Faye Wong

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Wong.
Faye Wong

In concert, Hong Kong, 2003
Chinese name 王菲
Pinyin Wáng Fēi (Mandarin)
Jyutping Wong4 Fei1 (Cantonese)
Birth name Xia Lin (夏琳)
Origin Hong Kong
Born August 8, 1969 (1969-08-08) (age 41)
Beijing, China
Other name(s) Shirley Wong (王靖雯)
Occupation Singer, songwriter, actress, model
Genre(s) C-pop, C-rock, J-pop, dream pop
Label(s) Cinepoly, EMI, Sony Music
Years active 1989–present
Spouse(s) Dou Wei (1996–1999)
Li Yapeng (2005–present)
Children 2
Influences Teresa Teng, Cocteau Twins

Faye Wong (王菲) (born August 8, 1969)[1] is a Chinese singer, songwriter, actress and model. In Greater China, where she is an immensely popular icon, the Chinese word for diva (Chinese: 天后; pinyin: tiānhòu; Jyutping: tin1hau6; literally "Heavenly Queen") often precedes her name in the press. She is also famous in Japan, parts of Southeast Asia and to some extent in the West.

Originally from Beijing, Wong started her career in 1989 in Hong Kong, rising to fame in the early 1990s. According to Guinness World Records, as of March 2000 her albums had sold 9.7 million copies in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan, giving her the title of Best Selling Canto-Pop Female.[2] She sings in both Mandarin and Cantonese, and has also released songs in Japanese and English (such as the Final Fantasy VIII theme "Eyes on Me").

She has also acted in several TV shows and films, most memorably in Chungking Express, a role that won her "Best Actress" award at the 1994 Stockholm International Film Festival,[3] and in 2046. She has been the spokesperson of many brands in Asia and also graced the cover of many fashion magazines. In 2006, she and her husband Li Yapeng founded the charity Smile Angel Foundation.

Contents

Career

Modest beginnings

Born in Beijing, People's Republic of China, she was originally named Xia Lin (Chinese: 夏琳; pinyin: Xià Lín), adopting her mother's maiden name because her paternal family was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. At the age of 15, several years after the turmoil ended, her name was changed to Wang Fei (王菲). She inherited a talent for music from her mother, who was a soprano, and recorded several low-cost albums in high school, covering the songs of her personal idol Teresa Teng, sometimes using the stage name "Miss Charm" (迷人小姐). For the last of these early mainland recordings in 1986, the producer Wei Yuan Qiang chose the title 王菲珍藏集, Faye Wong Collection, intending to show that he recognised a distinctive talent in the 16-year old schoolgirl, offering an extraordinary future.[4]

In 1987, she moved with her family to Hong Kong and began her musical career after a brief stint as a model. She signed a contract with Cinepoly and released three albums under the stage name Shirley Wong (Chinese: 王靖雯; pinyin: Wang Jingwen, Cantonese: Wong Chingman). Covering a number of songs by artists from the US and Japan, these albums attracted little attention and a lukewarm response from critics. Frustrated with her career direction, she decided to take some time off in 1991 and travel to New York for vocal studies and cultural exchange. This brief hiatus would prove to be important for her artistic development.

During her absence, Cinepoly released a few compilations repackaging songs from her three albums.

A year after returning to Hong Kong, she burst into the spotlight with her 1992 album Coming Home, which incorporated R&B influences and was a drastic change in musical direction from the more traditional Cantopop fare of her earlier albums. In this album, she covered the song "Fragile Woman", originally composed by the Japanese singer-songwriter Miyuki Nakajima and initially sung by Naomi Chiaki. Faye's version became a No 1 radio hit, Song of the Year at several musical awards and lifted her to HK stardom. Coming Home also included her first English-language number, "Kisses in the Wind"; she is on record as stating that this is her personal favourite song.[1][5][6]

The cover for Coming Home prominently shows the name "Faye", and from then on she changed her stage name back to "Wong Fei" (王菲). In 1992-93 she also starred in TVB shows such as Files of Justice II (壹號皇庭II) and Legendary Ranger (原振俠).

In 1993, she wrote the Mandarin lyrics for her ballad "No Regrets" (執迷不悔) which led many to praise her as a gifted lyricist. In February, it became the title track to her album No Regrets. No Regrets features soft contemporary numbers, a few dance tracks and two versions of the title ballad: Wong's Mandarin version, and a Cantonese version (lyrics by Chen Shao Qi).

1993–1994: Alternative style

Her next album 100,000 Whys (September 1993) showed considerable alternative music influences from the West, including the popular song "Cold War" (冷戰), a cover of "Silent All These Years" by Tori Amos.

Faye has named the Scottish post-punk group Cocteau Twins among her favourite bands,[7] and their influence was clear on her next Cantonese album, Random Thoughts (胡思亂想). Her Cantonese version of The Cranberries' "Dreams" was featured in Wong Kar-Wai's film Chungking Express, and gained lasting popularity.[8] Besides covering songs and learning distinctive vocal techniques, Wong recorded her own compositions "Pledge" (誓言), co-written with ex-husband Dou Wei, and her first and only spoken-word song "Exit" (出路), which expresses some of her pessimism about the future.

1994–1995: Mandarin market

Besides two Cantonese albums in 1994, Wong released two other albums in Mandarin in Taiwan, Mystery (迷) and Sky (天空). The runaway hit "I'm Willing" (我願意) in Mystery became her trademark hit in the Mandarin-speaking communities for years, and has been covered by other singers such as Gigi Leung, Sammi Cheng and Jay Chou. Sky was seen by fans as a successful amalgam of artistic experimentation and commercialism.

While her hits in Hong Kong were noticeably alternative, her two Mandarin albums were more lyrical and traditional. Critics generally credit Taiwanese producer Yang Ming-huang for their success.

Four best-selling albums in Cantonese and Mandarin, a record-breaking 18 consecutive concerts in Hong Kong, and a widely acclaimed film (Chungking Express) made Faye Wong the most eminent female Hong Kong singer in the mid-1990s. Meanwhile, her distaste for the profit-oriented HK entertainment industry became more and more apparent. She was frequently in touch with the rock circle in Beijing. Given her somewhat reticent and nonchalant personality, she would sometimes give terse, direct, and somewhat unexpected answers when asked personal questions by the HK media.

In 1995, she released Decadent Sounds of Faye (菲靡靡之音), a cover album of songs originally recorded by her idol Teresa Teng, one of the most revered Chinese singers of the 20th century. A duet with Teng was planned for the album, but unfortunately she died before this could be recorded.[9] Decadent Sounds sold well despite initial negative criticism, and has come to be recognised as an example of imaginative covering by recent critics.

In December, she released her Cantonese album Di-Dar which mixes an alternative yodelling style with a touch of Indian and Middle Eastern flavor. This album was a success, partly because it was so different from the mainstream Cantopop music, but—ironically—a couple of very traditional romantic songs topped the charts.

1996: Restless and Cinepoly EPs

1996 saw the release of what many would consider her boldest and most artistically coherent effort to date, Fu Zao (浮躁), usually translated as Restless or Impatience. This was her last album with Cinepoly, and Wong felt she could take more artistic risks. The album contains mainly her own compositions, with an aesthetic inspired by the Cocteau Twins, who penned two original songs for the album, "Fracture" (分裂) and "Repressing Happiness" (掃興). As Wong had covered their work in 1994, she had established a remote working relationship with them—even laying down vocals for a special duet version of "Serpentskirt" on the Asian release of the group's 1996 album, Milk And Kisses.

Although the album was Wong's personal favorite, the response from Hong Kong and Taiwan was less supportive. Many fans who enjoyed her previous three Mandarin albums turned their back on Restless, which they considered to be too alternative and self-absorbed. There were few ballads which were radio-friendly—had Faye taken her experimentations too far? However, hardcore fans, known as Fayenatics,[10] adored the album and it became a cult hit. Wong has not released another fully artistic album since. After the release, Wong became the second Chinese artist (after Gong Li)—and the first Chinese singer—to be featured on the cover of TIME magazine.

From 1993 to 1995, Cinepoly released an EP of Wong's songs each year: Like Wind (如風), Faye Disc (菲碟), and One Person, Two Roles (一人分飾兩角). Then in 1996-97, she recorded ten original songs in Cantonese all written by lyricist Lin Xi (林夕) and various composers, such as Wong Ka Keung, Adrian Chan, and Chan Xiao Xia, before her departure from Cinepoly. After her contract with Cinepoly expired, the company released eight of these songs in the two subsequent EPs entitled Toy (玩具) and Helping Yourself (自便). Although the EPs contained new songs—ballad hits like "Undercurrent" (暗湧), "Date" (約定), and "On Time" (守時)—and were welcomed by fans, they received lukewarm critical responses. The other two songs were included in later compilations; the last to be released was "Scary" (心驚膽顫) in 2002.

1997: EMI and Faye Wong

Wong signed for the recording giant EMI in 1997 after her first daughter was born, in a contract worth 60 million Hong Kong dollars (approx. 7.7 million US dollars), to release 55 songs in 5 albums. While most of her earlier albums were sung in Cantonese, Wong has since sung almost exclusively in Mandarin, her mother tongue, although she recorded Cantonese versions of a couple of songs in each of her last four albums with EMI to please her Hong Kong audience. Having gone through a period of experimentation, Wong stated that she wished to make "music that I like. I do not care if others don't, though I would be delighted if they do".

Her first album with EMI was Faye Wong (1997) (王菲), released in autumn 1997. Critics expecting another artistic breakthrough after 1996's Restlessness found – much to their dismay – a much more inoffensive and commercially oriented musical album. Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins wrote two original compositions for the album, but only one, "The Amusement Park" (娛樂場), was used. This release included an acoustic cover of the Cocteau Twins' "Rilkean Heart", renamed "Nostalgia" (懷念).[11]

This album is filled with feelings of lethargy, languor and disengagement, yet most of the tracks sound warm and sweet, as opposed to those piquant self-centered ones before her motherhood. Reporters noticed that she began to smile more often in public and was not as icy or aloof as before. However, the album was released during the Asian financial crisis which swept East and Southeast Asia. Wong's old company Cinepoly, which retains the copyright on her previous records, released a Mandarin compilation at the same time in 1997 to counteract her new EMI album (and indeed outperformed it). Later, Cinepoly would release two compilations each year to compete with Faye's new releases, a tactic which has come under fire from her international fans. Faye Wong did not sell well in Hong Kong, but did quite well in Taiwan and mainland China. Although Wong had garnered some popularity with her 4 previous Mandarin albums, it was really this sweet yet slightly alternative album which had the Mainland Chinese audience listening. Her profile began to rise sharply in Asia.

1998: Scenic Tour

At the beginning of 1998, Wong was invited to sing a duet "Meet in '98" (相約一九九八) with personal friend Na Ying (那英), a prominent mainland pop singer, at the 1998 Spring Festival Gala show hosted by CCTV. This brought her to superstar status in China itself.[12]

Scenic Tour (唱遊) was released in October, and contained four songs composed by Faye: the opening track "Emotional Life", "Face", "A Little Clever" and "Tong" (both written for her daughter, the latter produced by Dou Wei). Amongst other songs were "Give Up Halfway" (sung both in Mandarin and Cantonese), which was one of the more commercially successful tracks from the album, along with the successful ballad "Red Bean" (紅豆).

It was the best selling Chinese album in Singapore in 1999. Together with Only Love Strangers and the compilation album Wishing We Last Forever, Faye Wong had 3 albums in the Singapore top 10 selling Chinese albums of 1999,[13] making her one of the best selling artists in Singapore in 1999.[14]

1999: Only Love Strangers and Eyes on Me

Early in 1999, Pepsi-Cola made Wong a spokesperson. In March, she held two concerts in Nippon Budokan; she was the first Chinese singer to perform in that venue.[15] After these concerts, she shot the promotional music video for "Spectacular" (精彩), which Pepsi used in commercials.

The album Only Love Strangers (只愛陌生人) was released in late September.[16] This was her first album after she parted from her husband Dou Wei, and her first without any musical collaborations with him since their relationship begun. The title track was featured in Sylvester Stallone's remake of Get Carter. Faye also became a spokesperson for JPhone in October, performing in several commercials which aired in Japan.

Final Fantasy VIII, a video game released in Japan in February 1999, featured the song "Eyes on Me", sung in English by Wong. It was the first time that a Japanese video game featured a Chinese singer for its theme. The "Eyes on Me" single sold over 400,000 copies in Japan, winning "Song of the Year (Western Music)" at the 14th Annual Japan Gold Disc Awards.[17] Later that year, the game was released in North America. The theme for the game became very popular in the West for non-Asian and Asian gamers who were not familiar with her music. While it was not a mainstream hit in the West (she had no desire to explore these markets), she did find herself many onlookers, who could then start to look up her other works.

In addition, she began filming for 2046 in August, a project she would pursue on and off over the next few years when her schedule permitted.

2000: Fable

The new millennium saw a shift in Wong's musical career with the album Fable (寓言). The prominent feature of this album is its segregated and distinguishable halves – songs in the first half of the album running in an almost continuous manner and in a format that is akin to a song-cycle, and the second half of discrete, chart-friendly numbers. The album itself derives its artistic merits from the first half, notable for its unique thematic and continuous sequencing of songs unprecedented in the Chinese music industry. The theme itself is ambiguous and the lyrics subject to multiple interpretations, though it is quite certain that the theme of Fable forms the main thematic reference, derived from the motivic elements of the prince and princess in fables and fairytales of European origins. Elements of spirituality, metaphysics and Buddhism hold an important place in the lyrics as well, penned by Lin Xi who has by then, been unanimously identified as Faye's lyricist par excellence. Musically the arrangements display influences of drum and bass, electronica, east-west collage and lush string orchestral infusions.

Her other activities during this year included the Pepsi promotional duet and music video of "Galaxy Unlimited" with Aaron Kwok, the filming of Okinawa Rendezvous, as well as several concerts in China and Taiwan.

2001 to 2004: Faye Wong and To Love

By this time, Faye had forged a famous alliance with producer/musician Zhang Ya Dong (張亞東) and lyricist Lin Xi (林夕), often referred to by the HK public as the 'iron triangle'. However, due to Zhang Ya Dong's unavailability during this period (he was engaged on other projects), Faye decided to treat this last album with EMI as an experiment whereby she would collaborate with new producers/musicians/lyricists and 'see what their vision of her will be'.

Nevertheless, the response from the public and critics alike were lukewarm at best. Faye herself admitted that she was not totally satisfied with some tracks, namely those produced by Taiwan 'father of rock' Wu Bai, which had an industrial electronica flavor reminiscent of Karen Mok's 'Golden Flower' album. She cited the two folk-style songs written by Singaporean singer-song writer Tanya Chua as her favorite picks on her album. The song that generated most noise from the press turned out to be one penned by former love Nicholas Tse. Faye Wong (王菲) reached number 14 on the Japan Oricon charts.

While she was under contract with EMI and later Sony, she performed in the ensemble movie 2046 which had been in production since 1999 and finally wrapped in 2004. She performed at fund-raising concerts to benefit various charities, including ones that helped those who suffered from AIDS and SARS. She sang on tracks with other celebrities such as Tony Leung, Anita Mui, and Aaron Kwok. She also starred in a Japanese TV serial, Usokoi, and the film Leaving Me Loving You with Leon Lai.

The theme song for Usokoi, titled "Separate Ways", was released as a single; it was one of her few Japanese songs (another being "Valentine's Radio").[18] She recorded several other solo non-album tracks, such as the eponymous hit theme song to Hero and a Buddhist song containing similar sounds to some of her work on her album Fu Zao. In addition, she recorded a recitation of the Heart Sutra. Meanwhile, her former record companies released several more compilations and boxed sets of her records.

For her Sony album To Love (將愛), released in November 2003, she recorded 13 tracks, 10 in Mandarin and 3 in Cantonese. She wrote the music and lyrics for 3 songs, the title track "To Love", "Leave Nothing" (不留), "Sunshine Dearest" (陽寶), as well as the music for "April Snow" (四月雪). Before the album's release, her Cantonese song "The Name of Love" (假愛之名), with lyrics by Lin Xi, was banned in some areas such as mainland China because the lyrics mentioned opium. According to interviews, she said that she preferred the Mandarin version of the song (the title track); she had penned these lyrics herself, and they made no reference to drugs. She also recorded "Passenger" (乘客), a cover of Sophie Zelmani's "Going Home". The album became more successful than her previous self-titled album, both financially and critically. Afterwards, she held numerous successful concerts for over a year. At the 2004 Golden Melody Awards, she was awarded Best Female Artist after being nominated many times. Her acceptance speech, in which she quipped "I've known that I can sing, therefore I will also confirm this panel's decision," was controversial to the local Taiwanese media.[19][20]

2005 to present: Hiatus and comeback

After her marriage to Li Yapeng in 2005 Faye Wong put her career on hold indefinitely to take care of the family.

On May 18, 2008 Wong performed publicly for the first time in over three years. She sang "Wishing We Last Forever" (但願人長久) near the end of the four-hour CCTV fundraising program for the 2008 Sichuan earthquake relief effort. However, one of her managers indicated that this appearance was only for charity and not an official return to showbusiness. Wong's stance on whether she will return at a future date remains ambiguous.[21]

In February 2009, her previous collaborator Zhang Yadong released his second music collaboration album titled Zhang Yadong - Underflow. The opening track is the first release of Faye Wong's jazzy pop song "I Love You", which she recorded as the theme for Zhang Yuan's 2002 movie of the same name. In May 2009, Wong appeared in an Internet advertisement for a new brand of shampoo, sparking speculation that the advertisement marked the first step in a comeback by the singer.[22]

She sang the theme song for the 2010 film Confucius. Her "soothing and ethereal voice" was considered appropriate for the lofty spirit of the song, "You Lan Cao", which is based on an ancient work by Han Yu. Although the media again interpreted her recording as a "return", Wong stated that she recorded the song "for Confucius" as his writings still provide the answers to modern questions.[23] In February 2010, she sang Li Jian's ballad "Legend" at the CCTV New Year's Gala.[24] In April 2010, a sponsor China Mobile announced that Wong will kick off her concert tour in October in Beijing's Wukesong Stadium.[25]

Personal life

First marriage

Ever since her rise to fame, Wong had been frequently collaborating with musicians back in Beijing's rock circle. She fell in love with fellow Beijinger Dou Wei, her musical partner and a prominent rock musician in his own right. One morning, Hong Kong paparazzi captured a picture of her dumping a chamber pot with disarrayed hair and sleepy eyes in a slum neighbourhood.[26] This photo caused a stir in the HK entertainment industry in whose eyes the contrast between her diva status in Hong Kong and a life in a small, shabby, less than sanitary house in Beijing was quite astonishing. Many from then on saw Wong as a woman who would sacrifice anything for love. In June 1996, after being pregnant for several months, she finally married Dou.

Their daughter, Dou Jingtong (竇靖童, lit. meaning "child of Dou and Jing" [from Wong's first stage name Jingwen]) was born on January 3, 1997. The baby's voice appears in the song "Tong" on the 1998 album Scenic Tour (唱遊), as well as the title track of the album Only Love Strangers (只愛陌生人) released in 1999.

The paparazzi, particularly those from Hong Kong, were the first to detect alienation between the two, especially during Wong's concert tour of Japan in March 1999. Several days later, they caught Dou with another woman inside a restaurant in Beijing. Asked who she was, Dou immediately answered, "She is Gao Yuan (高原). My lover". Wong was already famous in the mainland by 1999, so this news caused a shock in the entertainment industry across the Chinese-speaking world. Reports and rumours included one that said Gao admitted she and Dou had been lovers for years and had never really separated, even after the wedding. Wong's enormous group of multinational fans maintained relentless attacks on Dou for a long time, but he declared that the divorce had been set up by a record company. Wong and her friends in Beijing have remained silent on the topic of this first marriage.

Nicholas Tse

In her first public romantic relationship after her failed marriage, Wong started dating young Hong Kong singer and actor Nicholas Tse, the city's leading "bad boy" celebrity, in June 2000. While this May-December romance (Wong is 11 years his senior) delighted local tabloids and gossip magazines, Wong's protective fan base were worried he would betray her in the end.

In March 2002 local news media reported Tse had been secretly romancing Hong Kong actress and singer Cecilia Cheung. Not long after this affair was made public, Wong severed ties with Tse. However, after Tse's romance with Cheung ended months later in July 2002 (Tse and Cheung later married in 2007), Wong and Tse would resume an on-off relationship, until she met her current husband Li Yapeng in 2003.

Second marriage

Relying on photos and other sources, the tabloid press reported that Wong began dating and subsequently became engaged to mainland television actor Li Yapeng. It remained a mere rumor until their wedding in 2005. Around the time of her wedding, her manager confirmed that she might take an indefinite break from the entertainment circle.[27]

Later that year, her Hong Kong agent confirmed Wong was pregnant with the couple's child.[28] Li said that he would support whatever decision his wife made about her musical career.

On May 27, 2006, Wong gave birth to her second daughter, Li Yan (李嫣, lit. meaning "captivating"), by caesarean section at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital.[29] On August 12, Li published a thousand-word public online letter, "Gratitude (感謝)", on his Sina.com blog.[30] The letter served as an outlet for their gratitude towards all concerned parties, and confirmed rumors their daughter was born with a congenital cleft lip. He expressed their reason for seeking medical treatment in California: due to the severity of Li Yan's cleft, the special reconstructive surgeries she needed were not available in China. Citing a South American folk tale, Li described his daughter as a special child and her cleft as a mark of an angel. The couple has since established the Smile Angel Foundation to assist children with clefts.[31]

On December 26, 2006 Wong made her first public appearance since 2005 at the foundation's inaugural fundraising ball. She opted not to speak or sing, but her new composition "Cheerful Angel" (愛笑的天使) debuted at the event as the official theme song of the charity.[32][33] At the second fundraising ball on December 8, 2007, Wong mentioned that although she will not return to her music career in 2008, she will consider it afterwards. However, she sang and produced an electronica-infused version of the Diamond Sutra for the event.[34] For the foundation's publicity event on November 27–28, 2008, Wong and her husband visited children in Tibet who are in various stages of recovery after being cured with the help of the charity.[35] To date, the foundation has raised over 35 million renminbi, including over 29.5 million from auctions during the three December fundraisers, and helped more than 2008 children.[36]

Trivia

Faye Wong is known as an intensely private artist and often exhibits apparent nonchalance toward the media.[37] Some of her closest friends in the showbiz include Na Ying, Zhao Wei and Carina Lau.

Faye Wong has graced the covers of Vogue Taiwan, Elle and Marie Claire Hong Kong, and has had spreads in Japanese Elle and other top Asian fashion magazines. She has endorsed Head & Shoulders shampoo and Pepsi-Cola.

Faye Wong is a Mahayana Buddhist and therefore a vegetarian. In 2008, Wong was named "Asia's sexiest vegetarian woman" by PETA.[38] Wong was again nominated for the award in 2010.[39]

Media

Discography

Concerts

The focus of Faye Wong's concerts has always been on her vocal performance. She seldom dances or speaks to the audience, and there are generally no supporting dancers. There were two exceptions to the latter in the 1994-95 live concerts; first, many dancers joined Faye on stage for the lively song "Flow Not Fly". In the second half, Faye and a line of male dancers were menaced by a giant mechanical spider overhead during the song "Tempt Me".

Another trademark is her unconventional fashion on stage. Her 1994 concerts were memorable for dreadlocks and extremely long sleeves, as well as for the silver-painted tears. Her 1998 concerts saw her sporting the "burnt" cheek makeup, the "Indian chief" look, and the soleless strap-on boots.[40] At the start of her 2003 concerts her headgear was topped by an inverted shoe supporting a very long feather, and her makeup for that concert went through several changes of painted eye-shades.

Since her release of Miyuki Nakajima's "Mortal World" (人間) in 1997, she has always ended her concerts with this song while shaking hands with the audience, then taking a deep bow to a horizontal position before leaving the stage. She does not perform encores, and usually exits by sinking below the stage via a platform.

She has given concerts in North America and Australia as well as many venues in East and Southeast Asia, including charity concerts. The key features of her three major series of concerts are set out below.

Major concert series

Concert Series Dates & venues Songs on concert CDs that had not been on studio albums Availability and trivia
Faye Wong Live In Concert 1994/95 18 concerts at Hong Kong Coliseum: 22 Dec 1994 - 8 Jan 95 (i) I Will Marry You Tomorrow (Emil Chau); (ii) One Thousand Words, Ten Thousand Phrases (Teresa Teng) Released on CD, VHS and Laserdisc. The visual designer for the concerts was the film director Wong Kar-wai
Faye Wong Scenic Tour 1998/99 7 concerts in China and one in Japan, 17 concerts at Hong Kong Coliseum: 24 Dec 1998 - 9 Jan 99, then 5 more in Singapore, USA & Japan (i) Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen);[40] (ii) Auld Lang Syne Released on CD and VCD. In the Japan concert, she covered Dou Wei's "Don't Break My Heart". After her divorce, she stopped performing "Pledge" for the remaining concerts
Faye Live Tour 2003-04 8 concerts at Hong Kong Coliseum: 20-27 Dec 2003, followed by various Asian venues through 2004 (i) Heart of Glass (Blondie); (ii) The Look of Love (Dusty Springfield) Released on CD, SACD, VCD and DVD. She decided to perform "Pledge" again for these concerts. Pu Shu's "Those Flowers" was only covered for concerts in China. The title sponsor was the clothing company Baleno

Filmography

Films

Year English Title Original Title Role Notes
1991 Beyond's Diary BEYOND日記之莫欺少年窮 Mary
1994 Chungking Express 重慶森林 Faye Nominated—14th HK Film Awards for Best Actress
Won—Stockholm Film Festival for Best Actress
2000 Okinawa Rendez-vous 戀戰沖繩 Jenny
2002 Chinese Odyssey 2002 天下無雙 Princess Wushuang Nominated—22nd HK Film Awards for Best Actress
Won—HK Film Critics Society Awards for Best Actress
2004 2046 Wang Jingwen
Leaving Me, Loving You 大城小事 Xin Xiaoyue

Television

Year English Title Original Title Role Notes
1991 Traces of the Heart 別姬 Mei-fong TVB movie
1992 The Files of Justice (Part II) 壹號皇庭II Mandy TVB series
1993 Legendary Ranger 原振俠 Hoi-tong TVB series (20 episodes)
Eternity 千歲情人 Bou Ging-hung TVB series (20 episodes)
1994 Modern Love Story: Three Equals One Love 愛情戀曲：愛情3加1 Wun-gwan one part of TVB series
2001 Love From a Lie ウソコイ Lin Fei Kansai TV series (11 episodes)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Faye Wong at Sina.com (Chinese)
  2. ↑ Guinness World Records. March 2000. Retrieved 2 November 2006 at Internet archive.
  3. ↑ Awards for Faye Wong at IMDB.com
  4. ↑ Faye Wong started by covering Teresa Teng songs, sina.com, 14 October 2004 (Chinese) (interview with Wei Yuan Qiang when the 1986 album was reissued)
  5. ↑ Josh's Faye Wong Biography Page
  6. ↑ This is also stated in the sleeve notes of the 2003 re-issue of her 1985 album, Enchanting Kaler. However, in an 1998 interview on CNN, she declined to name one favourite song, saying that there were too many.
  7. ↑ 1998 interview on CNN (Mandarin with English translation), available on YouTube.
  8. ↑ An encore for Faye Wong, China Daily, December 11, 2009
  9. ↑ Xiaobao Chen, ex-CEO of Universal Records Hong Kong (Chinese)
  10. ↑ The term "Fayenatics" was derived from a popular Internet fan mailing list back in 1997. Some members of the mailing list recorded a double disc album in 1998 called Fayenatics - The Album. In a CNN interview that year, Wong mentioned that she had received a copy of this album.
  11. ↑ Cocteau Twins Atlas.
  12. ↑ Chinese A-list entertainers to perform in CCTV gala, Xinhua, February 13, 2010.
  13. ↑ http://www.wongfei.org/discuz/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=32503&extra=page%3D1%26amp%3Bfilter%3Dtype%26amp%3Btypeid%3D10
  14. ↑ Asia E-Online (dead link), cited at wongfaye.org, 5 January 2000
  15. ↑ Noriko Sakai Meets with Faye Wong Backstage (Chinese), 13 March 1999. Retrieved 6 December 2006.
  16. ↑ Faye Wong's new album Only Love Strangers released (Chinese) Apple Daily, 8 September 1999. Retrieved 6 December 2006.
  17. ↑ Square Enix USA site staff. "Nobuo Uematsu's Profile". Square Enix USA. http://www.square-enix-usa.com/uematsu/profile/index.html. Retrieved 10 December 2006. 
  18. ↑ For the album; "Queen's Fellow: yuming 30th anniversary cover album (Japan Version)", 11 December 2002, Toshiba EMI (JP) TOCT-25001 , Queen's Fellows. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
  19. ↑ Asia pop stars sing Golden Melody China Daily, 9 May 2004. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
  20. ↑ Looking at the 15th GMA Awards through Faye Wong: right to be "rude" (Chinese), TOM Online, 9 May 2004. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
  21. ↑ Faye Wong Returns Late at Night; Sings Wishing We Last Forever (Chinese) (with pictures). United Daily News, 19 May 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  22. ↑ "Faye Wong's comeback ad released". China Daily (crienglish.com). 2009-05-14. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/showbiz/2009-05/14/content_7778512.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
  23. ↑ "Faye Wong returns for film Confucius". China Central Television. China.org.cn. 2010-01-08. http://www.china.org.cn/video/2010-01/08/content_19203200.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-10. 
  24. ↑ Faye Wong, Tigers highlight CCTV Spring Festival gala, CRI, 2010-02-16
  25. ↑ [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2010-04/04/content_9685439.htm Entertainment> Music Pop queen Faye Wong to start concert tour in Oct], CRI, 2010-04-04
  26. ↑ Ex-Hong Kong entertainment reporter reflects on his spy photos of Faye Wong dumping a chamber pot for Dou Wei (Chinese), China News Service, 25 May 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2006.
  27. ↑ Pop diva Faye Wong "to quit singing for love." China Daily, 28 May 2005. Retrieved 30 October 2006.
  28. ↑ "Agent confirms Faye Wong's pregnancy." Sina.com, 7 November 2005. Retrieved 3 October 2006.
  29. ↑ Faye Wong gives birth to second child China Daily, 27 May 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2006.
  30. ↑ Li Yapeng, Blog (Chinese). 12 August 2006. Retrieved 30 October 2006. Referred to in English language report of second operation, Sina.com, 11 April 2007.
  31. ↑ Smileangel Foundation established, to begin operation on the 21st (Chinese). Sina Entertainment, 8 November 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
  32. ↑ Smileangel Foundation holds Christmas charity ball; over 12 million yuan raised to date (Chinese) (with pictures). Chinese Red Cross, December 27, 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2006.
  33. ↑ Smileangel Foundation Fundraising Ball Raised 8.447 Million (Chinese) (with pictures). Sina Entertainment, 26 December 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2006.
  34. ↑ Faye Wong Records for Smileangel Banquet (Chinese) (with video). Tom.com, 10 December 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
  35. ↑ "Smile Angel" Flies to Tibet (with photos). chinatibetnews.com, 28 November 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  36. ↑ Faye Wong Shines at the Smileangel Foundation Fundraising Ball, Raises 20.29 Million (Chinese) (with pictures). China News, 9 December 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
  37. ↑ Media report during her 2004 Taiwan concert (Chinese)
  38. ↑ Poll: Faye Wong Asia's sexiest vegetarian from Xinhua News Agency
  39. ↑ http://www.petaasiapacific.com/featureSexiestVegCeleb2010-Eng.asp
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 "實況更勝精選，「黃金組合」終極登場 (Chinese)". EMI Taiwan. 2000-01-05. Archived from the original on 2002-01-26. http://web.archive.org/web/20020126211813/http://www.emimusic.com.tw/artists/fayewong/faye_news/faye-20000105.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-17. 

External links

Faye Wong  • Discography
Cantonese albums
Shirley Wong · Everything · You're The Only One · Coming Home · No Regrets · 100,000 Whys · Random Thoughts · Ingratiate Oneself  · Di-Dar
Mandarin albums
Mystery · Sky  · Decadent Sounds of Faye  · Restless  · Faye Wong (1997)  · Scenic Tour  · Only Love Strangers  · Fable  · Faye Wong (2001)  · To Love
EPs & singles
Like Wind · Faye Disc · One Person, Two Roles · Toy · Help Yourself · "Eyes on Me" · Separate Ways