BEIJING - Real love has blossomed for Michelle Chen Yan-hsi and Chen Xiao, who played lovebirds Little Dragon Girl and Yang Guo in last year's TV adaptation of Return Of The Condor Heroes.

Their managers confirmed their romance after photos of them on secret dates at hotels appeared on the I Am Paparazzi Weibo today.

They were snapped meeting in June and last month to celebrate their birthdays - the Chinese actor travelling to Shanghai for her May 31 birthday and the Taiwanese actress leaving Beijing for Tianjin for his July 5 birthday, say reports citing the media outlet.

Each was also photographed this month stepping out at dawn from the same hotel room in Beijing.

Michelle Chen, 32, broke out in the 2012 film You Are The Apple Of My Eye while Chen Xiao, 28, won critical attention after appearing in the 2013 gongfu series Swordsman.

He also acted in Tsui Hark's The Taking Of Tiger Mountain (2014) and Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame (2010).

They were said to have hit it off on the set of Condor Heroes.

His manager told QQ Entertainment without elaborating: "Yes, they are a pair."