With more than its fair share of tawdry scandals and uplifting newcomer achievements, 2004 was a banner year in the Chinese pop world. So, as the year draws to a close, Pop Stop pauses this week to reminisce about the moments and trends that caught our attention in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China and that made this year so much fun.
1) In one of those odd, unexplainable pop phenomena, some time in the early summer, seemingly out of the blue, everyone in Taiwan began talking about supermodel Lin Chi-ling
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
2) With his antics, it was clear that TV show host Jacky Wu (
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
3) Chinese director Zhang Yi-mou (張藝謀) this year released his two epic martial-arts movies Hero (英雄) and House of Flying Daggers (十面埋伏) in Europe and North America to almost universally rave reviews. The films were both panned in China for being gimmicky and untrue to the martial-arts tradition, but in the US, Flying Daggers picked up a nomination for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar. Hero, meanwhile, shattered US box-office records for a Chinese film, bringing in almost US$55 million.
4) Another TV variety show host who made his way into the news this year with an eyebrow-raising sensational story was Peng Chia-chia (
5) Still riding the crest of the Infernal Affairs wave that started last year, Andy Lau (劉德華) was finally given a Best Actor Golden Horse Award for his role in the series third installment in November. Up against Hong Kong buddy Tony Leung (梁朝偉) for the award, Lau beat the odds and rest of the competition for his first ever Golden Horse trophy.
6) The honors for strangest scandal this year go hands-down to actress Candy Lee (
7) Though he may not be Chinese, Sir Elton John certainly earned his place in this year's Top Ten for his dramatic arrival at CKS International Airport in September. After stepping out of an elevator to begin immigration procedures, John was hounded by Taiwan's notorious media mob and promptly began telling them to "fuck off, pigs!"
When reporters returned the favor by telling him to leave Taiwan, John said he would gladly have done so. A forgiving crowd still packed a stadium that night to hear him apologize and put on a great show.
8) Jay Chou (周杰倫) proved this year that he's still the man to beat, or at least emulate, in Mando-pop by taking the Best Album Golden Melody Award and a handful of others for his album Common Jasmine Orange (七里香), which he is still promoting on a world tour that's taken him all around Asia and even the US.
9) Having the roughest time in Mando-pop this year, local diva A-mei (張惠妹) took flak on all sides from political pundits at home and rabid nationalists in China and then released an album that fell like a wet rag straight off the charts. Still people's hometown girl, though, even if they aren't buying her records, she'll be the star of this evening's New Year's parties.
10) Hong Kong filmic auteur Wong Kar Wai (王家衛) finally finished 2046 after five years of filming just in time to enter competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May. But despite the standing ovation at the festival screening and rumors about town he had the top prize in the bag, in the end he was robbed of the Palme d'Or by Michael Moore's diatribe Fahrenheit 9/11. A second dis came earlier this month at the Golden Horse Awards, when Wong was overlooked in the Best Film and Best Director categories.
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