Wuyue Sanren has just managed to offend a large swath of China's fair sex - not by a single post as much as a casual phrase in the post. He says "old men" like him can easily "get" good-looking women of a much younger age.

Well, he does not use "get", but a much more explicit word.

Wuyue Sanren, which is an online handle or pen name for Yao Bo, is a very influential blogger and social commentator. He used to work for China Daily's website, so we were technically colleagues. But I met him only a few times while he was working for the opinion section of the Chinese language side of the site. He never mentioned his day job to his followers, and the closest thing he came to reveal this part of his identity was the occasional word that his co-workers had a much higher mastery of the English language than he did.

I must admit he is a top-notch pundit even though I may not agree with him on every topic. Most of the times, he is fair and balanced. At least that was the impression I got when I was still following his writing. He later branched off to other jobs such as opening an upscale restaurant and an online store. After his wife died, he emigrated to Japan.

It is quite natural for a person to have multiple jobs or hobbies. But it never fails to amaze me when someone is able to develop a fan base so loyal they are willing to go wherever their idol points to.

A dozen young women might have come under his charm in a given period, but that does not mean all such women would have fallen for him. It is the same logic that terrorists within a certain period were more likely to be from one ethnicity, but it would be horribly wrong to conclude that everyone from that ethnicity is a (potential) terrorist. As an opinion leader, Sanren should have known the difference.

His seemingly casual remark flaunting his sex appeal came as a shock to many who read only his opinions. I feel it was calculated. Beneath the facade of a commentator who should pride himself on objectivity, there lies an artist type who wants to express himself in a more brazen manner.

Good as he is as a commentator, he is more cut out to be, say, a filmmaker. If he had made a film such as Leon the Professional, Natalie Portman's 1994 movie debut, which struck me as a fantasy by "older men" in terms of attracting teenage girls, he might get kudos even from women.

I don't know whether he intended to offend women, especially feminists, but his way of ego-massaging was not really subtle. It is a sign that the Apollonian instinct, which should illuminate his critical writing, is being hijacked by his Dionysian instinct.

Contact the writer at raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn