Big in Asia: China's Hottest Female Stars

Living in a foreign country, it’s easy to fall out of touch with pop culture back home. New music videos come out weekly, up and coming stars make new films, slang evolves quickly, leaving those of us abroad out of touch. Unless you speak Chinese, it can be hard to become familiar with Chinese pop culture, and many expats would rather steer clear of the pop-lite-pap that dominates the airwaves, and overblown romances and staid military dramas that clog the TV channels and theaters. Still, popular culture can be a fantastic way to learn Chinese, about China, and connect with friends and acquaintances. It’s something to talk about once sports and weather are exhausted. It also provides insight into China’s celebrity world and how it differs from the Western star machine. One such difference: although not listed in this article, it is routine for profiles of Chinese celebrities to include their blood type.

The first half of this series focused on China’s hottest male stars, in this edition we let the ladies shine.

李冰冰 / Li Bingbing / Lǐ Bīngbīng
Not to be confused with Fan Bingbing (more on her below), Li is an actress and, more recently, a singer and author. Born in Harbin, Li never planned to become an actress but enrolled in the Shanghai Drama Institute after becoming frustrated with her career. Since 1999, she has appeared in many movies and TV shows and has received awards for her roles in Waiting Alone and The Knot. She starred alongside Jet Li and Jackie Chan in the blockbuster The Forbidden Kingdom which may prove to be the first in a long line of Hollywood performances. She has appeared on the soundtrack of several films as a vocalist and is working on an album. For more details (if you read Chinese) you can pick up her autobiography Li Bingbing: Ten Years in Film.

S.H.E.
This Taiwanese girl group’s name comes from the initial letter of the trio’s first names –it’s not pronounced “she”, as in girl, but rather s-h-e. S.H.E. came together through auditions held by a record label and a televised singing contest. The group’s sound is mostly light pop, although they’ve begun mixing in hip hop and dance, even rapping on some songs. A ridiculous number of their songs are about love. Besides putting out ten albums, appearing on popular soundtracks, and endorsing a wide array of products, Selina, Hebe and Ellen are all pursuing acting careers as well.