Edison Chen, though a victim himself, is a celebrity who can never be a "role model."
The racy photos of the seemingly calm Chen -- a 27-year-old Cantonese-Canadian actor -- and some of the most sought-after female celebrities in the fame and fortune-obsessed city of Hong Kong have been spread virtually everywhere throughout Chinese-speaking cyberspace for the past few tumultuous weeks.
We know the girls have been disgraced and Chen has apologized amid a tsunami of camera flashes in a packed press conference of more than 300 juice-hungry local and foreign journalists.
But there are some very important but apparently forgotten points that I want to make here. First of all, before the investigators announce whether or not Chen did force or drug the girls to take the photos in sexually suggestive poses, both the girls and Chen are victims. Chen is a victim himself. Legally he's not a victimizer at this point, as the Hong Kong police have not yet completed their probe.
"I have failed as a role model. However I hope that this matter will teach everyone a lesson," said a contrite Chen who refused to take any questions from the media.
But wait a minute, what kind of "role model" has Chen ever been? And what lesson should all of us learn from this brouhaha?
Chen's spoiled-kid, bad-boy, Eminem-like image has secured him numerous endorsement contracts with such international brands as Pepsi, Nike, Levi's and Samsung. Perhaps he's been an effective product endorser and talented musician enjoying a huge teen following in Asia, but a critically acclaimed actor in ultra-competitive Hong Kong? Not really -- he hasn't been that.
Not until this sex scandal broke out and sent shockwaves across the Chinese community did Chen receive instant, overnight international media coverage, thanks largely to CNN, Google and YouTube.
Media reports have suggested that the fact that Chen is from a broken family meant he was raised without proper parenting, which led to a life of sex, drugs and drunk driving, contributing to his brattish persona both on and off screen. The implied message is that such a man can never be a suitable role model for an impressionable teen audience.
No matter if you like Chen or not, many supportive fans consider it a loss now that Chen has announced his indefinite retreat from Hong Kong's glitzy, bling-bling showbiz industry.
"I have decided to do this to give myself an opportunity to heal myself and to search my soul. I will dedicate my time to charity and community work over the next few months," said Chen as he concluded his seven-minute, gingerly worded statement.
Indeed, Asia's Eminem became a victim the moment the sexually graphic images were copied from his computer when he sent it in for repairs.
But while the musical, cinematic up-and-comer can be pleasantly consumed by all of us as a gifted entertainer, he can not be looked up to morally from now on. Let entertainment be entertainment and leave charity work to the professionals and interest groups.
Roger Cheng
Taipei
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent the vast Asian chemicals industry into a tailspin. Deprived of the likes of Qatari natural gas and Saudi Arabian oil, the region’s fertilizer and plastics plants are slowing production or even shutting down. Everywhere except China, that is. In petrochemicals, China is unique. As well as a traditional industry that uses oil and gas as feedstock, it has parallel output that relies on its abundant domestic coal. Unsurprisingly, India and other regional powers want to copy and paste the Chinese method. This would not be easy — or climate friendly. The
KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) recent visit to Beijing and her upcoming visit to Washington will serve as a high-level test of her diplomatic mettle. In Beijing, Cheng was received with symbolic gestures, a warm reception, and high-level access. In Washington, she will receive far less pomp and far sharper questions about the KMT’s vision for the future of Taiwan. Her challenge will be to persuade Washington that the KMT’s engagement with China can coexist with strong deterrence. Cheng’s April 7-12 visit to mainland China coincided with an intense period of conflict in Iran. Despite the strategic significance of Cheng’s trip,
History might remember 2026, not 2022, as the year artificial intelligence (AI) truly changed everything. ChatGPT’s launch was a product moment. What is happening now is an anthropological moment: AI is no longer merely answering questions. It is now taking initiative and learning from others to get things done, behaving less like software and more like a colleague. The economic consequence is the rise of the one-person company — a structure anticipated in the 2024 book The Choices Amid Great Changes, which I coauthored. The real target of AI is not labor. It is hierarchy. When AI sharply reduces the cost
US President Donald Trump recently repeated his claim that “Taiwan stole America’s chip industry,” reigniting public debate on the issue. As a former Taiwanese minister of economic affairs and an entrepreneur deeply involved in semiconductor supply chain development, I feel a responsibility to clarify this misunderstanding. From the perspective of global industrial evolution and the economic principle of comparative advantage, such a statement appears overly simplistic and risks obscuring the essence of the issue. The rise of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry was not built on “replacing America,” but rather emerged as a result of countries pursuing different development paths within the
RSS