Danzhu () was the son of Emperor Yao (Tang Yao). His mother was a concubine San Yi.

He was described as vicious and a playboy, and his father Yao is said to have invented the game of Weiqi to favorably influence him. Various stories have him either banished, executed, or attempting (and failing) to kill his father.

References

Category:Chinese mythology Category:Year of birth unknown Category:Place of birth unknown Category:Year of death unknown Category:Place of death unknown

Jie Chen (born 1985) is a Chinese pianist.

Chen studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music. She debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age 16, and has concertized around the world, including performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall.

She has won a number of prizes, including winning fourth place at the 11th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition.

Her concerts have been well received.

References

Category:1985 births Category:Chinese pianists Category:Chinese classical pianists Category:Living people

Christoph Eschenbach (born February 20, 1940, Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland)) is a German-born pianist and conductor. He currently holds positions in Washington, D.C. as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra and music director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Early life

Eschenbach's parents were Margarethe (née Jaross) and Heribert Ringmann. He was orphaned during World War II. His mother died giving birth to him; his father, a politically active anti-Nazi, was sent to the front as part of a Nazi punishment battalion where he was killed. As a result of this trauma, Eschenbach did not speak for a year, until he was asked if he wanted to play music. Wallydore Eschenbach (née Jaross), his mother's cousin, adopted him in 1946 and began to teach him to play the piano. At age 11, he attended a concert conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler which had a great impact on the youngster. In 1955 Eschenbach enrolled at the Musikhochschule in Cologne, studying piano with Hans-Otto Schmidt-Neuhaus and conducting with Wilhelm Brückner-Rüggeberg.

Musical career

As a pianist, Eschenbach has won numerous first-place piano competition prizes, including first prize in the Clara Haskil Competition in Vevey, Switzerland in 1965. In 1964, he made his first recording (of Mozart) for Deutsche Grammophon and signed a contract with the label. Eschenbach continued to study conducting with George Szell, with whom he worked for more than three years. In addition, Herbert von Karajan was his mentor for nearly twenty-five years.

In 1981, Eschenbach became principal guest conductor of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, and was chief conductor from 1982 to 1986. Other posts have included music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra (1988–1999), where he now holds the title of Conductor Laureate; chief conductor of the NDR Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg (1998–2004); and music director of the Ravinia Festival, summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1994–2005). He has made more than 80 recordings as piano soloist, conductor, or both, has appeared in several television documentaries, and has made many concert broadcasts for different European, Japanese and U.S. networks. Since 2000, Eschenbach has been the Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris. In May 2007, it was announced that Eschenbach would conclude his tenure with the Orchestre de Paris in 2010.

Eschenbach is credited with helping and supporting talented young musicians in their career development, including soprano Renée Fleming, pianists Tzimon Barto and Lang Lang, cellists Claudio Bohórquez, and Daniel Müller-Schott, and soprano Marisol Montalvo.

Houston Symphony

Eschenbach was music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra from 1988 to 1999. In that period, he has been credited with enhancing the symphony's both in terms of national and international prominence and well as musical quality. The orchestra toured Japan and Europe under his tenure as well made several recordings with Koch International Classics and RCA. Eschenbach's era was marked by a strong relationship with the musicians, who admired him on and off the stage.

Yet the most pronounced characteristic of Eschenbach's tenure has been the continuing worship of him by the orchestra's musicians. "He's the kind of person who inspires absolute loyalty," said Fliegel, who ticked off some of the things that have made Eschenbach so unusual. "With him all rehearsals are special. They're so instructive." Eschenbach always seems to find a new detail to emphasize or a new insight to impart, even with pieces everyone has played many times.

The musicians have also adored Eschenbach's sensitivity to them as human beings. In the months before Fliegel retired in September 1995, for example, his wife was seriously ill; Eschenbach showed great sensitivity to Fliegel's schedule in caring for her. ...

The Houston Symphony has had an extraordinary list of music directors during Fliegel's association with the orchestra, but Fliegel ranks Eschenbach first.

In honor of his many achievements and tenure with the Houston Symphony, the City of Houston placed a bronze commemorative star with his name in front of Jones Hall, the performance home of the Houston symphony.

Philadelphia Orchestra

Eschenbach was named the seventh Music Director of The Philadelphia Orchestra, effective as of 2003. Some considered this a controversial appointment because, at the time of the announcement, Eschenbach had not conducted the orchestra in over 4 years and there was a perceived lack of personal chemistry between him and the musicians prior to the appointment. One musician from the orchestra had stated, after the announcement:

"'When this announcement was proclaimed after a half-hour meeting with us, there wasn't applause; there was criticism,' recalled a musician with the Philadelphia Orchestra. 'One member of the search committee got up and said, "You'll see, you'll like him."

'The orchestra was taken aback by the attitude because there was no meeting to verify what we thought,' the musician said. 'There was no chemistry with Eschenbach. He hasn't conducted us in four or five years and 20 to 30 persons had never played with him.'"

Partway into his tenure, his initial 3-year contract was renewed to 2008.

However, in October 2006, the orchestra and Eschenbach announced that he would conclude his tenure in Philadelphia at the close of the 2007-2008 season. In the weeks prior to his departure, Philadelphia Inquirer music critics Peter Dobrin and David Patrick Stearns had contrasting articles whether or not he should be retained, with Dobrin suggesting that Eschenbach should move on and Stearns arguing that Eschenbach should remain. Other harsh criticism of Eschenbach's tenure in Philadelphia has been aired.

Following the announcement, Dobrin in the Inquirer wrote that Eschenbach's tenure in Philadelphia has been difficult for many musicians:

"In three seasons, Eschenbach and the orchestra have produced a handful of brilliant concerts. More often, though, his rehearsals and performances have elicited a long list of complaints from musicians: getting lost in the score at concerts; leading disorganized rehearsals and then asking for overtime; and insisting on a peculiar rushing and slowing of tempos.".

The paper also cited a number of accomplishments including a new recording contract and the appointment of nine musicians, four of whom were principals. In addition, Eschenbach has received praise for his work in fund-raising for the orchestra.

Following the announcement and Dobrin's Inquirer article, The Philadelphia Orchestra Association posted a letter on its website, dated 27 October 2006, which also was sent by e-mail to orchestra patrons. A quote from this letter condemned Dobrin's criticism:

"We, and many in the community, feel that in recent press coverage there have been personal attacks on Maestro Eschenbach, along with negative innuendo about his relationship with The Philadelphia Orchestra. ...These types of comments about Maestro Eschenbach and our orchestra are ridiculous, offensive and defamatory. Our entire orchestra family is profoundly disappointed when reporters report the news in such an ungracious way."

Dobrin, in turn, responded in a 29 October 2006 Philadelphia Inquirer article by quoting one of his 2001 Inquirer articles around the time of the Eschenbach announcement:

"....let me quote from something I wrote in March 2001 that might be an important reminder about how we got to this dangerous place:


''It hit many musicians like the dull thud of pragmatism, this decision in January to hire Eschenbach as the orchestra's seventh music director, starting in September 2003. At a meeting announcing the decision, players responded with silence. No applause, no excited stamping of feet. Silence. And then the resentment poured forth.

One musician used the word "underwhelmed." Another said he felt "betrayed."...'' In addition, the new orchestra president (as of 2006), James Undercofler, had spoken with orchestra musicians, and had told Eschenbach this summary of his discussions with them:

"-that 80 percent of the musicians did not agree with his artistic interpretations;
-that 80 percent of the musicians left concerts feeling great anger;
-and that the orchestra was a "ticking time bomb."

In an article by Cragg Hines in the newspaper The Washingtonian on December 1, 2009 Eschenbach was quoted:

"They said there was a survey of the whole orchestra and more than 80 percent of the orchestra was against me. I asked the management 'was that true?' and was told, ‘Yes, it's true.' It was not true at all. As I found out a little later, this survey never happened [...] All of the musicians regretted very, very much that [it] was reported like this."

In a 2007 article, Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times has written about the Eschenbach/Philadelphia Orchestra situation:

"{Eschenbach} is one of the world's finest musicians and widely recognized as such. He has ideas. He has sophisticated tastes. He is cosmopolitan. He is an exciting interpreter. Colleagues speak of him warmly, and he is a favorite accompanist for singers.....So what's wrong? Just about everything. It is well known that the orchestra opposed the hiring of Eschenbach. He hadn't conducted in Philadelphia for five years when the appointment was made, and a memo was leaked to the press with 75 players' signatures asking management to hold off any decision until the orchestra got a chance to work with him. From the beginning, the relationship started off on the wrong foot...But the Philadelphia orchestra has not been exactly transformed by Eschenbach. I've been hearing reports of players looking bored onstage. Audiences walk out during performances. Even two years ago, at my last visit to Verizon Hall, the atmosphere was palpably unpleasant."

In a June 2007 article, Stearns reported Eschenbach as commenting on the Philadelphia Orchestra management as follows:

"The management in both cases [Paris and Philadelphia], I'm sorry to say, is amateurish"...."The management knows what I think ... it's not a secret".

In August 2007, the orchestra announced extended guest-conducting periods for Eschenbach with the ensemble in the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons, after the scheduled conclusion of his tenure as music director.

Philadelphia Orchestra European tour

Prior to the announcement of Eschenbach's departure from Philadelphia, Eschenbach and the Philadelphia Orchestra received both positive and negative reviews during the Orchestra's European Festivals Tour in 2006.

"The members of The Philadelphia Orchestra played as though their lives depended on it. The strings are both sturdy and responsively supple to Eschenbach's calculated spontaneity; their woodwind soloists, particularly the liquid-amber principal clarinet, are to die for."

"[In Hamburg, Eschenbach] was in what might be called Leopold Stokowski mode, drawing out climaxes with apparent spontaneity, sometimes reaching a nearly unbearable state of tension, and handling the tricky transitions with a daring that bordered on brinksmanship."

"The Philadelphia Orchestra, under its Music Director, Christoph Eschenbach, commended itself completely unostentatiously as one of the leading orchestras not only of America, but of the world... One listens to this masterfully delicate playing in near amazement... They are masters of sound."

"Christoph Eschenbach's monumentally slick account of Beethoven's Fifth took the shock of the new out of the shock of the old...The sense of striving in the piece was nowhere. It sat smugly, contentedly, in a comfort zone of its own making.....{Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5} was rendered merely showy by Eschenbach's portentousness."

"Christoph Eschenbach....evinced a passion that was communicated through the orchestral playing as well. In Tchaikovsky's Fifth, there was a mellifluous continuity of thought....In Beethoven's Fifth, Eschenbach exercised similarly good judgment."

"Christoph Eschenbach...gave this over-familiar classic {Beethoven's Symphony No. 5} newly minted status in a reading that never overstepped the line between vehemence and exaggeration.....Tchaikovsky's Fifth followed: the playing reinforced the Philadelphia's reputation as a virtuoso ensemble, with a particularly fine exposition of the second movement's famous horn solo. But Eschenbach's interpretation was less secure, inconsistently maintaining the level of nervous energy needed to fire the symphony's momentum and motivate its grand rhetoric."

"The sound this orchestra makes is legendary...Whether the results are so convincing interpretatively is another matter. The articulation in Beethoven's Fifth Symphony was vigorous, if not downright oppressive....A predilection for idiosyncratic gestures became even more pronounced in Eschenbach's reading of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E minor.....Such idiosyncrasies are unexceptionable, even welcome, when well motivated and provoke reappraisal. Here they seemed perverse....Great sound. Shame about the rest."

National Symphony Orchestra (United States)

On September 25, 2008, the National Symphony Orchestra announced that Eschenbach would become the orchestra's sixth music director in the 2010-11 season, though he is scheduled to conduct subscription concerts and auditions earlier. He was also named to the newly created post of music director of the Kennedy Center.

Honours and awards

Eschenbach was made a Chevalier (knight) of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, presented by French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres in June 2006; in October 2002, he was present with the Legion d'honneur by French President Jacques Chirac; and in August 2002, the Officer's Cross with Star and Ribbon of the Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, and the Commander's Cross in 1993. He received the Leonard Bernstein Award (1993) presented to him by the Pacific Music Festival, where he served as co-artistic director from 1992 to 1998.

References

Further reading

Hines, Cragg. "Making Musicians Play Like Devils & Angels", Washingtonian, December 1, 2009.

External links

Christoph Eschenbach official website

Ondine biography of Christoph Eschenbach

Category:1940 births Category:German classical pianists Category:German conductors (music) Category:Living people Category:Texas classical music Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Category:Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg

Name	Jay Chou
Tradchinesename	周杰倫
Simpchinesename	周杰伦
Pinyinchinesename	Zhōu Jiélún
Origin	Republic of China (Taiwan)
Birthdate	January 18, 1979
Birthplace	Linkou, Taipei County (now New Taipei City), Taiwan
Othername	Director Chou (周董)
Occupation	Singer, musician, songwriter, composer, record producer, rapper, deejay, music video director, film director, music arranger, model, screenwriter and actor
Genre	R&B;, C-hip hop, C-pop, C-rock
Instrument	Piano, violin, cello, guitar, drum, guzheng, bass guitar, keyboard, pipa, erhu, harmonica
Label	Sony Music Taiwan (2008–present) JVR Music (2007–present) Alfa Music (1999–2007)
Yearsactive	2000–present
Parents	周耀中 (father) 葉惠美 (mother)
Influenced	Nan Quan Mama
Religion	Buddhist
Website	jay2u.com jvrmusic.com
Hongkongfilmwards	Best New Performer 2006 Initial D Best Original Film Song 2007 "Chrysanthemum Terrace" (Curse of the Golden Flower)
Goldenhorseawards	Best Newcomer 2005 Initial D Outstanding Taiwanese Film of the Year 2007 Secret Best Original Song 2007 "The Secret That Cannot Be Told" (Secret)
Mtvasiaawards	Favorite Artist, Taiwan 2002, 2005
Goldenmelodyawards	Best Mandarin Album 2001 Jay 2002 Fantasy 2004 Ye Hui Mei Best Music Video 2009 "Mr. Magic" (Capricorn) Best Song of the Year 2008 "Blue and White Porcelain" (On the Run) 2009 "Fragrant Rice" (Capricorn) Best Composer 2002 "Love Before A.D." (Fantasy) 2008 "Blue and White Porcelain" (On the Run) Best Producer 2002 Fantasy
Awards	World Music Awards Best-Selling Chinese Artist 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 Shanghai Film Critics Awards 2007 Best Actor (Curse of the Golden Flower)

Jay Chou () (born January 18, 1979) is a Taiwanese musician, singer, music and film producer, actor and director who is one of the biggest stars in Asia and is a 4-time winner of the World Music Award. He is well-known for composing all his own songs and songs for other singers. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for popular Chinese singers. Although he was trained in classical music, Chou combines Chinese and Western music styles to produce songs that fuse R&B;, rock and pop genres, covering issues such as domestic violence, war, and urbanization.

In 2000 Chou released his first album, titled Jay, under the record company Alfa Music. Since then he has released one album per year except in 2009, selling several million copies each. His music has gained recognition throughout Asia, most notably in regions such as Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and in overseas Asian communities, winning more than 20 awards each year. He has sold more than 28 million albums worldwide up to 2010. He debuted his acting career in Initial D (2005), for which he won Best Newcomer Actor in both the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Horse Awards, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor by Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). He produced the theme song for the film Ocean Heaven starring Jet Li. His career now extends into directing and running his own record company JVR Music.

Life and career

Jay Chou grew up in Linkou, Taipei County (now New Taipei City), Taiwan. Both his parents were secondary school teachers: his mother Ye Hui Mei () taught fine arts while his father Zhou Yao Zhong () was a biomedical researcher. His mother noticed his sensitivity to music and took him to piano lessons at the age of three. Meanwhile, he found himself a job as a waiter. Without his knowing, his friend had entered both their names in a talent show called Super New Talent King. Chou played the piano accompaniment for his friend, whose singing was described as "lousy". Although they did not win, the show's host Jacky Wu—an influential character in Taiwan's entertainment business—happened to glance at Chou's music score and was impressed with its complexity. Wu hired him as a contract composer and paired him with the novice lyricist Vincent Fang. has been popularized to describe his trademark cross-cultural music and his insistence on singing with relaxed enunciation. Taipei Times once described the meaning of "Chou Style": "In what has become the archetypal Chou style, Taiwan's favorite son blends pop, rap, blues and a smorgasbord of esthetic elements of world music to create his dream-like never-never land ..."

He regularly fuses traditional Chinese instruments and styles with R&B; or rock to form a new genre called "Zhongguo feng" (), which literally means "China wind", some of which are written in the Pentatonic Scale as opposed to the more common seven-note scale (Diatonic Scale) to accentuate an oriental style. Besides his own culture, he also incorporated Spanish guitar in "Red Imitation" (), American techno/electronica in "Herbalist's Manual" (), rap with subtle classical music undertones in "Reverse Scales" (), and Bossanova style in "Rosemary" (), to name a few. Sound effects from everyday life are frequently woven into his music, such as bouncing ping pong balls, touch tone phone dialing, helicopter blades, dripping rain, and radio static noise (concrete music).

His formal musical training is evident by the use of classical textures in his compositions. For example, counterpoint was used in "Perfection" () and "Sorry" (), while polyphony can be found in "The Wound That Ends War" () and "Twilight's Chapter Seven" ().

Chou's albums have been noted for the lack of change compared to his earlier works, yet he firmly stated that he will not alter his style: "They say I've been standing still ... but this is the music I want, and I don't see what I want by moving ahead." which he also insisted will not change; however, recently he has adopted clearer pronunciation for certain songs, particularly more traditional "Zhongguo feng" songs, such as "Faraway" () and "Chrysanthemum Terrace" ().

Lyrics

Strictly speaking, Chou is more often a singer-composer than a lyricist. Several "regulars" write the lyrics for most of his music, but the content and style is unified with his own personality and image, covering a diverse range of topics and ideas. Vincent Fang accounts for more than half of the lyrics in his albums, helping to establish an important element in Chou's music: the use of meaningful, imagery- and emotionally-rich lyrics, sometimes written in the form of ancient Chinese poetry with reference to Chinese history or folklore. In addition to writing romantic hits, he also touches on war, the Bible, sports, and martial arts. Vivian Hsu is a singer herself and has helped with Chou's earlier hits, while Huang Jun Lang () is noted for his work surrounding unusual themes (such as a detective story and chess game).

Chou himself has written lyrics for many a ballet dancer, but has also discussed societal ills such as drug addiction in "Coward" () and loss of the rural countryside to urbanization in "Terrace fields" (). Domestic violence discussed in "Dad, I am back" () received a great deal of commotion since he was the first to bring up this taboo subject in Sanscript music, which helped solidify his status as a pioneer and a unique pop singer capable of approaching serious issues. In the songs "Maternal grandmother" () and "Listen to Mother" (), he voiced his high regard for family values. He addressed personal issues about his failure to enter university in "Split" (), his resentment towards the paparazzi in "Besieged From All Sides" (), and highlighted the importance of individuality in "Popular Imitation" (). "Rice Fragrance" (), a song from his 9th album Capricorn encourages people not to give up their dreams even when facing difficulties in life.

Collaborations

Chou began as a songwriter for other singers and continued this area of work even after he debuted his own career in singing. He has composed frequently for Jolin Tsai, Landy Wen, and occasionally for other Taiwanese singers such as Coco Lee, S.H.E, Vivian Hsu, Leehom Wang, Will Liu, Valen Hsu, and Hong Kong pop stars Edmond Leung, Gigi Leung, Jordan Chan, Edison Chen, Karen Mok, Leo Ku, Eason Chan, and Joey Yung, as well as a one-time collaboration with Howard Su. He has also written for singers outside of his generation—over one dozen songs for his mentor Jacky Wu, later also for Taiwanese singer Jody Chiang, and Hong Kong singers Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Lui Fong (), Aaron Kwok, and Kenny Bee.

He initiated the band Nan Quan Mama in 2004, selecting band members and overseeing their album production. The group has been noted for sounding too similar to their mentor; as a result, Chou has reduced his involvement in the band, but continues to help increase their exposure to mass audiences by inviting them as guests performers for his own concerts and music videos.

He has performed live duets with Landy Wen, and former girlfriend news anchor Patty Hou, but only two studio recordings of duets have been formally placed in his own albums: "Coral Sea" () in 2005 with Lara Veronin (of Nan Quan Mama) and "Faraway" () in 2006 with Fei Yu-Ching, who began his career in the 1970s. Besides working with singers, Chou's longest-running collaboration is with lyricist Vincent Fang, as they both started their careers in the music field in 1998. The compilation album Partners () featured 12 songs, each consisting of Chou's musical and Fang's lyrical compositions. Fang has written the words to more than 40 of Chou's songs, was the chief editor of Chou's book Grandeur de D Major (), and is now Chou's business partner (together with Chou's manager JR Yang) for the record company JVR Music. Jay Chou was also featured in Cindy Yen's (袁詠琳) song "Sand Painting" (畫沙) released in October 2009.

Other works

Movie career

Chou formally entered the film industry in 2005 with the release of the movie Initial D (頭文字Ｄ). He has since acted in three other movies, directed one film and more than a dozen music videos. Chou, who once said "I live because of music", ventured into movies because he felt the need for a new challenge. As fans have grown concerned that movies will compromise his music career, Chou has repeatedly reassured that movies are a source of inspiration and not a distraction; at the same time, he realizes the need to balance both careers and maintain his place in the music field to garner the continued support of fans.

Acting

in January 2008]] Entry into acting was an unexpected move for Chou. In 2005, Chou's first role as the lead actor in Initial D served two purposes: to launch his acting debut, and to increase his exposure to Japanese audiences. This film is based on the Japanese comic Initial D, where Chou played Takumi Fujiwara, a gifted touge racer who is quiet and rarely shows expression. Some reviewers criticized his bland acting while others felt he performed naturally, but only because the character’s personality closely mirrored his own. His performance in Initial D won him Best Newcomer Actor in Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards. Chou’s second film was Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). As a supporting character, he drew much of the attention of Chinese reporters; Chou’s involvement in this movie was announced in its own press conference, separate from the meeting held for Chow Yun-fat, Gong Li, and the other actors. Chou portrayed Prince Jai, the ambitious second eldest prince and general of the Imperial army whose personality epitomizes Xiao (孝), the Chinese virtue of filial piety. In this internationally-released film, North American audiences saw Chou for the first time. According to Chinese movie critics, comments about his acting ranged from "lacks complexity" to "acceptable," but was critically praised by Western reviewers. His performance in Curse of the Golden Flower was nominated Best Supporting Actor in the Hong Kong Film Awards. In the 2008 film Kung Fu Dunk, Chou portrayed a kung fu student and dunking prodigy, and the film earned over ¥100 million (US$14.7 million). Chou was cast to portray Kato in The Green Hornet, directed by Michel Gondry and slated for release in January 2011, after Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow withdrew from the project.

Directing

featuring Chou as a director for the first time.]] Chou's acquired his first directing experience in 2004 through music videos. He initially experimented with a song by the group Nan Quan Mama titled "Home" () where he was involved throughout the entire process from research to editing. After learning the difficulties of being a director, he refused to direct again even at the request of his record company. However, his interest resurfaced again as he directed music videos for 4 of the 12 songs in own album November's Chopin in 2005, and later television advertisements. By 2006, he had taken responsibility for the storyboard, directing, and editing of music videos for all his songs.

In February 2007, Chou finally directed his first movie Secret. The story he wrote is based loosely on his relationship with a high school girlfriend, with a plot focused on music, love, and family. He stars as the lead actor of the film with Kwai Lun-Mei‎ as the female lead, and Hong Kong veteran actor Anthony Wong as Chou’s father. Despite previous experience in filming music videos, Chou admits that movies are more challenging due to storyline and time constraints.

In 2005, Jay Chou played the male lead in Initial D, but according to reports, he will be back to direct the sequel, while Andrew Lau, who was a co-director of the first Initial D, will take on the role of the producer.

Book: Grandeur de D Major

Chou published his first book titled Grandeur de D Major () on November 25, 2004. This 200-page book features a prologue written by his family, friends, and co-workers; the main section is a compilation of his personal attitudes, philosophies, and recollections of childhood experiences along with pictures from his music videos, many of which have never been released; and lastly, a list of the artist's major awards, musical and lyrical compositions, and discography. For the usually low-profile singer, this book revealed his personality and convictions that has served as the basis of his musical and public image. He demonstrated a strong appreciation of family values with an especially deep connection with his mother and maternal grandmother. His confidence and dedication towards music is evident as he dedicated 2 out of 7 chapters to music: the current state of the industry, his composition methodology, and the importance of individualism to his success in music. This pride is contrasted against his modesty and self-assessed naivety about many aspects in life, particularly regarding relationships and marriage.

Endorsements

In contrast to the United States where a negative connotation is placed on celebrities who endorse commercial products ("selling out"), in Asia, acquiring endorsement contracts with major brands are positive testaments of star-status. Chou has been a spokesperson for popular brands such as Pepsi (2002–2007), Panasonic (2001–2005), Motorola (since 2006), M-Zone/China Mobile (since 2003), Levi's (2004–2005), Deerhui (sporting goods, since 2003), and Metersbonwe Group (casual wear, since 2003), Colgate (2004–2005), popular computer game (2002), science and nature magazine National Geographic (2005). To maximize the celebrity branding effect, advertisements are nearly always linked to his music and TV commercials are occasionally directed by him. Recently, Jay is promoting Sprite with Angela Chang. In the commercial, he can be seen performing magic tricks.He also worked as a spokesperson for Shiatzy Chen.

Media and public relations

Public image

Despite living under continual media scrutiny, Chou's public image has changed little over the years as he emphasizes individuality as his "personal philosophy". In his music, this is also evident as he fuses Chinese and Western styles and explores topics unconventional for a pop singer, which have been described as "authentic" and "revolutionary". The media describes a hard-working perfectionist who is occasionally regarded as competitive and a "control freak". but also points at his musical talent. modest, and views filial piety as "the most important thing". In-line with his aim to present a positive image, he is a non-smoker, non-drinker, and does not go to nightclubs. Government officials and educators in Asia have awarded him for his exemplary behaviour, designated him a spokesperson in the youth-empowerment project "Young Voice" in 2005 and an anti-depression campaign in 2007, His lyrics for two songs has been incorporated into the school syllabus to inspire motivational and filial attitudes. In November 2007, Chou was criticized for attending the funeral of Taiwanese gang leader Chen Chi-li to console Chen's son Chen Chuhe, whom Chou met while filming Kung Fu Dunk.

Accolades

From the launch of his music career in 2000, Jay Chou has won more than 350 singer, singer-songwriter, and producer awards in Asia. The highly coveted Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan awarded "Best Album" for his debut CD Jay (2000) in 2001, and five awards (including "Best Album", "Best Composer", and "Best Producer") in the following year for the album Fantasy (2001). However, failure to win "Best Album" for three consecutive years has left him disheartened with award ceremonies. Although he continues to win more than 20 awards per year from various organizations in Asia, Chou has stated he will rely more on album sales as an indicator of his music's quality and popularity. In 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008, he was awarded Best-Selling Artist in China by World Music Awards for the albums Common Jasmin Orange, Still Fantasy and ''On the Run.

Response to the news media and paparazzi

As with other stars, Chou has expressed a strong dislike of the paparazzi. In the early years of his career, unwanted attention by the media was usually dealt with by avoidance. In-line with his quiet nature, he frequently wore baseball caps and hoods while lowering his head and evading eye contact during interviews. He openly calls the paparazzi "dogs" and tabloids "dog magazines", as shown in his lyrics for "Besieged From All Sides" (). The media have also accused Chou of evading compulsory military service by feigning to suffer from ankylosing spondylitis. Later that year he was acquitted after providing the relevant medical records and letters from the army confirming a lawful exemption from draft dated before the start of his music career.

Despite constant harassment and stalking by the media, he does acknowledge that not all media attention is unwelcome. Coverage by international journals and news agencies such as Time, and Reuters At the end of 2009, he was included on JWT's annual list of 100 Things to Watch in 2010.

Fanbase

It is difficult to estimate the size and global spread of Chou's fanbase. Jay's fanbase originated and grew extensively in his native country, Taiwan. The Mandarin-speaking populations of Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and China make up a significant percentage of Chou's fans. Despite rampant piracy issues in this region of Asia, particularly in China, every album Chou has released so far has surpassed 2 million sales. According to Baidu, the most popular internet search engine in China, Chou is the number one searched male artist in 2002, 05, 06 and 07.

In Hong Kong, he has been the best-selling Mandarin artist for the past 4 years. According to a 2004 survey in five Chinese urban centers for children ages 9 to 14, 1 in 6 named Chou as their favorite idol; he was also reported as the favorite singer of youths aged 8 to 25 in a study conducted in seven Asian countries (2006). He has a solid fanbase throughout Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Currently, Chou remains largely unknown outside of Asia, except in cities with large Chinese immigrant populations such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. He has held concerts in major venues such as the Acer Arena (Sydney - July 3, 2009), MGM Grand (Las Vegas—December 25, 2002), Galen Center (Los Angeles—December 24, 2007) and the Air Canada Centre (Toronto - December 18, 2008. His intention to increase his prominence in the Western world beyond Chinese audiences is clear. In 2006, Chou composed and sang the theme song for Fearless, a movie released in major theatres in most English-speaking countries, though the impact to his fame has been minimal. His role in Curse of the Golden Flower (limited release) marks his acting debut in North America. Despite having a supporting but important role in the story's plot, the North American version of the official posters only featured a view of his back, greatly contrasting the Asian versions where his face and name were clear and placed between the leading actor and actress. Although Chou is still far from being well-known to English audiences, this movie has brought him international exposure.

Chou has won the Favorite Male Artist of the 20th Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan. He did not attend the event to collect the award because he was on tour in China at the time.

Discography

Artist	Jay Chou
Studio	10
Live	3
Compilation	3
Ep	4
{| class	"wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
November 7, 2000|| jay 周杰倫同名專輯|| ! colspan	"2" | 1.1
September 1, 2001|| fantasy 范特西|| ! colspan	"2" | 2.8
July 19, 2002|| eight dimensions 八度空間|| ! colspan	"2" | 3
November 2, 2007|| on the run 我很忙 || ! colspan	"2" | 2.2
October 14, 2008|| capricorn 魔杰座 || ! colspan	"2" |

Studio albums

Jay 周杰倫同名專輯 (November 7, 2000)

Fantasy 范特西 (September 1, 2001)

The Eight Dimensions 八度空間 (July 19, 2002)

Ye Hui Mei 葉惠美 (July 31, 2003)

Common Jasmin Orange 七里香 (February 3, 2004)

November's Chopin 十一月的蕭邦 (November 1, 2005)

Still Fantasy 依然范特西 (September 5, 2006)

On the Run 我很忙 (November 2, 2007)

Capricorn 魔杰座 (October 14, 2008)

The Era 跨時代 (May 18, 2010)

Live albums

The One Concert Live (Includes The Eight Dimensions MV VCD) (October 28, 2002)

2004 Incomparable Jay Concert Live 無與倫比演唱會 2004 (Includes Common Jasmin Orange MV VCD) (January 21, 2005)

Jay 2007 the World Tours Concert Live CD+DVD (January 30, 2008)

Compilations

Partners—Music by Jay Chou and lyricist Vincent Fang (April 26, 2002)

Initial J: Jay Chou's Greatest Hits (August 31, 2005)

Secret 不能說的秘密(August 14, 2007)

Extended plays

Fantasy 范特西 Plus EP (December 21, 2001)

Hidden Track 尋找周杰倫 EP (November 11, 2003)

Fearless 霍元甲 Huo Yuan Jia (January 27, 2006)

Curse of the Golden Flower 黃金甲 (December 11, 2006)

Other works

Nun-chuks 雙截棍 Shuang Jie Kun—Single (April 9, 2002)

Neoprint 大頭貼—Single, no official release

JIII MP3 Player—MP3 player endorsed by Jay Chou featuring songs from Initial D movie, three old demos and a personal message from Jay (June 26, 2005)

Qian Shan Wan Shui 千山萬水—Official song for the Beijing 2008's Olympic Games (May 2008)

Filmography

Films

{| class="wikitable" |- ! style="width:5%;"| Year ! style="width:25%;"| Title ! style="width:20%;"| Chinese Title ! style="width:25%;"| Role |- | 2003 || Hidden Track || 尋找周杰倫 || "Himself" |- | 2005 || Initial D || 頭文字D || "Takumi Fujiwara" |- | 2006 || Curse of the Golden Flower || 滿城盡帶黃金甲 || "Prince Jai - Yuan Jie" |- | 2007 || Secret || 不能說的秘密 || "Jay - Ye Xiang Lun - 葉湘倫"
Director
Producer
Original story author |- | 2008 || Kung Fu Dunk || 功夫灌籃 || "Fang Shi Jie - Fong Sai Kit - 方世杰" |- | 2009 || The Treasure Hunter || 刺陵 || "Lead actor - Qiao Fei" |- | 2010 || True Legend || 蘇乞兒 || "God of Wushu" / "Drunken God" |- |- |rowspan="2"| 2011 || The Green Hornet || 青蜂俠|| "Kato" (This is his first film in Hollywood) |- | Secret 2 || 不能說的秘密2|| "Jay - Ye Xiang Lun - 葉湘倫"
Director |- | 2012 || Initial D 2 || 頭文字D2 || "Takumi Fujiwara"
Director |}

Television series

{| class="wikitable" |- ! style="width:5%;"| Year ! style="width:25%;"| Title ! style="width:20%;"| Chinese Title ! style="width:25%;"| Role |- |rowspan="2"| 2010 || Pandamen || 熊貓人 || "Detective Leo Lee"
Director |- | Mr.J Channel || MR.J頻道 || "Himself - Host" |}

Notes

a. Examples of Chou's "Zhong guo feng" R&B;: "East Wind Breaks" (東風破), "Hair Like Snow" (髮如雪), "Faraway" (千里之外). Examples of "Zhong guo feng" rock: "Nunchucks" (雙截棍), "Dragon Fist" (龍拳), "Golden Armor" (黃金甲). b. Examples of sound effects used in Chou's music: ping pong balls in "Class2 Grade3" (三年二班), touch-tone phone dialing in "Blue Storm" (藍色風暴), helicopter blades in "My Territory" (我的地盤), dripping rain in "You Can Hear" (妳聽得到), and radio static noise in "Nocturne" (夜曲). c. Examples of Oriental-style lyrics by Vincent Fang: "Shanghai 1943" (上海一九四三), "Wife" (娘子), and "Chrysanthemum Flower Platform" (菊花台). d. Examples of romantic lyrics by Vincent Fang: "Love Before Anno Domini" (愛在西元前), "Nocturne" (夜曲), "Common Jasmin Orange" (七里香), and "Perfectionist" (完美主義) . e. Vincent Fang's lyrics discuss war in "The Last Campaign" (最後的戰役) and "Wounds That End War" (止戰之殤), the Bible in "Blue Storm" (藍色風暴), sports in "Bullfight" (鬥牛) and "Class2 Grade3" (三年二班), and martial arts in "Nunchucks" (雙截棍) and "Ninja" (忍者). f. Examples of Vivian Hsu's work: "Adorable Woman" (可愛女人), "Tornado" (龍捲風), and "Simple Love" (簡單愛). g. Unusual themes of Huan Jun Lang's lyrics: detective story in "Twilight's Chapter Seven" (夜的第七章), a chess game in "Checkmate" (將軍). h. Examples of romantic lyrics by Jay Chou: "Black Humor" (黑色幽默), "Silence" (安靜), "Iron Box Of An Island" (半島鐵盒), "Fine Day" (晴天), "Excuse" (藉口), "Black Sweater" (黑色毛衣), and "White Windmills" (白色風車). i. "Snail" (蝸牛) and "Listen To Mother's Words" (聽媽媽的話) j. Golden Melody Awards: "…the Chinese pop music industry's equivalent of the Grammy Awards in the US are held annually to award professionals making music in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka and any of Taiwan's Aboriginal languages." k. A similar book was published in Japanese, titled Grandeur de D major—Jay Chou Photo Essay (ISBN 4-901873-50-4).

References

External links

;Official Jay Chou at JVR Music Jay Chou Official Website 周杰倫官方網站 ;Other

Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:People from New Taipei Category:Taiwanese actors Category:Taiwanese Mandopop singer-songwriters Category:Taiwanese film actors Category:Taiwanese film directors Category:World Music Awards winners Category:Best New Performer HKFA