During the period in question she was alleged to have slept with disgraced politician Bo Xilai, she was happily in a long-term relationship with Aviv 'Vivi' Nevo.
In these photos taken four years ago, the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star, 33, is seen holidaying with her former fiancé in St Barts.
Staying limber: The athletic actress got a helping hand from her man as she pulled her legs back and forth
Zhang is pictured performing stretches during a holiday with her former fiance in St Barts in 2009
Several reports in China this week, alleged Zhang had earned millions by sleeping with wealthy businessmen, including Mr Xilai, who was ousted from China’s powerful politburo amid allegations he and his wife were involved in the murder of Old Harrovian businessman Neil Heywood last November.
The actress is seen frolicking with her then-fiancé on a towel, with him fiddling with her bikini bottoms.
At one point, she removes her bikini top to avoid getting unsightly tan-lines.
Reports in China alleged Zhang had earned millions by sleeping with wealthy businessmen, including Bo Xilai, pictured left with his wife Gu Kailai, who was ousted from China's politburo over Neil Heywood's murder
While Vivi remains on his towel, Zhang goes into the water for a swim and is spotted doing some stretches on the sand.
The couple originally dated from 2007 until late 2010, but remained very private about their relationship.
They confirmed their engagement in 2008, but never made it down the aisle.
Nevo, now 47, is an Israeli-American venture capitalist, who is a major shareholder in Time Warner.
According to reports in China, she slept with Bo at least ten times between 2007 and 2011 in exchange for ‘huge’ monetary gifts. The secret trysts are alleged to have taken place in Beijing and to have netted the actress around £1million each time.
Zhang confirmed on Wednesday she had met with lawyers from Hong Kong law firm Haldanes and sent an official notice to Apple Daily following the allegations.
She said in a message of her Weibo page (the Chinese version of Twitter): 'I met with my lawyer in Hong Kong in the morning to discuss legal measures and just arrived in Hainan. The truth is bound to come to light. And since I have the support of my fans and the law, this will not be a lonely battle.'
Zhang was outraged when Apple Daily picked up on the story, which originated on Boxun.com, a Chinese-language site operated in the United States.
Boxum alleged Zhang was introduced to Bo through a billionaire friend, Xu Ming, who is said to be worth £444million but is reportedly under investigation by the Beijing government over alleged corruption.
Mr Xu, 41, has reportedly claimed to authorities that he paid Zhang £600,000 to have sex with him for the first time in 2007 and that he later negotiated a deal for a similar liaison with Bo.
Following the reports, her publicist sent a lengthy statement to English-language newspaper TodayOnline reading: 'We read this outrageous report in the Apple Daily. It sent stone-cold chills down our spines and has left us with a feeling of deep sadness. Friends have advised us to release a short statement and not take this seriously.
'The more you argue, the more you will stir up. It would be better to step aside until people lose interest and the lies disappear. The innocent will always be innocent.
'We just want to help her get rid of this disturbance and seek justice. Then she will be able to shoot her films in peace and quiet and present you, her fans, with more and better films in return.'
Zhang is currently filming a new movie in southern China so missed her latest film première Dangerous Liaisons at the Cannes Film Festival.
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