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.

This two-part series introduces some of the biggest names in Chinese popular culture. Though it’s more polite to let the ladies go first, we started with China’s biggest male stars.

   
 

赵本山 / Zhao Benshan / Zhào Běnshān and小沈阳/ Xiao Shenyang / Xiǎo Shěnyáng
Zhao is a famous actor and comedian. He’s a master of Er Ren Zhuan, a two-person combination of comedy, singing and acrobatics popular in northern China. Zhao became known nationally during the 1987 CCTV New Year’s Gala – an annual extravaganza that is beamed to audiences of hundreds of millions every year – and has appeared at every Gala since, creating a repertoire of beloved skits. After returning to business school, Zhao was rushed to the hospital with a brain aneurysm in September and has been recuperating since. Xiao Shenyang is Zhao’s prodigy and his performance at this year’s gala was a surprise hit with his effeminate, self-mocking crosstalk routines. Xiao also performs with his wife and young daughter.

周杰伦 / Jay Chou / Zhōu Jiélún
Probably better known, and loved, by foreigners than anyone else on this list, Chou’s music combines Chinese pop with rock and R&B, and often veers into unexpected musical territory – lately Chou has been playing around with country music. Born in Taiwan, his mother noticed his fondness for music and signed him up for piano lessons at the age of three. Unbeknownst to Chou, his friend got them a gig on a TV talent show. The show’s host was impressed by his songwriting and hired him to write songs for Mandopop artists. Jay, his debut album, came out in 2000. Chou writes and produces all his music and also directs most of the music videos. He’s recently broken acted in Curse of the Golden Flower and starred in Kungfu Dunk.

孙红雷 / Sun Honglei / Sūn Hóngléi
Considered one of the best actors in China, Sun took a somewhat unorthodox path to stardom. He skipped school to learn breakdancing and did a stint with a modern dance company. Sun won the first Heilongjiang Province breakdancing competition and placed second in the national contest. He was a lead singer and nightclub host before entering the Central Academy of Drama. Since graduating in 1997, Sun has appeared in numerous TV shows and won awards for his stage performances. He acted in Zhang Yimou’s The Road Home and with Gong Li, with whom he is often romantically linked, and in Zhou Yu’s Train.

刘德华 / Andy Lau / Liú Déhuá
Not to be confused with producer Andrew Lau, who’s also worked on some of the same movies, Andy Lau is one of Asia’s biggest stars. He first appeared on TV in Hong Kong in 1982, in a Shaw Brothers kungfu show that lead to his first starring film role. His best work has been in Johnnie To’s gangster movies, but Western audiences may recognize Lau from his performances in Infernal Affairs (the movie that The Departed was based on) and House of Flying Daggers. He received the "No.1 Box Office Actor 1985-2005" of Hong Kong award for making 108 films which, combined, made well over 230 million USD. Speaking of awards, Lau also won the Guinness World Record "Most Awards Won By A Canto-Pop Male Artist". (Bet you didn’t know that was Guinness category.) Lau sings in Cantonese, Mandarin and also English, Japanese, Malay and Taiwanese. The ladies love Lau: Yang Lijuan’s family sold their house to finance a trip to Hong Kong to meet Lau (Yang was 29 at the time); the next day, Yang’s bankrupt father killed himself. Yang was unable to return to Hong Kong once again as that would’ve apparently necessitated the sale of her father’s kidney and he was dead.

 

张杰 / Jason / Zhāng Jié
Jason broke in the limelight with his performance on one of China’s popular TV talent shows and became a household name with his weekly performances of Chinese and selected Western songs (Backstreet Boys, Westlife). Though his first two albums were commercial disappointments, he returned to reality TV-world on the show Strictly Come Dancing and recent albums have fared much better.

飞轮海 / Fahrenheit / Fēi Lún Hǎi
Fahrenheit is a hugely successful Taiwanese boy band. Each of the band’s four members represents a different season and specific temperature; each one is separated by 18 degrees. The group’s members were raised in Taiwan, New York, Brunei and Canada, and entered into the entertainment Industry by happy accident (Wu Zu), online recruitment (Aaron Yan – he thought it was a fraud), music contests (Calvin Chen) and on purpose (Jiro Want). Their first album was released in 2006 and “I Have My Youth” (“我有我的Young”) was a smash. They’re such hits with fans that future trips to Hong Kong have been jeopardized by a riot at a Hard Rock Cafe mini-concert.

 

王力宏 / Leehom Wang / Wáng Lìhóng
This American-born musician already has credits on over 25 records, which, combined, have sold 15 million copies. He’s also invented his own musical style. Born in New York, his parents were Chinese immigrants from Taiwan, Wang started violin lessons as a child. After double majoring in music and Asian studies he moved to Taiwan and recorded his first album in 1996. His first album flopped but he achieved success with subsequent albums which mixed hip hop, R&B and recordings of aboriginal Chinese music made by Wang and his younger brother. These elements formed the “chinked-out” sound, an attempt to reclaim the racial slur. Wang continues to push into new territory, incorporating Kunqu opera, and acting in Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution.

刘烨 / Liu Ye / Liú Yè
Not yet as famous as the others on this list, Liu Ye was winning awards while still a student at the Central Academy of Drama. After graduating, he picked up a Golden Horse Award for performance in the movie Lan Yu, in which he played a gay man; and made cinema history, and quite the splash, for being the star of the first male full frontal shot in China. This was no quick peak, either. He’s been praised by luminaries like Zhang Yimou and John Woo but has also crossed over into Hollywood, starring alongside Meryl Streep in 2007’s Dark Matter. Ye also starred in City of Life and Death, the movie about the 1937 Nanking Massacre.

 

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