Cheng Yu (141 - 220), originally named Cheng Li (程立) and changed his name to Yu (lit. "lifting the sun") after dreaming of the sun on top of Mount Tai, was one of the major advisors to the Han Dynasty warlord Cao Cao, and became a high-ranking official of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of China. Chen Shou, author of Records of Three Kingdoms, described him as a very tall man (approximately 1.91m) with a beautiful long beard. He was from Dong'e County, Dong Commandery (near present day Liaocheng). Cheng was best known at his time for his abnormal approach to outwit a shortage on grain: instead of sending hostage to Yuan Shao for food, he advised Cao to feed the army with human! He was also noted for his expertise in military tactics, which helped Cao Cao defeat the rival warlord Yuan Shao and his clan in the north. It was widely agreed that his numerous contributions laid the foundation of Cao Wei, the reason he was not promoted to the rank of a duke was only because of his fore-mentioned strategy to cope with the food shortage in Yan Province.

The Yao nationality (its great majority branch is also known as Mien; Traditional Chinese: 瑤族, Simplified Chinese: 瑶族, Pinyin: Yáo zú; Vietnamese: người Dao) is a government classification for various minorities in China. They form one of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south. They also form one of the 54 ethnic groups officially recognized by Vietnam. In the last census in 2000, they numbered 2,637,421 in China, and roughly 470,000 in Vietnam.

The origins of the Yao can be traced back 2,000 years ago, starting in Hunan Province. The Yao and Miao people were among the rebels during the Miao Rebellions against the Ming dynasty. Around 1890 the Guangdong government started taking action against Yao in northwestern Guangdong.

Some members of the Yao minority live in Wugang, Hunan. One branch of the Wugang Yao were known as "Tang" (擋). The hill lands of Hunan are home to Yao tribes. Yao working in agriculture usually learn the dialect of Chinese of the Han Chinese who employed them.

Anita Mui Yim-fong (10 October 1963 – 30 December 2003) was a Hong Kong singer and actress. During her prime years she made major contributions to the cantopop music scene, while receiving numerous awards and honours. She remained an idol throughout most of her career, and was generally regarded as a cantopop diva. Mui once held a sell-out concert at Hammersmith, London, England, where she was dubbed the "Madonna of Asia" and brought her to further international fame. That title has stayed with her throughout her career, and has been used as a comparison for both Eastern and Western media.

In the 1980s the gangtai style of music was revolutionised by Mui's wild dancing and on stage femininity. She was famed for her outrageous costumes and high-power performances in combination with contralto vocals, which are rare in female artists. Her fanbase reached far beyond Hong Kong into much of Asia, such as Taiwan, Mainland China, Singapore and Malaysia, as well as the overseas market. In the Hong Kong entertainment industry, where stars often rise to fall quickly, Mui remained in the spotlight for nearly 20 years. Her career was only halted in 2003 by the surprising diagnosis that Mui had cervical cancer. She died at the early age of 40. Mui left considerable music and film legacies and her involvement in charitable work and humanitarian causes whilst alive give continuing reason for her commemoration by the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

Cheng Yu-tung GBM (simplified Chinese: 郑裕彤; traditional Chinese: 鄭裕彤; Mandarin Pinyin: Zhèng Yùtóng; Jyutping: Cheng6 Yu6 Tung4; born 1925 in Lunjiao, Shunde, Guangdong) is a Hong Kong billionaire with extensive business dealings and real estate interests in both Hong Kong and Macau. He owns Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, a conglomerate which operates the Sheraton Marina hotel and controls the publicly listed New World group. He also has interests in Shun Tak Holdings, and the Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau, owned by Stanley Ho.

Cheng’s wealth originated from his jewellery business, Chow Tai Fook. Cheng’s grandson, 32-year-old Adrian Cheng Chi-kong, is set to inherit part of Chow Tai Fook and the Hong Kong-listed New World group, active in property and infrastructure.

Cheng also serves on the board of the Hang Seng Bank, Hong Kong's third-largest bank.

He represents the Kingdom of Bhutan in Hong Kong, serving as the honorary consul for the country.

Toru Takemitsu (武満 徹, Takemitsu Tōru^?, October 8, 1930 – February 20, 1996) was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre. He drew from a wide range of influences, including jazz, popular music, avant-garde procedures and traditional Japanese music, in a harmonic idiom largely derived from the music of Claude Debussy and Olivier Messiaen.

His 1957 Requiem for strings attracted international attention, led to several commissions from across the world and established his reputation as one of the leading 20th century Japanese composers. Takemitsu was the recipient of numerous awards, commissions and honours. He composed over 100 film scores and about 130 concert works for ensembles of various sizes and combinations. He also wrote a detective novel and appeared frequently on Japanese television as a celebrity chef.

In the foreword to a selection of Takemitsu's writings in English, conductor Seiji Ozawa writes: "I am very proud of my friend Toru Takemitsu. He is the first Japanese composer to write for a world audience and achieve international recognition."