Mandopop (simplified Chinese: 华语流行音乐; traditional Chinese: 華語流行音樂; pinyin: Huáyǔ liúxíng yīnyuè) is a colloquial abbreviation for "Mandarin popular music." It is categorized as a subgenre of commercial Chinese-language music within C-pop. Mandopop was the first variety of popular music in Chinese to establish itself as a viable industry. As the name implies, Mandopop features songs performed mainly in Mandarin Chinese. Among the countries where the subgenre is most popular are China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan^{[citation needed]}.

History[link]

Origin[link]

The origin of commercial Chinese-language music began with the gramophone, a technological innovation brought to Tibet Road in Shanghai by a Frenchman named Labansat.^[1] Baak Doi (Chinese: 百代; pinyin: bǎi dài) was the first record company to serve as the backbone for the young industry.

1920s: Birth of shidaiqu[link]

Mandarin pop songs in the 1920s were called shidaiqu (時代曲 - meaning music of the time, thus popular music). They are considered the prototype of any Chinese pop song.^[2] Location-wise, Shanghai was the center and quintessential hub for mandopop. Li Jinhui is generally regarded as the "Father of Chinese Popular Music", having established the genre in the 1920s.^[3] Buck Clayton, the American jazz musician, also worked alongside Li. Some music enthusiasts suggest that Shidaiqu is the basic form of all Mandarin pop songs up until the transition to Cantopop. The Bright Moonlight Song and Dance Troupe (明月歌舞团), established by Li, is also the first modern musical division to be integrated into the Lianhua Film Company in 1931, making it the first pop music division to enter any Chinese film industry.

1930s–1940s: The Seven Great Singing Stars era[link]

The original "Seven Great Singing Stars" in the Republic of China period secured the place of the genre in Asian society. The singers' style was unlike any Chinese-language music that had come before it. The young film industry took advantage and engaged singers for acting and soundtrack roles. Zhou Xuan (Chinese: 周璇; pinyin: Zhōu Xuán）is generally considered the most remarkable Chinese pop star of the era due to her successful singing and film career. This generation saw female singers rise in popularity from "song girls" to "stars".^[3] The era came to an abrupt end when Japanese armies occupied Shanghai during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II.

1950s: The split[link]

In 1949, the People's Republic of China was established by the communist party. One of the first actions taken by the government was to denounce popular music as pornography.^[4] In the mainland, the communist regime would begin suppressing pop music in order to promote revolutionary songs.

The Chinese Nationalists' retreat to Taiwan following the Chinese Civil War had established the Republic of China on Taiwan with its capital city Taipei as the new center of Mandopop. Taiwanese youth were drawn to popular styles from abroad in part because the Japanese, who had governed Taiwan since the end of the nineteenth century through World War II, were themselves keen consumers of international entertainment. Popular songs necessarily employed Mandarin after the war though, because Taiwan's new rulers, the KMT, mandated its use, forbidding Japanese and restricting the use of Taiwanese, the actual mother tongue of most of the island's residents.^[5] Where Taiwanese pop had existed in the shadow of Japanese pop during Japanese rule, it now operated in the shadow of Mandopop during KMT rule.

1960s: Political era[link]

The 1960s was a highly politically tense era. Some songs in Taiwan such as "Not Going Home Today" (今天不回家) by Yao Surong (姚蘇蓉) were prohibited.^[6]

1970s–1980s: Rise of the industry[link]

Mandopop became more popular within mainland China after Deng Xiaoping opened China's doors to the world. As a result, more young people in China started to enjoy pop music.

In 1979, Singapore launched the Speak Mandarin Campaign to promote the use of Mandarin over the range of Chinese dialects spoken by various segments of the ethnic-Chinese population. Mandarin songs therefore began to replace Hokkien and Cantonese songs on the radio stations and on television.^[7]

Teresa Teng (simplified Chinese: 邓丽君; traditional Chinese: 鄧麗君; pinyin: Dèng Lìjūn) made Mandopop a true mainstay by crossing over to mainland China. Even in the height of censorship, the mainland lifted the ban on Teng in 1986 and proclaimed that "By day, Deng Xiaoping rules China. But by night, Deng Lijun (Teresa Teng) rules".^[8] Her songs were considered "Bourgeois Music" by mainland officials.^[9]

The popularity of Lo Ta-yu (simplified Chinese: 罗大佑; traditional Chinese: 羅大佑; pinyin: Luó Dàyòu) drove demand for the music to new heights. One of the most successful songs of the era was Lo Ta-yu's "Tomorrow will be Better" (明天會更好/明天会更好). The song was originally performed in 1985 by 60 singers.^[10] It quickly became a hit throughout Asia and established itself as a standard. Another song soon followed in 1986 in mainland China called "Let the World be filled with Love" (讓世界充滿愛).^[11] At the time, these songs were inspired by the American song "We Are the World".^[10][11]

1990s[link]

Faye Wong (王菲) became the first Chinese singer to perform in Budokan, Japan. For this reason she is also called the Diva of Asia.^[12][13]

During this period, singers from Hong Kong such as the Four Heavenly Kings - Aaron Kwok, Leon Lai, Andy Lau and Jacky Cheung - also began to dominate Mandopop. Nonetheless, Taiwan has their own popular singers such as Stella Chang, Sky Wu, Wakin Chau (formerly Emil Chau) and Jeff Chang. Rock Records began to emerge in this period as the most influential of the independent labels.

Taiwan's Jay Chou dominated almost all categories for a span of a decade

2000s[link]

The 2000s began with an explosion of pop idols, mainly from Taiwan. Mainland China has rapidly increase a large number of Mandopop singers, bands, and idol groups as pop music becomes increasingly mainstream by mid-2000s. The growing Mainland film industry and Chinese television drama also increased demand for Mandopop. Jay Chou led the popularity of rhythm and blues and rap music in the scene. Other successful singers include Stefanie Sun, David Tao, Jolin Tsai and Leehom Wang. While many Cantopop singers also turning towards Mandopop industry due to disputes among entertainment and record companies in Hong Kong and also to increase their fan base.

Since the 2000s, the emergence of indie rock in mainland China and Taiwan had exploded into a flourishing indie music scene in mainland China and Taiwan, adding various new diversities into Mandopop. Entry of popular Taiwan-based bands such as Mayday and Sodagreen while in mainland Chinese-based bands such as SuperVC and Milk@Coffee had brought a new phase of rock fusion into Mandopop.

In recent years, the burgeoning number of contests have brought an idol concept (偶像, ǒuxiàng) to the Mandopop industry. Nationwide singing competitions in mainland China, such as the Super Girl and Super Boy, have greatly boosted Mandopop's influence many contestants emerge as successful singers such as Chris Lee (Li Yuchun), Jason Zhang Jie, Jane Zhang Liangying, and Chen Chusheng. In Taiwan, the term "quality idol" (優質偶像, yōuzhì ǒuxiàng) has entered the popular lexicon, referring to Mandopop singers who are good-looking, talented and highly educated, among them Wang Leehom and Wei Li-an.^[14]

Recent years also saw the rise in crossover appeal of Taiwanese bubblegum pop boybands and girlbands to the mainland Chinese scene, such as commercially successful acts like S.H.E and Fahrenheit (Taiwanese band). Several new boybands and girlbands also have emerged in mainland China during like Top Combine, UP Girls, RTA, iMe, S.P.Y and HIT-5.

Characteristics[link]

Instruments and setups[link]

The guqin and pipa are some of the first instruments used during shidaiqu's early mandopop era. Today's mandopop arrangements are quite westernized, covering many musical styles, including rhythm and blues, ballads, Pop. A few Chinese pop musicians, most notably Jay Chou, Lin Jun Jie, and Leehom Wang, have experimented with fusing traditional Chinese instruments with western influences.

Influential artists like Leehom Wang and David Tao, who use both traditional Chinese instruments and mainstream western hip hop melodies, have influenced many Asian singers worldwide.

Industry[link]

Mandopop stars[link]

While China has the largest Mandarin-speaking population, Taiwan is the most significant hub of the genre.^[15] The trend is that most artists are branded by where they come from regardless of where they were actually marketed. Mandopop stars come mainly from Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Malaysia.

Labels[link]

Mandopop record labels includes independent labels such as JVR Music, Linfair Records, B'In Music and subsidiaries of major labels such as Sony Music Taiwan, Universal Music Taiwan, Warner Music Taiwan. In the past few years, mainland labels such as EE-Media, Huayi Brothers, Taihe Rye Music, Show City Times, Idol Entertainment, and Tian Hao Entertainment have also emerged.

• Mainland China: EE-Media, Huayi Brothers, Taihe Rye Music, Show City Times, Idol Entertainment, TH Entertainment
• Taiwan/Hong Kong: Rock Records, HIM International Music, Avex Taiwan, Gold Typhoon

Overseas[link]

Mandopop titles are also available outside of Asia. Chinese communities established in North America have made Mandopop music accessible through local businesses. In the United States, Canada and Australia they are easily found in many major urban areas, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne^{[citation needed]}.

	"The Evening Primrose" (夜來香) noicon A 1930s shidaiqu style mandopop song by Li Xianglan "Dancing Diva" noicon A modern mandopop song by Jolin Tsai
Problems listening to these files? See media help.

Awards[link]

• Beijing Popular Music Awards (Mainland China)
• CCTV-MTV Music Awards (Mainland China)
• Chinese Music Awards (Mainland China)
• Four Stations Joint Music Awards (Hong Kong)
• Golden Melody Awards (Taiwan)
• Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards (Hong Kong)
• M Music Awards (Mainland China)
• Metro Radio Mandarin Music Awards (Hong Kong)
• RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards (Hong Kong)
• Singapore Hit Awards (Singapore)
• Top Chinese Music Awards (Mainland China)
• Ultimate Song Chart Awards (Hong Kong)

Mandopop radio stations[link]

See also[link]

• Music of China
• Music of Taiwan
• C-pop
• Chinese R&B
• J-pop
• K-pop
• Taiwanese pop
• List of best-selling albums in Taiwan

References[link]

External links[link]

• Videos about Taiwan's Mandopop Music Empire

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2009)

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Henry Lau (traditional Chinese: 劉憲華; simplified Chinese: 刘宪华; pinyin: Liú Xiànhuá; Cantonese Yale: Làuh Hinwàh; born October 11, 1989), better known simply as Henry, is a Chinese Canadian singer-songwriter. He is known for being a member of the one of Super Junior's sub-groups, Super Junior-M.

Biography[link]

Henry's father is from Hong Kong and his mother from Pingtung, Taiwan. Henry's areas of expertise lie in violin, piano, popping, guitar playing and singing. Henry started to learn to play the piano from his mother at the age of 5, and also learned to play the violin at the age of 6. He also learned a unique form of dancing called boogaloo popping while in high school. After only one year of dancing, Henry was competing in dance (popping) competitions and shows. Henry has gained many performance awards, such as the Canadian Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Silver Medal for Level 10 Violin. Henry said he had planned to become a professional violinist, but never expected to become an idol star before being selected by S.M. Entertainment in 2006. and also said that he chose to join S.M. because if he turned to be a classical musician, he wouldn't be able to sing, dance, play the piano, and play the violin all together (Source:ilikeradio).

He was born and raised in Willowdale, Toronto where is one of the most affluent areas of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located in the district of North York. He attended Steelesview Public School, Zion Heights Junior High School, then North Toronto Collegiate Institute in grade 9, and attended A.Y. Jackson Secondary School (Toronto) for the rest of his high school years before being chosen at the 2006 S.M. Entertainment Global Audition in Toronto, Ontario. He briefly attended University of Toronto (Music Performance Major) in 2007. He also attended Berklee College of Music in Boston From May 2010 to August 2010.

His first appearance was in Super Junior's "Don't Don" ^[1] music video in September 2007. A few months later, Don't Don became a number one hit in Korea. In 2008, Henry was added to Super Junior-M^[2] and the group debuted in China on April 8, 2008, releasing their "U" remake music video and an album entitled "迷 [Me]" soon after that incorporated Henry's violin.

Henry returned to the music industry after a year-long break when Super Junior-M and their first mini-album: Super Girl (EP) was released in China on September 25, 2009. In the mini-album, Henry does not display his violin playing. Henry did mixes and beats, such as for other members' (Donghae, Hangeng and Heechul) solo performances for their fan parties and Super Show 3 (Heechul) in 2009-2010.

In 2010, Henry composed a song called '진심(All My Heart)' for Super Junior's 4th repackage album, with Leeteuk. And for Super Show 2, he solely produced and wrote a song titled "Sick Of Love" which was written in English and hasn't been officially recorded yet. He was also featured in a Jonghyun and Jino R&B duet "Don't Lie" by SM The Ballad in which he raps in the song. Also, Henry rearranged Justin Bieber's "Baby" and used the song to perform for the Super Show 3 Tour. He performed it once again during Super Show 4's opening stops in Seoul with another new arrangement with f(x)'s Amber performing alongside with him as a featured rapper.

In February 2011, Henry's new solo song called '表白(Biǎobái - Confess)' was released. The song is included in Super Junior-M's second EP, 'Perfection (EP)'. The song showcases Henry's talent in composing, arranging and producing as most of the work on the song was done solely by him.

In September 2011, Henry composed a song called '안단테(Andante)' for Super Junior's 5th repackage album, with Leeteuk.

His fans are known as 琴弦 (Qín xián - Strings).

Henry Lau is currently part of an unnamed movie being filmed for world-wide release in 2013.

Filmography[link]

Television series[link]

Programs from Taiwan[link]

• 2011年04月04日 《就是愛JK》
• 2011年04月05日 《就是愛JK》
• 2011年04月04日 《壹級娛樂》
• 2011年04月20日 《佼個朋友吧》
• 2011年05月01日 《驚奇四潮男》
• 2011年05月01日 《香港亞洲音樂節》
• 2011年05月02日 《日韓音樂瘋》
• 2011年05月03日 《日韓音樂瘋》
• 2011年05月04日 《日韓音樂瘋》
• 2011年05月07日 《黃金舞台》(挑戰中國特技)
• 2011年05月14日 《黃金舞台》[誰是大騙子(演技考驗)]
• 2011年05月21日 《黃金舞台》(中華料理廚藝大比拼)
• 2011年05月28日 《黃金舞台》(熱血男孩趣味競賽)
• 2011年06月04日 《黃金舞台》(台灣傳統工藝)
• 2011年06月06日 《台韓友好演唱會》
• 2011年06月04日 《娛樂@亞洲》[當我們宅在台灣(上)]
• 2011年06月11日 《娛樂@亞洲》[當我們宅在台灣(下)]
• 2011年09月25日 《名人帶路》(平溪中文體驗任務)
• 2011年10月02日 《名人帶路》(臺南花園夜市美食大進擊)
• 2011年10月09日 《名人帶路》(台北時尚新體驗)
• 2011年10月16日 《名人帶路》(台中 2000元美味挑戰)
• 2011年10月23日 《名人帶路》(刺激！中文測驗樂園)
• 2011年10月30日 《名人帶路》(熱血海灘假期 墾丁)
• 2012年01月22日 《名人帶路》(超坦白真心話大冒險)
• 2012年01月22日 《名人帶路》(獨家花絮大直擊)

Controversy[link]

Before debuting as a member of Super Junior-M, Henry originally debuted as a 'Mystery violinist' in Super Junior's 2007 single "Don't Don"^[1] which caused a controversy among the fans after SM Entertainment officially announced Henry to be a member of a new Super Junior sub-unit. Previously, there were rumors stating that Henry was to be the fourteenth member of Super Junior, stemming from SM's statement regarding the controversy, which led fans to the form an "Only 13" campaign.

Concert[link]

• 'SMTOWN LIVE in TOKYO SPECIAL EDITION'（2011/9/2~2011/9/4）
• SMTOWN LIVE in New York_INFORMATION（2011/10/23）
• Super Junior World Tour "SUPER SHOW 4" in SEOUL (2011/11/19~2011/11/20)
• SUPER JUNIOR WORLD TOUR「SUPER SHOW 4」in OSAKA (2011/12/10~2011/12/11)
• SUPER JUNIOR WORLD TOUR「SUPER SHOW 4」in TAIPEI (2012/02/02~2012/02/05)
• SUPER JUNIOR WORLD TOUR“SUPER SHOW 4”in SINGAPORE (2012/02/18~2012/02/19)
• SUPER JUNIOR WORLD TOUR“SUPER SHOW 4”in Macao (2012/03/09~2012/03/10)
• SUPER JUNIOR WORLD TOUR“SUPER SHOW 4”in Bangkok (2012/03/16~2012/03/18)

References[link]

External links[link]

• SM Entertainment Official Site
• Super Junior-M Official Website

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2012)

Sitar Tan Weiwei 谭维维
Tan Weiwei at the 2009 Venice Film Festival
Background information
Birth name	Tan Weiwei
Also known as	Sitar Tan
Born	(1981-10-08) October 8, 1981 (age 30)
Origin	Fushun County, Sichuan, China
Genres	Mandopop
Years active	2006–present
Labels	EE-Media
Website	t.sina.com.cn/tanweiwei

Tan Weiwei (simplified Chinese: 谭维维; traditional Chinese: 譚維維; pinyin: Tán Wéiwéi or Sitar Tan; born October 8, 1981 in Sichuan), the runner-up of the third season (2006) of a singing contest in China, Super Girls (Chinese: 超级女声) or Super Voice Girl.^[1]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• 2007 Er Jie (耳界)
• 2009 Chuanshuo (传说)
• 2010 Tan Moumou (谭某某)
• 2011 3

Cover album[link]

• 2005 Gaoyuan Zhi Xin (高原之心)

EPs and singles[link]

• January 2008 Wo Wang Le Shuo (我 忘了说)
• August 2010 Yujian (遇见)
• October 2010 Zai Shu He Li (在束河里)

Filmography[link]

• East Meets West 2011 (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tan Weiwei's Sina Weibo

Chen Chu 陳菊
Chen Chu in December 2008
1st Mayor of Kaohsiung
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 December 2010
Preceded by	Chen Chu as Mayor of Kaohsiung
27th Mayor of Kaohsiung
In office 25 December 2006 – 25 December 2010
Preceded by	Yeh Chu-lan
Succeeded by	Chen Chu as Mayor of Kaohsiung (Greater Kaohsiung)
Personal details
Born	(1950-06-10) 10 June 1950 (age 62) Yilan County, Taiwan
Political party	Democratic Progressive Party
Alma mater	Shih Hsin University National Sun Yat-sen University
Profession	Politician

Chen Chu or Kiku Chen (traditional Chinese: 陳菊; simplified Chinese: 陈菊; pinyin: Chén Jú; Wade–Giles: Ch'én Chǘ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Kiok; born 10 June 1950 in Yilan County, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese politician who is the current mayor of Kaohsiung. She was one of the "Kaohsiung Eight," prominent dissidents arrested after the Kaohsiung Incident in 1979. She spent six years in jail during the martial law period in Taiwan.

Chen, who holds a master's degree from National Sun Yat-sen University, held senior appointed posts in Taipei City and Kaohsiung City governments between 1995 and 2000. She then served as minister of the Council of Labor Affairs between 2000 and 2005. In 2006, Chen Chu won the Kaohsiung mayoral elections and became the city's first elected female mayor. She was re-elected in 2010 with 52% of the vote in a three-way race.

On 30 August 2009, The 14th Dalai Lama accepted an invitation from Chen Chu to visit Taiwan.^[1]

Chen is single, and has never married.

Kaohsiung mayoralty[link]

Chen narrowly won the 2006 Kaohsiung mayoral elections over Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Huang Jun-ying (黃俊英) by just 1,120 votes.^[2] Huang filed two lawsuits against Chen's camp, asking the court to annul Chen's victory. He argued that the airing of a video on the eve of the election resulted in his loss. The Kaohsiung District Court ruled in favor of Huang Jun-ying in one of the cases, thereby nullifying the elections.^[3]

Soon after hearing the news, Chen expressed that she would appeal the case. She said that if she accepted the ruling, it would be political suicide. While her DPP colleague and legislator Kuan Bi-ling advised Chen to give up the appeal and allow a by-election,^[3] Chen nonetheless appealed the case. Some wondered if Kuan, who lost to Chen in the primaries, made the remark out of personal interest.^[3]

The High Court overturned the earlier decision and validated Chen's election victory on 17 November 2007.^[4][5] In December 2007, after her mayoralty was proven indisputable, she announced that her new goal is to focus on improving the city's transportation, public construction, and environmental protection.^[6]

In April 2009, mayor Chen promised to improve the water quality of Chienchen River, a river that the locals called "Heilungchiang" (Chinese: 黑龍江; lit. "Black dragon river"). She said that NT$120 million (approximately US$3.6 million) will be spent to complete the task. She vowed to make Kaohsiung a city that is not just notable for the cleanliness of its Love River.^[7]

World Games 2009[link]

Kaohsiung was the host city of World Games 2009. Chen Chu visited the People's Republic of China (commonly known as "China") to promote the Games. During a meeting with Beijing mayor Guo Jinlong, Chen addressed President Ma Ying-jeou with his formal title, which garnered much support from the DPP and the Kaohsiung City legislature.^[8] Chen's trip to China was criticized by several localization activist groups including the Taiwan Solidarity Union. However, Chen said that the trip was intended to benefit Kaohsiung.^[9] During her trip, she met with not only the mayor of Beijing, but also Shanghai mayor Han Zheng and Chinese Olympic Committee chairman Liu Pong.

The main venue for the Games, the World Games Stadium, was designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito.^[10] The groundbreaking and completion of the stadium both occurred during Chen's term as mayor.

The closing ceremony was held at the sold-out World Games Stadium, where International World Games Association President Ron Froehlich called it a "fantastic success" and declared it the "best ever."^[11] Kaohsiung's tourism bureau announced that the Games generated almost US$61 million in revenue for the city. The city's department stores reported a 15 percent growth in sales. Mayor Chen said that Kaohsiung would no longer be known only as the second largest city in Taiwan, but also as the city that hosted the best World Games ever.^[12]

Typhoon Fanapi[link]

Chen Chu was criticized for napping in her residence while parts of Kaohsiung flooded when Typhoon Fanapi ripped through Taiwan on 19 September 2010.

Chen tearfully admitted to napping and to feeling guilty for taking a rest. She also stressed that she returned home to change her wet clothes and was also keeping a close eye on the storm. Critics called for Chen to resign from her post, and compared Chen's napping to former Premier Liu Chao-Shiuan's getting a haircut and former Executive Yuan Secretary-General Hsieh Hsiang-chuan's attending a Father's Day dinner during August 2009's Typhoon Morakot.^[13][14]

Chen Chu and the City Government were sued by Benhe borough (本和里) chief Lin Chi-mei (林紀美), a fellow DPP member, in the aftermath of the flooding, alleging that the city government did not maintain proper facilities that might have prevented flooding.^[15][16]

References[link]

v t e Heads local government in Taiwan Special municipalities List of mayors of Kaohsiung－Chen Chu（） · Mayor of New Taipei－Eric Chu Li-luan（） · Mayor of Taichung－Jason Hu Chih-chiang（） · List of mayors of Tainan－William Lai Ching-te（） · List of mayors of Taipei－Hau Lung-pin（） Cities List of mayors of Chiayi－Huang Ming-hui（） · List of mayors of Hsinchu－Hsu Ming-Tzai（） · Mayor of Keelung－Chang Tong-rong（） Counties List of county magistrates of Changhua－Cho Po-yuan（） · List of county magistrates of Chiayi－Helen Chang Hwa-kuan（） · List of county magistrates of Hsinchu－Chiu Ching-chun（） · List of county magistrates of Hualien－Fu Kun-chi（） · List of county magistrates of Kinmen－Li Wo-shi（） · List of county magistrates of Lienchiang－Yang Suisheng （） · List of county magistrates of Miaoli－Liu Cheng-hung（） · List of county magistrates of Nantou－Lee Chao-ching（） · List of county magistrates of Penghu－Wang Chien-fa（） · List of county magistrates of Pingtung－Tsao Chi-hung（） · List of county magistrates of Taitung－Justin Huang Chien-ting（） · List of county magistrates of Yilan－Lin Tsung-hsien（） · List of county magistrates of Yunlin－Su Chih-fen（）

Bibi Zhou Bichang
Zhou performing at the Music Radio Awards on April 12, 2008
Chinese name	周筆暢 (Traditional)
Chinese name	周笔畅 (Simplified)
Pinyin	Zhōu Bǐchàng (Mandarin)
Jyutping	Chau1 Bat1 Cheung3 (Cantonese)
Origin	China
Born	(1985-07-26) July 26, 1985 (age 26) Changsha, Hunan, China
Other name(s)	Bibi
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, actress
Genre(s)	Mandarin pop, Mandarin R&B
Instrument(s)	Piano, drums, violin, guitar
Label(s)	EE-Media (2005) Yuelin Culture (2006–09) Gold Typhoon (2009–present)
Years active	2005–present
Awards Super Girl 2005 1st Runner-up

Zhou Bichang (simplified Chinese: 周笔畅; traditional Chinese: 周筆暢; pinyin: Zhōu Bǐchàng; also known as Bibi Zhou or Bibi Chow), is a Chinese singer and songwriter. She was the first runner-up in the 2005 Super Girl Competition, which is a Chinese version of Pop Idol for female contestants only. Her voice has been appropriated as a female version of David Tao, Leehom Wang, and Jay Chou, as she covered some of their songs during the contest.

On March 18, 2006, Zhou signed a recording contract with Yuelin Music. Since then, she has released several singles, an EP, and three albums. Her debut album, "Who Touched My Violin String", was released in August 2006. In Spring 2007, Zhou attended the Encore Program at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California, with a concentration in R&B vocal performance. On December 18, 2007, the singer released her twin albums, named "Now" and "Wow", each containing ten songs. "Now" features Zhou's iconic R&B style, and "Wow" showcases her versatility in music genre as she forays into rock, ballad, britpop, dance, etc..

Zhou also started her acting career in 2006 as she starred in the films McDull, the Alumni and The 601st Phone Call.

Early years[link]

Zhou Bichang was born on July 26, 1985 in Changsha, Hunan Province, to Zhou Zhongzhan, a government employee at the time, and Lu Yuanyuan, a teacher in Chinese folk music. When she was six, her family moved to Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, a special economic zone, or SEZ, on the southeast coast of China in close vicinity of Hong Kong. In Shenzhen she attended Yuanling Elementary School, followed by a period at Gangxia Elementary School, before eventually transferring to Fuhua Elementary School where her mother held a teaching position. Then she spent six years attending Futian High School in Shenzhen.

Zhou has been brought up in a family where music permeates everyday life. Her mother, being a music teacher and singer herself, is an avid fan of Chinese folk music. When Zhou was a child, her grandmother taught her to play the piano.

While Zhou was in junior high school, pop music from the adjacent Hong Kong and Taiwan was ubiquitous in Shenzhen, a far cry from the music her mother's generation was accustomed and attracted to. Zhou started collecting music CDs and listening to them non-stop. Soon in high school, she started to become known for her vocal talent and her ability to imitate the style of several popular R&B and Pop singers.

In her late senior high school years, as her interest in music escalated she was determined to pursue a career in music later in her life. In 2002, with an enviably high score of 681 on the College Entrance Exam she was admitted into the four-year undergraduate program in non-classical music at the prestigious Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou, named after the late famous musician Xian Xinghai.

In March 2002, Zhou released a single named "How I Miss You" on the web, which received limited popularity. During the period of 2001 to 2003, she had entered herself into a variety of youth singing contests and had won a few awards. But before long she grew tired of competing in singing contests and despondent about her prospects in the music industry as she came to realize that her musical style as well as her look – hip hop and tomboyish – was too unconventional for the industry where bubble-gum sweet-faced girl pop idols were prevalent. She then retreated to college life until an accidental entry on her part into the 2005 Super Girl's Voice Contest that later in the year swept the whole nation.

2005 Super Girl's Voice Contest[link]

In the spring of 2005, one of Zhou's friends at Xinghai entered Zhou without her knowledge into the 2005 Super Girls' Voice auditions held in Guangzhou, the only city picked in south China for audition purposes by the contest organizer. The then 19-year-old showed up the day of the audition in her father's old oversize jacket without a trace of makeup. In her own words, she just rolled out of bed before going to the audition and did not even get a chance to wash her face. Her boyish attire almost made the security guard stop her at the entrance because the contest was supposed to be for girls only. But her talent had no problem shining through despite her slightly unkempt appearance at the audition as she impressed the judges by singing segments from "Regular Friend” by David Tao and "Forever Love" by Leehom Wang. In the following weeks, she coasted through the subsequent elimination rounds and soon found herself among the top 10 finalists for the Guangzhou Audition Region (*only the top 3 from each region qualify for the national finals which were scheduled to start months later in July). Her fan base had also grown exponentially as she progressed through the contest.

The sincere emotions in her vocal and her interpretation of others' works was a breath of fresh air into the competition; on one particular occasion she brought one of the judges to tears during her singing and all five judges to a standing ovation when she finished the song ("Extricate"). Her voice is sultry yet extremely powerful, a rarity among Chinese female singers. She also possesses a special talent of turning everything she sings into undeniably her own signature style, known as "Bi Style Vocal" ("筆式唱腔“）. Without any suspense, she was voted by viewers all the way through to the top in Guangzhou Contest Region.

In July the national finals kicked off in Changsha, Hunan Province, where the top 3 contestants from each of the 5 regions got together and went through a series of eliminations. In these rounds, she went on delivering a wide spectrum of songs, mostly by male singers she has long admired such as David Tao, Eason Chan, Jay Chou and Leehom Wang. She successfully showcased her skills in mastering hip hop, R&B and pop songs. She was one of the judges' favorites; they never voted to put her in the bottom two up for elimination, a.k.a. PK (short for Penalty Kick, a term typically used in soccer) and she was the only one throughout the entire competition that had never been through a PK. When the finale was aired on August 26, 2005, some 400 million people tuned in to find out who garnered the most SMS votes from viewers. With 3,270,840 SMS votes, Zhou ended up in the second place, only a thin margin away from winning the competition. But she was content with the result and was grateful towards the millions who had supported and voted for her.

Post Super Girl days through early 2006[link]

Soon after the finale ended, Zhou quietly withdrew herself from the frenzy of the contest and went back to college where she just turned a sophomore. Unlike many others who arose to fame overnight, she was not thrilled about her newly-gained stardom. At times she was even annoyed when media and fans followed her around on campus as she did not want to draw attention to herself and cause inconvenience to her fellow students.

In the meantime, Shanghai E.E. Media, the agent for the Super Girl's Voice Contest, was busy organizing a national tour as well as a slew of commercial appearances for the finalists of the contest. Zhou at the time was very adamant about continuing with her study at Xinghai and not letting commercial activities interfere with her school work. However, due to her contractual obligations, she agreed to join other Super Girl's Voice finalists on the nationwide tour and subsequently performed at concerts held in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Fuzhou. Everywhere she went her loyal and fanatic fans turned up in droves and showed their support for her. In front of a full house at the Fuzhou concert she announced her retreat from the nationwide tour, which instantly drove many of her fans to tears fearing she might retire entirely from showbiz. Zhou's father later explained to media that frequent performances and commercial events had taken a toll on the 20-year-old. "She wants to have time for study and her family," he said. Zhou also admitted that during that time she was immensely unhappy.

On December 30, 2005, Zhou made an announcement through a video clip she posted online that she officially broke off her contractual obligations with Shanghai E.E. Media. She thanked graciously the organizer of the Super Girl's Voice Contest for giving her the opportunity to sing in front of millions. She did not go into the specifics about the breakup. As a result of the breakup, she was said to be held liable for a penalty of CN¥ 5 million (approximately US$ 714K). Speculations ran high afterwards regarding disagreements between Zhou and Shanghai E.E. Media and the recording labels in pursuit of her.

Music career[link]

Yuelin Music and 1st single[link]

On March 18, 2006, after having disappeared from media attention for months, she re-surfaced by signing into a record contract with Yuelin Music, a newly-founded Beijing-based label little known to the industry. She explained that the blueprint presented to her by the label is most in alignment with her musical aspirations and concepts. Under the arrangement of Yuelin, Zhou started taking violin lessons. At the same time she was making time for schoolwork at Xinghai to the best of her ability.

• "Swan"("天鵝"): Upon signing the contract, Zhou released her first studio single named "Swan"("天鵝“）in a not-for-sale limited-edition CD shaped like a flying swan. The song was written by Wang Zheng, a singer and songwriter also under Yuelin. The gothic rock song, a shock to many, met with mixed fan reception and critical reviews, since most people have gotten to know the singer through her signature R&B and hip hop style. The lyrics of the song alludes to the relationship between Zhou and her supportive fans. The song was wrongfully accused by some of plagiarism. The plagiarism controversy helped to inspire a rap song named "Uh", which was later included in her 1st EP, where she vented her anger and frustration over people who helped fuel the unfounded accusation.

Bibi's 1st EP[link]

On June 1, 2006, Zhou released her first EP, entitled "Bibi's 1st EP", a collection of four songs.

• "Me Left Alone" （“只剩我一個”): A blues song written by Zhou herself (lyrics by Wang Zheng). Zhou said she first recorded a demo on her cellular phone but initially was too shy to show it to the producer.
• "Uh"（“呃”） (lyrics by Wang Zheng): Zhou co-wrote this largely rap song with Wang Zheng. As mentioned above, this song was inspired by the plagiarism controversy involving her first single released under the label Yuelin Music. There is reference of a number of Zhou's acquaintances in the song, including her boss, her producer and her assistant/friend.
• "Unhurt" (“不痛”): This song is a collaboration with Machi (hip hop group) from Taiwan. Even though the EP was never released in Taiwan and Zhou herself had never visited Taiwan, the song got accidental publicity there as it was downloaded by mistake by fans of a popular Taiwanese female singer who released a song also named "Unhurt" around that time. Zhou's "Unhurt" became an unexpected hit as people who initially downloaded it started to spread it over the internet.
• "Swan" ("天鵝") is also included as it was previously released in a not-for-sale limited-edition CD.

1st album “Who Touched My Violin String"[link]

Zhou quickly followed up her EP with a full-blown album named "Who Touched My Violin String"("誰動了我的琴弦”）, released on August 12, 2006. Many esteemed musicians and lyrists from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan joined forces in the making of this album. Much to her delight, Zhou's long-time idol, David Tao, even wrote an R&B song ("Don't love me, like loving a friend") （”別愛我，像愛個朋友“）for her and sang the demo himself. What is more, David Tao's team contributed two other songs in the album, "Silence" and "Poisonous Mushroom" (“毒蘑菇”). Other composers include Xiao Ke, Kubert Leung, Nicky Lee (Li Jiuzhe), Jin Peida and Gigi Leung. Lyrists include Lin Xi, Li Zhuoxiong, Chen Shaoqi, Lin Yifeng, Wawa, and Kong Lingqi. The song that shares same title with the album, "Who Touched My Violin String" ("誰動了我的琴弦”）,is a Chinese-style R&B song written by Xiao Ke based on a pentatonic scale (five notes only: 1,2,3,5 and 6) typically found used in Chinese folk music. Another hit song "Telephone Number" appeared toward the ending of the 2006 movie "The 601st Phone Call" directed by Zhang Guoli in which Zhou starred.

Zhou later went on a trip to Vienna, Austria, for the filming of her music movie featuring four songs from her new album. Chen Bolin, a Taiwanese actor and her co-star in "McDull, the Alumni", appeared in the movie as the leading male character.

Studying in the United States[link]

On March 26, 2007, Zhou flew out from Shanghai for California, United States, to attend the Encore Program concentrating in vocals at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. Even though many people thought this could potentially harm her nascent career in the short run, the majority of her fans were very supportive of her musical pursuit as studying R&B in its origin country has always been Zhou's dream since she was in high school.

2nd and 3rd albums: “Now” and “Wow”[link]

On July 6, 2007, after successful completion of the Encore Program at the Musicians Institute, Zhou returned to China and immediately immersed herself in the preparation for her new albums. The same summer she also graduated with honors from Xinghai Conservatory of Music with a bachelor's degree.

On December 18, 2007, she surprised both her fans and critics by simultaneously releasing twin albums, NOW and WOW, each containing ten songs.

"Now" is along the lines of her iconic "Bi Vocal Style" that she is best known for.

• "Liuyang River 2008" (“浏阳河2008”）: this song became a hit when it was first released in a not-for-sale limited edition CD prior to the official release of "Now". The idea of doing a crossover between R&B and traditional Chinese folk music was incubated while Zhou was studying in the United States. The folk song "Liuyang River" was written in the 1950s about the Liuyang river in eastern Hunan Province. The song is dear to the singer's heart, partly because she is originally from Hunan and partly because the song is also a favorite of her mother's – Zhou asked her mother to help record the vocal of the folk song intro of the song in the demo. "Liuyang River 2008" features Zhou with Li Guyi, a household name in China for her groundbreaking accomplishments in ushering in pop music in China in the 1980s. In the song Li's high-pitched vocal meshes with Zhou's signature R&B vocal style seamlessly. The lyrics read "Let me go through what you've been through yet still strive to be different", much a declaration of Zhou's generation born in the 1980s regarding their relationship with their parents' generation.
• "How are you" (“你好吗”）: This song is a duet with Nicky Lee, a Korean American whose singing career is primarily based in Taiwan. This song was also included in Lee's new album "Think too Much" released earlier in the year. Lee got to know Zhou via one of his own songs, "Extricate"(“解脱”）, as he saw her singing it on TV and was impressed with her unique vocal and singing skills. The two first collaborated in Zhou's 1st EP, where he produced the song "Unhurt". He also helped produce Zhou's version of his song "Extricate" (never officially released) and "Deserted Island" （“无人岛”）(included in "Who Touched My Violin String") and did the rap part in the latter song.

Other hit songs include "Anniversary"("一周年“）, a sorrowful song in which the singer exhibits her vocal range, and "City of Angels" (”天使之城“）, a song custom made for Zhou reflective of her experiences living alone in L.A.. The album also includes "That Me Tells Myself"（”那个我对我说“）, a self-reflective unassuming piece of work, "Future is Now" (”未来就是现在“）, which she wrote for the Beijing Olympics, and "Each Other" （”彼此“）, a dedication to her fans which she co-wrote.

In "Wow" she relentlessly challenged herself in wide-ranging music genres including rock, big band, jump blues, dance, Britrock, and ballad. Fans and critics alike ardently embraced her adventure and spoke highly of her courage.

"The twin albums", as Zhou put it,"represent the full me." Now embodies the more recognized Zhou's style – the softer and more mellow R&B and pop – and Wow on the other hand is audacious and unbashful. She also admitted that, compared to her first album, she had had more input and two-way communications with the musicians and lyrists in the recording process. The twin albums, particularly Wow, received critical acclaims since they first debuted. The two albums have proven commercially successful as well. Although released less than two weeks away from the end of the year, they managed to steal the best seller of the year title with the one of China's biggest online music stores, Amazon.com.cn. Both albums continued their robust sales into 2008 and have been among the best-selling albums across China.

Music and the Olympics[link]

In addition to "Future is Now", she was also chosen to sing the demos of two other Olympics-themed songs, "Dream in Sight" and "Light of Life", both works of Hong Kong musicians and lyrists.

• Dream in Sight (composed by Kubert Leung, lyrics by Lin Xi): Suona, a traditional Chinese musical instrument which has a distinctively loud and high-pitched sound, is used in the arrangement.
• Light of Life (composed by Jin Peida, lyrics by Chen Shaoqi): the first characters of each line in the lyrics, strung together, read "One World, One Dream. Beijing Welcomes You."

The two songs above were released in a not-for-sale limited-edition CD. She also joined many other singers and entertainers in singing two official BeijingOlympics songs, "We Are Ready", the official one-year countdown song, and "Beijing Welcomes You", the official 100-day countdown song.

On April 20, 2008, Zhou as one of the two appointed "young ambassadors" participated in the filming of a series of Beijing Olympics promotion videos as part of a publicity campaign named "56 Ethnic Groups; One Dream". The other ambassador is Alex Fong Lik-Sun, a professional-swimmer-turned-singer/actor from Hong Kong.

Recent endeavors[link]

• So far in 2008 Zhou has received two major "Best Female Artist" titles (see "Select musical awards" section below for details), prior to which she had been awarded mostly the title of the "Most Popular Female Artist". She was excited about being acknowledged for her accomplishments in music by judges and critics.

• Zhou was going to embark on her nationwide college tour promoting her twin albums. In preparation, she has been undergoing rigorous vocal and physical training for months. According to unofficial sources, she is scheduled to tour select colleges in major Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Nanjing and Xi'an. Kubert Leung and his band will tour with Zhou. However, this tour was cancelled even before started by Yuelin because she did not want to continue the contract with the company.

• Zhou has also been actively involved with several activities aiming at promoting the 2008 Beijing Olympics (see "Olympics" section above").

• In April 2008, Zhou was invited to film a promotional video on Nike China website for the opening of NIKEiD Shanghai Studio, the first such studio in China. NIKEiD allows customers to custom design and create their own individualized footwear and apparel.

• Since June 2008 Yuelin company had stopped her every activity and not allowed her to show up in public because they wanted Zhou to continue the contract. However, always looking for the best music and development, she kept her mind calm and insisted to leave. After Dec 31, 2008 she officially became free and wrote a blog to express her appreciation to her ex-manager for the past three years.

• She made a contract with Golden-Typhoon(EMI) recently and will officially sign with the company on March 21, 2009

• She has already signed with Golden-Typhoon on March 21, 2009.

• Her album Time was the best seller in China in 2009.

• Her last album 《i,yu,guang,jing》(2010) was considered as the bestseller in mainland, Hongkong and Taiwan.

• Her photo album 《Sing along the travel in Beijing》(2010) has sold 100,000 copies since it was launched, which has broken the record of its kind.

Philanthropy[link]

Since November 30, 2005, Zhou Bichang has been serving as the Young Ambassador for the “Land of Love, Water Cellars for Mothers” project, a charity fund started by the China Women Development Foundation that finances building water cellars and small-scale water supply systems in the arid northwestern region of China. Zhou herself contributed CN¥ 10,000, or 10 water cellars at CN¥ 1,000 each. Thousands of her fans, nationwide, have since followed her lead. To date, their donation is estimated to have exceeded CN¥ 550,000, a large portion of which has already been used to build water cellars in said region. As the Ambassador, Zhou took a trip to Dingbian County, Shaanxi Province, to personally promote the project. During her trip, she visited families in dire need of reliable, clean water supply.

On December 1, 2005, Zhou was named the Ambassador of HIV/AIDS Prevention in Guangdong Province.

During the period of October to December 2006, Zhou participated in several events for the “I Want to Go to School” campaign, a two-month long initiative co-sponsored by China Music Radio and China Children Foundation. Zhou, along with other artists, showed her support for helping to raise awareness of children in extreme poverty. For the campaign, she also recorded one version of the theme song “ Kids” (“娃娃”), composed and written by the renowned Taiwanese musician Li Zongsheng.

Discography[link]