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House of Yi
(Korean Imperial Household)

Country	Joseon Dynasty, Korean Empire
Ancestral house	Jeonju Yi
Titles	King of Korea, Emperor of Korea
Founder	King Taejo
Final sovereign	Emperor Sunjong
Current head	Yi Won[1]
Founding	1392
Deposition	1910: Korea annexed by Japan
Cadet branches	125 cadet branches (approximately 105 extant) including: House of Grand Prince Royal Hyoryeong House of Grand Prince Royal Gwangpyeong House of Prince Royal Deokcheon House of Prince Royal Milseong House of Grand Prince Royal Yangnyeong

The House of Yi, also called the Korean Imperial Household, was the household of the Joseon Dynasty and Korean Empire, consisting of the descendants of the Yi Seong-gye, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty. Yi Seong-gye is known as Taejo: The Great Ancestor. All his descendants are members of the Jeonju Yi clan, including the imperial family of the Korean Empire (1897–1910).

After the annexation of the Korean Peninsula by Empire of Japan in 1910, some members of the Yi clan were mediatized into the Korean royal family and the Korean peerage by the Japanese government^[2] until 1947, just before the Japanese Constitution was promulgated.^[3] Since then, their status as royalty has not been acknowledged by any country; however, they continue to attract occasional media attention in South Korea. This happened most recently with the July 2005 funeral of Prince Gu, former head of the royal household.

At present, Prince Chung is the de jure genealogical heir to the heads of the imperial family, when male primogeniture is applied. However, he has not taken an active position on the debate over the leadership of the imperial family between his two relatives, Hereditary Prince Imperial Won (a first cousin and the son of the 9th son of Prince Ui) and Princess Haewon (his aunt and second eldest daughter of Prince Ui).

History[link]

Colonial rule (1910–1945)[link]

In a complicated series of manoeuvres and counter-manoeuvres, Japan pushed back the Russian fleet in 1905 (see Russo-Japanese War).

Korea became a protectorate of Japan in 1895 when Japan forced Emperor Gojong to abdicate and Japanese assassinated his consort, Myeongseong. Japan annexed the country in 1910, and Korea became part of Imperial Japan.

During the colonial rule, the members of Yi family were mediatized into the royal family (王公族, Ōkōzoku^?) or made Korean nobles (朝鮮貴族, Chōsen-kizoku^?).

Eunists[link]

Emperor Gojong had nine sons and four daughters, but only three princes, as well as one princess: the second son, Crown Prince Cheok; the sixth son, Prince Gang and the seventh son, Prince Eun. The second son, Cheok became Emperor Sunjong of Korea, the last monarch of Korea. As Emperor Sunjong died without issue, his younger brother, Prince Eun became the crown prince. His elder brother Prince Gang should have taken the position but was passed over because Eun's mother, Princess Sunheon, had a higher status in the court than Gang's mother, Lady Chang.

After Emperor Sunjong died in 1926, Crown Prince Eun was called "King Lee of Korea", a nominal title because the country had already lost its sovereignty to Japan. Crown Prince Eun married Japanese noblewoman Princess Masako Nashimoto (later, Crown Princess Bangja of Korea), a member of Miyake family. Some Koreans accused Japan that Princess Bangja, once one of three candidates considered to be the bride of the Japanese emperor, was instead designated as Eun's wife because a medical test indicated she could be barren. As a result some media claimed the arranged marriage was Japan's imperialist conspiracy to terminate the Korean imperial lineage. However, Princess Bangja gave birth to Prince Jin in 1921 and Prince Gu in 1931.

Post-liberation[link]

After Korea's liberation in 1945, President Syngman Rhee suppressed the imperial family in order to prevent the restoration of the monarchy as he feared that its return would challenge his emerging authority as the new republic's founding father. Rhee seized and nationalized most of the family's properties. The imperial family also had to shoulder the psychological and historical burden of their ancestors' responsibility for the "collapse of the nation". Stripped of most of their wealth and authority, some fled to the United States and Latin America. In addition, many of the former members of the Gaeseong branch of the family had their lands repossessed and were forced to leave Korea after the military/republican government took hold in the South. Known descendants currently reside in New Jersey and New York, one of which married the daughter of a former Italian Duchess.

It was only in 1963 that a new president, Park Chung-hee, allowed the imperial family, including Princess Dukhye, to return to Korea. However, they could only stay at Nakseon Hall, a small residence in a corner of Changdeok Palace in Seoul. Crown Prince Eun died seven years later after a long illness resulting from strokes. Prince Gu was forced by other family members to divorce his American wife, the former Julia Mullock, in 1982 due to her sterility (the couple, however, had an adopted daughter). A series of business failures left Prince Gu without support, and he died alone at the Akasaka Prince Hotel in Tokyo on July 16, 2005. The site of the hotel had been his birthplace 74 years prior.

Gangists[link]

Emperor Gojong's sixth son, Prince Gang, fathered 13 sons and 9 daughters by 14 women. With an extremely wide range of historical evaluations over him—womanizer and behind the scenes leader of the independence movement—the Japanese authorities limited the activities of the prince throughout the occupation. President Syngman Rhee's seizure of the imperial properties deprived Prince Gang of most of his wealth. According to the prince's 11th son, Prince Seok, his mother, Hong Chong-sun, was forced to sell noodles as a street vendor to make a living.

In 1998, it was reported that Prince Gang's eighth son died alone in a social center in eastern Seoul. The eleventh son, Prince Seok, works as a lecturer at the University of Jeonju as of 2005. Among Prince Gang's surviving four sons and seven daughters, four lost touch with the family after they left for the United States. The other family members hold an ancestral ritual two times a year for Prince Gang, but usually only two or three of the 11 surviving siblings attend the ceremonies.

Known Descendants Today[link]

Yi Chung (born 1936) is the genealogical male-line heir of Emperor Gojong. He is the eldest son of Prince Wu of Korea, who inherited the title of Prince Heung with the 4th head of Unhyun Palace and his wife Princess Chanju, a granddaughter of Marquis Park Yeonghyo, who was a son-in-law of King Cheoljong of Joseon.

At the age of nine, Prince Heung inherited Unhyeon Palace, where Emperor Gojong was born, after his father died in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. In 1947, his father's elder brother, Prince Gun (Momoyama Ken'ichi), acquired Japanese citizenship. This change of citizenship made Prince Chung the direct heir of his grandfather, Prince Imperial Ui, who died in 1955. On 1991, after the death of his mother, Prince Chung returned his ancestral home of Unhyeon Palace to the Seoul city government.

At present, Prince Chung is de jure genealogical heir to the headship of the Imperial family when male primogeniture is applied. However, he has not taken an active position on the debate between leadership of Imperial family between his two relatives, Hereditary Prince Imperial Won (a first cousin and the son of the 9th son of Prince Ui) and Princess Haewon (aunt of Prince Won and second eldest daughter of Prince Ui). Titularly reigning since the death of her predecessor, Prince Hoeun, on 16 July 2005, Princess Haewŏn was enthroned as symbolic monarch of Korea on 29 September 2006 by the Korean Imperial Family Association, organized by about a dozen descendants of Joseon Dynasty. She lays claim to the title of Empress of Korea and declared the restoration of Imperial House in her own succession ceremony. The private enthronement was not approved or supported by the republican government of South Korea.

Title[link]

At present, the is no official recognition title conferred to the head of Korean Imperial Household by the Korean republican government. Nevertheless, it is assumed that the current title hold by the present enthroned descendant Princess Yi Haewon titular Empress of Korea is - Her Imperial Highness. Although Prince Yi Chung of Korea is the head of the household inherited from his father by male primogeniture.

House of Yi family tree[link]

The Korean throne since 1910[link]

• Emperor Sunjong (1910–1926)
• Crown Prince Yi Un (1926–1970)
• Prince Yi Ku (1970–2005)
• Yi Won or Prince Yi Seok (2005–present)

Notes[link]

See also[link]

• List of Korea-related topics
• History of Korea
• Joseon Dynasty
• Korean Empire

The Weeknd
Background information
Birth name	Abel Tesfaye
Born	(1990-02-16) February 16, 1990 (age 22) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Contemporary R&B, post-dubstep, downtempo
Years active	2010–present
Associated acts	Drake, Doc McKinney, Illangelo,
Website	www.the-weeknd.com

Abel Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), better known by his stage name The Weeknd, is an R&B^[1] Canadian recording artist and record producer from Toronto. He began recording songs under The Weeknd and uploading them to YouTube in late 2010,^[2] though the identity of the individual behind the project was initially unknown.^[3][4] In March 2011, The Weeknd released a nine-song free album, House of Balloons which was critically acclaimed.^[5] The title track is based on a sample of Siouxsie and the Banshees' hit single "Happy House.^[6] The first album is a part of a trilogy which includes Thursday released in August of the same year and Echoes of Silence issued in December.^[7] In June, House of Balloons was named as one of ten shortlisted nominees of 2011 Polaris Music Prize but eventually lost to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs.^[8] On December 21, 2011 at 11:07 p.m. EST Tesfaye released his highly anticipated third mixtape Echoes of Silence. The Weeknd's site crashed shortly after due to the large number of downloads. The Weeknd quickly provided a Hulkshare link to keep the album available while the official site was down.

Since hitting the scene, The Weeknd has received praise from a number of musical publications, including those of Pitchfork,^[1] MTV,^[9] BET, Rolling Stone, XXL and The Source, who have all dubbed him the "Songbird of his Generation", as well as the "best musical talent since Michael Jackson" (John Norris, MTV).

[edit] House of Balloons

In late 2010, Abel Tesfaye uploaded three songs: "What You Need," "Loft Music," and "The Morning" to YouTube.^[10] A nine-track free album titled House of Balloons was digitally released on 21 March 2011 through the artist's official website.^[11] The title track is based on the sample of Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1980 hit single "Happy House" with Tesfaye covering the chorus.^[5] Tesfaye’s eclectic music also blends other samples ranging from Beach House to Aaliyah.^[12] Hip-hop artist Drake has been partly credited for generating public awareness for The Weeknd, after he quoted a line from the track "Wicked Games" via Twitter and linked to the singer's music on his website.^[11][13]

House of Balloons was met with universal critical acclaim. Pitchfork's Joe Colly wrote that "all the thematic and sonic pieces fit together - these weird, morning-after tales of lust, hurt, and over-indulgence ... are matched by this incredibly lush, downcast music. It's hard to think of a record since probably The xx's debut ... that so fully embodies such a specific nocturnal quality."^[1] Frontier Psychiatrist's L.V. Lopez claimed the album was "brilliant, disturbing, and not safe for work," calling the song "Loft Music" a song that is "so unsafe it should come with a child-proof cap, so dirty that you’ll feel guilty the next time you see your wife."^[14] Tom Ewing of The Guardian said that although the singing and songwriting on House of Balloons "aren't especially strong by R&B standards," the Weeknd is receiving "so much attention" as a result of its "command of mood."^[15] Sean Fennessey of The Village Voice called the album "impressive" and added, "It's patient, often gorgeous, and consistently louche ... with the sort of blown-out underbelly and echo-laden crooning that has already made Drake's less-than-a-year-old Thank Me Later such an influential guidepost."^[16] Maegan McGregor of Exclaim! also praised the album: "Packed full of sex, drugs and some downright killer production, this easily stands as one of the year's best debuts so far, hipster, Top 40 or otherwise."^[17] Sputnik Music's Tyler Fisher said that "despite being a free album, House of Balloons feels like a true album, a true labor of love."^[18]

In July, The Weeknd then went on tour and gave his first performance at the Mod Club on College Street in Toronto. The hour-and-a-half long performance created a lot of buzz about the young R&B singer.^[19] Tesfaye’s next performance took place at Toronto’s Molson Canadian Amphitheatre. He collaborated with rapper Drake and appeared as one of the special guests to Drake’s 2nd Annual OVO Fest on July 31, 2011 ^[20] That same month, the song "High for This" was featured in the promo for the final season of the HBO show Entourage.^[21]

During the summer, the press noted that Tesfaye refused to give interviews and choose to only communicate via Twitter.^[22]

When House of Balloons was named #1 album of 2011 by Complex magazine, it beat both Drake's Take Care and Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West for the number 1 spot.^[12]

[edit] Thursday

Thursday (mixtape) is the second mixtape released by The Weeknd . The mixtape was released shortly after House of Balloons on August 18, 2011. Thursday was released on XO's label along with his other two mixtapes. Although the mixtape was released for free on his website as a digital download, the feedback it received was enormously positive.^[23] Thursday was produced in Toronto, Ontario with the help of Doc McKinney and Illangelo.^[24]

[edit] Echoes of Silence

The Weeknd's third mixtape, entitled Echoes of Silence, was released in December 21, 2011.^[23][25] Echoes of Silence has been described as his most lyrically powerful and emotional mixtape to date.^[24]

In April 2012, The Weeknd debuted his US tour by performing at the Coachella Festival.^[26] Tesfaye and his band visited the Union’s coasts, with a dozen of gigs in various major cities^[26] which culminated in New York where the two sold out shows were positively reviewed by Rolling Stone.^[27] Then, they will be also performing in European major festivals, including the Primavera Sound Festivals in Spain and Portugal,^[28] Wireless Festival in London,^[29] plus concerts in Paris and Brussels.

Discography[link]

Mixtapes[link]

Guest Appearances and Production[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official blog

Zhang Ziyi
Zhang Ziyi in May 2011
Chinese name	章子怡
Pinyin	Zhāng Zǐyí (Mandarin)
Born	(1979-02-09) 9 February 1979 (age 33) Beijing, China
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1996–present
Parents	Zhang Yuanxiao (father) Li Zhousheng (mother)
Official Website	www.helloziyi.com

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

Zhang Ziyi (born 9 February 1979), sometimes credited as Ziyi Zhang, is a Chinese film actress. Chinese media have called her one of the Four Young Dan Actresses (四小花旦) in China's film industry, along with Zhao Wei, Xu Jinglei and Zhou Xun.^[1]

Her first major role was in The Road Home (1999). She achieved fame in the West after leading roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Rush Hour 2 (2001), House of Flying Daggers (2004), and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). She has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

Early life[link]

Zhang was born and raised in Beijing to Zhang Yuanxiao, an accountant and later economist, and Li Zhousheng, a kindergarten teacher.^[2][3] She is very close to her older brother, Zhang Zinan (Chinese: 章子男; pinyin: Zhāng Zǐnán; born 1973). Zhang began studying dance when she was 8 years old; subsequently, she joined the Beijing Dance Academy by her parents' suggestion at the age of 11.^[4] While at this boarding school, she noticed how mean the other girls were to each other while competing for status amongst the teachers. Zhang disliked the attitudes of her peers and teachers so much that, on one occasion, she ran away from the school.^[3] At the age of 15, Zhang won the national youth dance championship and began appearing in television commercials in Hong Kong.^[5]

In 1996, Zhang entered China's prestigious Central Academy of Drama (regarded as the top acting college in China) at the age of 17.

Career[link]

1999–2002[link]

She rose to further fame in 2000 with her role as Jen (Chinese version: Yu Jiao Long) in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for which she won several awards in the Western world, such as Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, Toronto Film Critics Association Awards and Independent Spirit Awards. Zhang's first appearance in an American movie was in Rush Hour 2.^[6] In the movie, her character's name is "Hu Li", which is Mandarin Chinese for "Fox".

Zhang then appeared in Hero (2002), with her early mentor Zhang Yimou. This was a huge success in the English-speaking world and was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe award in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.

2003–2006[link]

She then signed on to film an avant-garde drama, Purple Butterfly (2003), which competed in the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. Zhang went back to the martial arts genre in House of Flying Daggers (2004), which earned her a Best Actress nomination from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. In 2046 (2004), directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring many of the best-known Chinese actors and actresses, Zhang was the female lead and won the Hong Kong Film Critics' Best Actress Award and the Hong Kong Film Academy's Best Actress Award.

Showing her whimsical musical tap-dancing side, Zhang starred in Princess Raccoon, directed by Japanese legend Seijun Suzuki, who was honored at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. She then accepted the lead role of Sayuri in the film adaptation based on the international bestseller Memoirs of a Geisha. Controversy arose in Japan and China about having a Chinese woman portray a Japanese geisha. For this film, she was reunited with her 2046 co-star Gong Li and with Crouching Tiger co-star Michelle Yeoh. For the role, Zhang received a 2006 Golden Globe Award nomination, a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination and a BAFTA nomination.

Zhang has also been known to sing, and was featured on the House of Flying Daggers soundtrack with her own musical rendition of the ancient Chinese poem, Jia Rén Qu (佳人曲, The Beauty Song). The song was also featured in two scenes in the film.

On 27 June 2005, it was announced that Zhang had accepted an invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), placing her among the ranks of those able to vote on the Academy Awards.^[7] She then appeared as Empress Wan in The Banquet (2006), a film set in the Tang Dynasty.

2007–present[link]

Zhang provided the voice of Karai in TMNT (2007). She later starred in Forever Enthralled (2008) and appeared in The Horsemen (2009) with Dennis Quaid.

In January 2010, it was announced she had plans to produce a film adaptation of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan; however, it was announced that she had turned down the role due to a busy schedule.^[8]

In July 2010, plans were revealed for a live-action version of the Chinese folk tale of Hua Mulan, previously popularized by Disney through their 1998 animated movie.^[9] The film was to be directed by Jan de Bont, and would star Zhang as the titular heroine. Shootings were scheduled to begin in September 2010,^[10] but ultimately did not commence due to insufficient financial resources.^[11] The current status of the project is unknown.

Zhang has been cast in the role of Lin Huiyin in a 2011 film.^[12]

Along with Aaron Kwok, Zhang stars in an AIDS-themed film "Love for Life" premiering on 10 May 2011.^[13]

In September 2011, the Chinese-Korean co-production of the film 'Liaisons' (Weixian Guanxi) begins, where Zhang will star next to Cecilia Cheung and Zhang Dongjian. Zhang Ziyi is reported to earn 20 million RMB (approximately $3.5 million) for her role, in an adaptation of the French novel 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses', narrating Shanghai of the 1930s.^[14] The film is expected to be released in late 2012.

Ambassadorship and representation[link]

Advertising billboard in Hong Kong of Zhang Ziyi fronting Omega SA watches

Zhang is the face of Maybelline, Garnier, Omega Watches and Shangri-la Hotel and Resort Group. She is also a Global Ambassador for the Special Olympics and a spokesperson for "Care for Children," a foster-home program in China.

Personal life[link]

Soon after Zhang's debut in Zhang Yimou's The Road Home, rumors arose regarding a possible affair between the actress and the older director. Yimou was previously rumored to be involved in an affair with actress Gong Li, whom he similarly debuted and with whom Ziyi was quickly compared. However, no relationships were ever confirmed.^[15]

Zhang was engaged to Aviv "Vivi" Nevo, a venture capitalist. They separated in late 2010:

In the July 2006 issue of Interview magazine, Zhang Ziyi spoke of her movies' contents and being careful about the roles she takes on, especially in Hollywood:

Zhang obtained Hong Kong residentship through the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme for her contribution to the local film industry.^[18] After several screen performances in 2010 and beginning of 2011, in May 2011 Zhang was named ambassador for the ScreenSingapore 2011 film festival, joining American director Oliver Stone.^[19]

Controversy[link]

On May 29th 2012, Zhang was named in a report linking her to Bo Xilai, a prominent Chinese politician and the former Chongqing party secretary of China, in which the two were involved in a prostitution ring where Zhang provided sexual services in exchange for money and claims of a secret relationship between Bo and herself. American-based Chinese-language news Website Boxun.com reported saying that Bo’s associate, Chinese business tycoon, Xu Ming, founder and chairman of Dalian Shide F.C., arranged secretive meetings for the two more than 10 times between 2007 to 2011. It is reported that Zhang had slept with two high ranking Chinese government officials for a total of 46 million Taiwanese dollars (approx. $1.55 million USD for each service). On May 30th 2012, Zhang said on her personal microblog that many people “can take wind as rain” using their imaginations implying a denial of allegations of her interactions with Bo Xilai.^[20]

Zhang has initiated legal action against Apple Daily, a Hong Kong tabloid which published the report, for defamation.^[21][22]

Filmography[link]