with Leon Lai, the Taiwanese actress said: "We have to look on the bright side. I am not a woman who falls into the abyss of love. Although it isn't easy to recover from a breakup, I choose to be positive."

The 33-year-old told Apple Daily that her relationship with the Hong Kong Heavenly King had been a happy and close one.

The pair first met on the set of the movie, "City of Glass" - when Shu Qi was 22 - and started dating not long after.

However, their relationship sparked furore from Leon's fans as they felt that Shu Qi, an ex-pornography actress, was not good enough for him.

Apart from his fans' backlash, Shu Qi also had to endure rumours of Leon's scandals with other actresses.

The pair finally broke up in 2004, when Shu Qi turned 29.

Not long after, Leon started going out with model Gaile Lok.

When asked if she hated Leon for robbing her of her prime, she said: "Why must there be hate? I won't hate him because it was fate that brought us together, and also fate that separated us. Maybe a break up was better for the both of us."

Although the star still believes in love, marrige is still far from her mind.

She said: "I haven't thought about marriage yet. Anyway, I've deleted Leon's memories from my mind."

Nonetheless, Shu Qi enjoys the feeling of being in a relationship.
 
"In a relationship, I feel that I tend to love the other party more because I simply can't be together with someone whom I don't love a lot," she says.

Of the characteristics she's looking for in her ideal partner, she says: "Partners should move forward together - one shouldn't be walking ahead while the other is left behind.

"What I'm looking for is someone that I can connect with."

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Photos: Sexy siren, Shu Qi