Vic Zhou

Birth name 周育民 (pinyin: Zhōu Yùmín)
Also known as 仔仔 (pinyin: Zàizài)
Born June 9, 1981 (1981-06-09) (age 25)
Origin Flag of Republic of China Republic of China
Genre(s) Pop
Occupation(s) actor, singer
Years active 2001-present (F4)
2001-present (acting)
2002-present (solo)
Label(s) Sony Music Entertainment

Vic Zhou (Traditional Chinese: 周渝民; pinyin: Zhōu Yúmín) is an actor, singer and commercial model from Taiwan. He is a member of the famous Taiwanese boy band F4, and he has starred in many Taiwanese dramas. His stage name, 周渝民, literally means “a completely changed person”. It had a variation only in the middle character (from 育 to 渝) from his birth name, 周育民 (pinyin: Zhōu Yùmín), which literally means “a completely nourished or reared person”.
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Biography

Childhood

Zhou was born on June 9, 1981, making him the youngest of all the F4 members. He is considered the baby of F4, being treated the best by other F4 members. It was his grandmother who gave him the nickname 仔仔 (pinyin: Zàizài), meaning "little child", the other name in which he is known to his fans.

Education

* Department of Business Administration,Hsing Wu College(Traditional Chinese: 醒吾技術學院企業管理科; pinyin: Xǐng Wú Jì Shù Xué Yuàn Qì Yè Guǎn Lǐ Kē)
* Department of Industrial Management,China University of Technology|Chung Kuo Institute of Technology (Traditional Chinese: 中國技術學院工業管理科; pinyin: Zhōng Guó Jì Shù Xué Yuàn, Gōng Yè Guǎn Lǐ Kē)
* Department of Machinery,National LoTung Industrial Vocational High School (Traditional Chinese: 羅東高工機械科; pinyin: Luó Dōng Gāo Gōng Jī Xiè Kē)
* Luodong Junior High School (Traditional Chinese: 羅東國民中學; pinyin: Luó Dōng Guó Mín Zhōng Xué)
* Gong Zeng Elementary School (Traditional Chinese: 公正國民小學; pinyin: Gōng Zhèng Guó Mín Xiǎo Xué)

At first, he tried to finish his degree in machinery technical school (NOT mechanical engineering). But persistent fans prompted him to transfer school twice. Eventually, he quit schooling due to his very hectic schedule. Now, he is studying business administration at Hsing Wu College.

Entering the Industry

He was discovered when he accompanied a friend auditioning for a role in "Meteor Garden" (Traditional Chinese: 流星花園; pinyin: Liú Xíng Huā Yuán). While waiting for a friend at their auditions, he was huddled in a corner near one of the Meteor Garden staff's office, which said he looked like a 花澤類 (pinyin: Huā Zé Lèi) and was asked to audition. Meteor Garden was adopted from a Japanese manga, "Boys Over Flowers" (花より男子, Japanese romanization: Hana Yori Dango). He was slated to play the role of 花澤類 (pinyin: Huā Zé Lèi), a very silent and sensitive guy who was friends with the female protagonist "杉菜" (pinyin: Shān Cài) played by Barbie Xu (Traditional Chinese: 徐熙媛; pinyin: Xú Xí Yuán). It was in this particular role that many fans admired him and continued supporting him on his subsequent roles.

Individual Success as Singer and Actor

Recording Career

He was the first F4 member to release his own album when Make a Wish was released in January of 2002. It was followed by "Remember, I Love You" (記得我愛你, pinyin: Jì De Wǒ Ài Nǐ) which was released in January of 2004. He also sang some solo songs included in F4’s albums like 2 songs in "Meteor Rain", released in March of 2002 and 2 songs in "Fantasy 4ever", released in January of 2003. His and the F4’s albums were all released under Sony Music Taiwan.

Acting Career

Aside from "Meteor Garden", he appeared in many Taiwanese series such as the four-episode "Meteor Rain" (流星雨, pinyin: Liú Xīng Yǔ), "Poor Prince" (貧窮貴公子, pinyin: Píng Qióng Guì Gōng Zǐ) which is an adaptation of another Japanese manga "山田太郎物語" (Japanese romanization: Yamada Taro Monogatari , "The Story of Taro Yamada" in English, "Meteor Garden II" (sequel of "Meteor Garden I"), "Come To My Place" (来我家吧, pinyin: Lái Wǒ Jiā Bǎ) and "Love Storm" (抂愛龍捲風, pinyin: Kuáng Ài Lǒng Juǎn Fēng). He then starred in series entitled "Mars" (戰神Mars, pinyin: Zhàn Shén Mars), co-starring Barbie Hsu for third time. He also appeared in the Taiwanese television program "ABCDEF4", with the other three F4 members. Vic Zhou is the lead in another Taiwanese series entitled Silence (深情密碼, Shen Qing Mi Ma) with Korean actress Park Eun-Hye and Hong Kong actor/singer, Andy Hui. In the series, Vic Zhou plays a terminally-ill businessman who falls in love with a mute girl played by Eun-Hye. Currently, Vic Zhou is filming a new drama "Delicious Relationship"(美味關係, pinyin; Mei Wei Guan Xi) with Patty Hou. This drama is about cooking and also an adaptation of a Japanese manga "Delicious Relationship". In August 2006, he will star in his first movie to be produced in Hong Kong.

Personal Life

* He was previously linked with Angela Zhang due to the fact they both released their albums at the same time and also with Tammy Chen.
* He was supposed to have been in a relationship with the late actress Xu Wei Lun which ended towards the second half of 2005 although the two never admitted to having had any relationship.
* He had a crush on Dee Hsu before dating Barbie Hsu.
* He was said to have five girlfriends in the past.
* Barbie Hsu had adopted him as a younger brother during the filming of Meteor Garden.
* He is currently dating Barbie Hsu.

Filmography

2001 Meteor Garden
2001 Poor Prince
2001 Come to my Place
2002 Meteor Garden II
2002 Meteor Dream Garden also known as Meteor Rain
2003 ABCDEF4
2003 Love Storm
2004 Mars (TV series)
2006 Silence
2007 Delicious Relationship

Release of photographic album

He also released a photographic album in October of 2002, entitled "Travel Dream" (流浪夢, pinyin: Liú Làng Mèng) which contains his pictures shot during one of his trips to Hokkaidō, Japan.

His second photobook entitled 4Faces: Taipei & Tokyo was released in October 2006. It showcased ZaiZai's flexibility in front of the camera. There are 4 themes: Natural Face, Cool Face, Stylish Face and Fashionable Face. The first 2 themes were shot in Taipei while the last 2 themes were shot in Tokyo. This photobook is one of the bestsellers in HMV, a leading music and book store.

Vic Zhou's Quotes

* "The saddest thing in my life was when my parents divorced. They are also the people I want to say sorry to. When they broke up, I was 8 or 9 years old and stayed with my mother in Taiwan. My dad was living at Luo Dong and even had a new family. Despite the far distance, I will always find time to visit him to do my part as a son. Also, I have never thought about becoming a star or becoming famous. However, I cannot deny that I am popular. Yes, it is a happy matter, but I really hate it as it affected my family a lot. Reporters knocked and took photos at my dad’s house, scaring him and he dared not go out. I never expected my rise to fame to harm them…"

* "Without F4, I wouldn't be where I am today."

* "Even though we (F4) are doing our own stuff, it is so our strength is greater when we're united together."
source:www.wikipedia.org

Zhang Yimou

Zhang Yimou Profile

Name: Zhang Yimou
DOB: November 14, 1951
Place of birth: Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
Education: Beijing Film Academy (graduated in 1982)
Profession: Director

(Also credited as Zhang Yi Mou, Yimou Zhang)



Zhang Yimou Biography


Zhang Yimou is internationally acclaimed Chinese director. His famous movies include Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern, Hero and Curse of the Golden Flower etc.

Zhang Yimou is also credited for discovering famous Chinese actresses Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi.

Zhang Yimou started as a cinematographer after graduating from the prestigious Beijing Film Academy in 1982. Zhang was also an actor; he actually made his acting debut (Old Well in 1986) prior to his first directed movie Red Sorghum in 1987.

Red Sorghum was the debut for Gong Li as well; it was a great success and won the Golden Bear for Best Picture at the 1988 Berlin Film Festival. Zhang was recognized as one of the world best artistic directors since then.

Zhang Yimou continued to direct some great movies that won him numerous recognitions. His 1999 movie the road home was the breakthrough role for Zhang Ziyi.

Zhang Yimou also starred in a few other movies, including the acclaimed Fight and Love with a Terracotta Warrior in 1989.

Zhang made some significant change in 2002 with movie Hero; a huge-budget movie compared to his normal small productions. It’s also his first epic-like movie compared to his previous real-to-life movies.

Hero won mixed reviews, but was a great box-office success. Zhang made another 2 high profile epic movies with House of Flying Daggers in 2004 and Curse of the Golden Flower in 2006.

Jet Li

Jet Li Profile

Name: Li Lianjie, Jet
DOB: April 26, 1963
Place of birth: Beijing, China
Height: 170cm
Family members: 2 elder brothers and 2 elder sisters; wife (Nina Li) and 4 daughters (2 from previous marriage)
Profession: Martial art master and actor

(Also credited as Jet Lee, Li Lian Jie, Li Lin Kit, Lee Lianjie, Lee Lian Jie, Lee Lin Kit)

Jet Li Biography

Jet Li is a real martial art master that makes international fame as an action star. Jet Li is arguably one of the most famous Chinese in the world.

Li’s father died when he was just 2, and his mother sent him to a Wushu (Chinese martial art) academy when he was 8.

Jet Li is a talented Wushu artist, and after years of training he represented Beijing Wushu team in various performances and competitions .

Throughout his martial arts career, Jet won 15 gold medals and a silver medal in Chinese wushu championships (mostly in non-sparring events); a remarkable achievement by any standard. Jet eventually retired from wushu competitions because of long term injuries.

Jet Li already started acting when he was still an active martial artist. His debut movie was Shaolin Temple in 1982, followed by 2 sequels which made him a national action star.

After retiring from wushu competitions, Jet started focusing on his acting career, and made international (Asia mostly) fame in 1990 with movie Once Upon a Time in China, portraying the legendary wushu master Wong Feihung.

Jet Li continued to star in numerous popular action movies, including another 3 sequels as Wong Feihung. Jet Li normally portrayed as Chinese heroes in his movies, and people were comparing him to the legendary Chinese action star Bruce Lee quite often.

1998 was another breakthrough year for Jet as he moved into Hollywood, making his appearance in Lethal Weapons 4 as the bad guy. In 2000 Jet made his first leading role in a Western movie with Romeo Must Die, and gained fast recognitions from worldwide fans.

Jet Li continued to star in Asia and Western movies; although his wushu and action are highly praised in the West, Jet’s movie didn’t fair consistently in terms of box-office. Jet’s popularity in Asia however has never been faded and remains ever popular.

Jet’s latest project is a Chinese movie The Blood Brothers, starring alongside Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro.

Jet is also expected to join hands with another international Chinese action star, Jackie Chan in a movie based on the epic novel Journey To The West. The project was initiated since 2001 but only comes to realization in 2007.

Jet Li Trivia

Jet Li turned down Chow Yun Fat’s role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon because he promised his wife that he would not make any movies during her pregnancy.

Jet Li has his own PlayStation 2 video game based on his movies’ characters, namely Jet Li’s Rise To Honor.

Huang Xiaoming

Huang Xiaoming Profile

Name: Huang Xiaoming
DOB: November 13, 1977
Birth place: Qingdao, China
Height: 180cm
Blood type: O
Education: Beijing Film Academy (Performance Institute) - graduated 2000
Profession: Actor

Favourite colour: Black and white
Favourite actors: Chow Yun Fat, Tony Leung Ka Fai, George Clooney

(Also credited as Xiaoming Huang, Huang Xiao Ming, Huang Xiaomeng, Huang Xiao Meng, Hwang Hsiao Ming, Wong Hiu Ming)


Huang Xiaoming Biography

Huang Xiaoming is on of the hottest actor from China at the moment, making international fame with the highly successful TV drama Return of The Condor Heroes (ROCH).

Huang Xiaoming graduated from the prestigious Beijing Film Academy in 2000, but had to wait until 2002 to land his first major role in Da Han Tian Zi, an epic drama based on the Han Dynasty.

Da Han Tian Zi was a huge success, which led to 2 more sequels later on. Huang Xiaoming as the leading actor instantly became a huge name in China.

Huang Xiaoming continued to star in some other popular Chinese series like Strange Tales of Liaozhai, Tang Bohu and Princess Huanzhu 3 (also known as Princess Returning Pearl 3), before making another breakthrough in 2006 with ROCH.

Based on the classic Wuxia (ancient martial arts) novel from Louis Cha, Return of The Condor Heroes is arguably the most successful China TV production in recent years. ROCH was highly successful in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, as well as in South East Asia where the primary language is not Chinese.

Huang Xiaoming (as Yang Guo) and ROCH co-star Crystal Liu Yifei (as Xiao Longnu) became Asia superstar since the showing of the TV drama, and become the 2 of the most talk-about China artists in 2006.

Huang Xiaoming also played a supporting role in high profile movie, The Banquet in 2006, co-starring Zhang Ziyi, Ge You, Daniel Wu and Zhou Xun.

Huang Xiaoming Trivia

Huang Xiaoming is the classmate of international superstar Vicki Zhao Wei, but Vicki became famous much earlier than Huang. Vicki made her fame with TV drama Princess Huanzhu, but she was not starring in Princess Huanzhu 3, which Huang Xiaoming was involved.

Hins Cheung

Hins Cheung Profile

Name: Hins Cheung
DOB: February 1, 1981
Place of birth: Guangzhou, China
Height: 175cm
Profession: Singer and songwriter

(Also credited as Cheung King Hin, Zhang Jing Xuan, Zhang Jingxuan)


Hins Cheung Biography

Hins Cheung is well known in Hong Kong and China for his talent in both singing and song-writing.

Hins released his debut album, My Way in 2003; and gained immediate recognition in the music industry. It took Hins another 2 years to release his 2nd album, am/pm.

Hins released another 2 albums in 2006, namely Spring Summer Autumn Winter and Hins First Cantonese Album.