Coordinates	29°57′53″N90°4′14″N
Name	Taipei
Settlement type	Special municipality
Official name	Taipei City ·
Native name
Nickname	The City of Azaleas
Image seal	Taipei City seal.svg
Image map1	Space Radar Image of Taiwan.jpg
Mapsize1	200px
Map caption1	Satellite image of Taipei City
Seat	Xinyi District
Seat type	City seat
Coordinates display	inline,title
Coordinates region	TW
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name
Subdivision type1	Region
Subdivision name1	Northern Taiwan
Established title	Settled
Established date	1709
Parts type	District-divisions
Parts	12 districts
Government type	Taipei City Government
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	Hau Lung-pin (KMT)
Area magnitude	1 E8
Area total km2	271.7997
Area water km2	2.7
Area water percent	1.0
Population total	2618772
Population as of	December 2010
Population note	Population Ranked 1 of 25
Population density km2	auto
Population metro	6900273
Population density metro km2
Population density urban km2
Timezone	CST
Utc offset	+8
Blank name sec1	Districts
Blank info sec1	12
Postal code type	Postal code
Postal code	100 – 116
Area code	(0)2
Blank name	ISO 3166-2
Blank info	TW-TPE
Website	taipei.gov.tw
Blank name sec2	Bird
Blank info sec2	Formosan Blue Magpie (Urocissa caerulea)
Blank1 name sec2	Flower
Blank1 info sec2	Azalea (''Rhododendron nudiflorum'')
Blank2 name sec2	Tree
Blank2 info sec2	Banyan (India laurel fig, ''Ficus microcarpa'')
Footnotes	The metropolitan area (or tri-cities) of Taipei includes Taipei, New Taipei, and Keelung. }}

Taipei City () is the capital of the Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as "Taiwan") and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Danshui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean. Another coastal city, Danshui, is about 20 km northwest at the river's mouth on the Taiwan Strait. It lies in the two relatively narrow valleys of the Keelung (基隆河) and Xindian (新店溪) rivers, which join to form the Danshui River along the city's western border. The city proper (Taipei City) is home to an estimated 2,618,772 people. Taipei, New Taipei, and Keelung together form the Taipei metropolitan area with a population of 6,900,273. However, they are administered under different local governing bodies. "Taipei" sometimes refers to the whole metropolitan area, while "Taipei City" refers to the city proper. Taipei City proper is surrounded on all sides by New Taipei.

Taipei is the political, economic, and cultural center of Taiwan. The National Palace Museum which has one of the largest collections of Chinese artifacts and artworks in the world is located in Taipei. Considered to be a global city, Taipei is part of a major industrial area. Railways, high speed rail, highways, airports, and bus lines connect Taipei with all parts of the island. The city is served by two airports - Taipei Songshan and Taiwan Taoyuan.

Taipei was founded in the early 18th century and became an important center for overseas trade in the 19th century. The Qing Dynasty in China made Taipei the provincial capital of Taiwan in 1886. When the Japanese acquired Taiwan in 1895 after the First Sino-Japanese War, they retained Taipei as the capital of the island, and also advanced an extensive urban planning in Taipei. The Republic of China took over the island in 1945 following Japanese surrender. After losing Mainland China to the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War, the ruling Kuomintang resettled the ROC government to Taiwan and declared Taipei the provisional capital of the Republic of China in December 1949.

Romanization

The spelling "Taipei" derives from the Wade-Giles romanization ''T'ai-pei.'' Under the official New Phonetic System (also known as Hanyu Pinyin) romanization system, which is used to romanize all street signage in Taipei, and the formerly official Tongyong Pinyin system, the city's name is romanized as ''Táiběi''. However, the familiarity of the longstanding "Taipei" spelling led government authorities to retain it as one of several exceptions to the general standard.

Culture

Tourism

Memorial Halls and Museums

The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument that was erected in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. The structure stands at the east end of Liberty Square, site of the National Concert Hall and National Theater and their adjacent parks as well as the memorial. The landmarks of Liberty Square stand within sight of Taiwan's Presidential Building in Taipei's Zhongzheng District.

The National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is a memorial to one of the most recognizable founding fathers of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen, and was completed on May 16, 1972. From the opening of the hall, majority of the exhibits displayed were revolutionary events of the national founding fathers at the end of the Qing Dynasty. However, recently its function moved toward a multi-purpose social, educational and cultural center for the Taiwanese public.

The National Palace Museum is an art gallery and museum built around a permanent collection centered on ancient Chinese artifacts. It should not be confused with the Palace Museum in Beijing (which it is named after); both institutions trace their origins to the same institution. The collections were divided in the 1940s as a result of the Chinese Civil War. The National Palace Museum in Taipei now boasts a truly international collection while housing one of the world's largest collections of artifacts from ancient China.

The Taipei Fine Arts Museum was established in 1983. Located in a purpose-built building inspired by Japanese metabolism, is was the first museum in Taiwan dedicated to modern art. The artworks in the museum are mostly done by Taiwanese artists. There are more than 3,000 artworks in the museum. Most of them are done after 1940 by Taiwanese artist, and are organized into 13 groups. In 2001, the first museum dedicated to contemporary art opened as MoCA Taipei or Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei (台北當代藝術館), located in the old building of the Taipei City government.

The National Taiwan Museum is the oldest museum in Taiwan. It was established as the Taiwan Governor Museum by the colonial government of Japan on October 24, 1908 to commemorate the inauguration of the North-South Railway during the Japanese rule in Taiwan. The museum had a collection of over 10,000 items in its initial stages. In 1915, the new building of the museum in Taipei 228 Peace Memorial Park (formerly known as New Park) was inaugurated and became one of the major public buildings during Japanese rule. Since 1999, it has been renamed to the "National Taiwan Museum".

Taipei 101

Taipei 101 is a 101-floor landmark skyscraper that claimed the title of world's tallest building when it opened in 2004. Taipei 101 is now the world's second tallest building. Designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners and constructed by KTRT Joint Venture, Taipei 101 recently lost the title of the tallest completed skyscraper in the world, measuring from ground to roof. (The tallest skyscraper is now the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE). Built to withstand typhoon winds and earthquake tremors, the building incorporates many engineering innovations. Taipei 101 also set new records for ascending elevator speed which has also recently been surpassed by Burj Khalifa. The landmark has won numerous international awards for its innovations. A large mall is located at the base of the tower. Its indoor and outdoor observatories draw visitors from all over the world and its New Year's Eve fireworks display is a regular feature of international broadcasts.

Performing Arts

The National Theater and Concert Hall stand at Taipei's Liberty Square and host a events by foreign and domestic performers. Other leading concert venues include Zhongshan Hall at Ximen and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall near Taipei 101.

A new cultural landmark, the Taipei Performing Arts Center, is slated to open in 2013. The venue will stand near the Shilin Night Market and will house three theaters for events with multi-week runs. The architectural design was determined in 2009 in an international competition. The same design process is also in place for a new Taipei Center for Popular Music and Taipei City Museum.

Shopping and Recreation

Taipei is known for its many night markets, the most famous of which is the Shilin Night Market in the Shilin District. The surrounding streets by Shilin Night Market are extremely crowded during the evening, usually opening late afternoon and operating well past midnight. Most night markets feature individual stalls selling a mixture of food, clothing, and consumer goods.

Ximending has been a famous area for shopping and entertainment since the 1930s. Historic structures include a concert hall, a historic cinema, and the Red House Theater. Modern structures house karaoke businesses, art film cinemas, wide-release movie cinemas, electronic stores, and a wide variety of restaurants and fashion clothing stores. The pedestrian area is especially popular with teens and has been called the "Harajuku" of Taipei.

The newly developed Xinyi District is popular with tourists and locals alike for its many entertainment and shopping venues, as well as being the home of Taipei 101, a prime tourist attraction famous for being one of the world's tallest buildings. Malls in the area include the sprawling Shin Kong Mitsukoshi complex, Taipei 101 mall, Eslite Bookstore's flagship store (which includes a boutique mall), The Living Mall, New York New York shopping mall, and the Vieshow Cinemas (formerly known as Warner Village).

The thriving shopping area around Taipei Main Station includes the Taipei Underground Market and the original Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store at Shin Kong Life Tower. Other popular shopping destinations include the Zhongshan Metro Mall, Dihua Street, the Guang Hua Digital Plaza, and the Core Pacific City. The Miramar Entertainment Park is known for its large ferris wheel and IMAX theater.

Taipei maintains an extensive system of parks, green spaces, and nature preserves. Parks and forestry areas of note in and around the city include Yangmingshan National Park, Taipei Zoo and Da-an Forest Park. Yangmingshan National Park (located north of the central city) is famous for its cherry blossoms, hot springs, and sulfur deposits. It is the home of famous writer Lin Yutang, the summer residence of Chiang Kai-shek, residences of foreign diplomats, the Chinese Culture University, the meeting place of the now defunct National Assembly of the Republic of China, and the Kuomintang Party Archives. The Taipei Zoo was founded in 1914 and covers an area of 165 hectares for animal sanctuary.

Bitan is known for boating and water sports. Danshui is a popular sea-side resort town. Ocean beaches are accessible in several directions from Taipei.

Temples

Taipei is rich in beautiful, ornate temples housing Buddhist, Taoist, and Chinese folk religion deities. The Longshan Temple, built in 1738 and located in the Wanhua District, demonstrates an example of architecture with southern Chinese influences commonly seen on older buildings in Taiwan.

Xinsheng South Road is known as the "Road to Heaven" due to its high concentration of temples, shrines, churches, and mosques. Other famous temples include Baoan Temple located in historic Dalongdong, a national historical site, and Xiahai City God Temple, located in the old Dadaocheng community, constructed with architecture similar to temples in southern Fujian. The Taipei Confucius Temple traces its history back to 1879 during the Qing Dynasty and also incorporates southern Fujian-style architecture.

Besides large temples, small outdoor shrines to local deities are very common and can be spotted on road sides, parks, and neighborhoods. Many homes and businesses may also set up small shrines of candles, figurines, and offerings. Some restaurants, for example, may set up a small shrine to the Kitchen god for success in a restaurant business.

Festivals and Events

Many yearly festivals are held in Taipei, including the Taipei Lantern Festival when thousands of sky lanterns are released in Pingxi. Common locations for festival celebrations include Memorial Square, Taipei 101, and the Zhongshan Hall in Ximending. On Double Ten Day, celebrations are held in front of the Presidential Building.

Other annual festivals include Tomb-Sweeping Day, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Ghost Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival. In recent years some festivals traditionally held in Taipei, such as the Double Ten Day fireworks and concerts, have increasingly been hosted by other cities in Taiwan.

One other huge celebration in Taipei is the one on New Year Eve. Every year, thousands of people will gather in front of the Taipei City Hall to celebrate the beginning of a new year. Every time, there will be many famous singers who perform on the stage that is set up for the New Year Celebration. The performance usually starts out around eight o’clock and continues until midnight. Artists and dancers will perform throughout the night and it is just like a concert. Then, thirty minutes before midnight, the Taipei governor and some Taipei politicians will come up the stage and count down with the people. Then, when the clock reaches midnight, there will be firework at Taipei 101 and every year since, the firework has last longer than the year before.

From November 6, 2010 to April 25, 2011, Taipei held the garden festival named Taipei International Flora Exposition. It will be the first such internationally recognized exposition to take place in Taiwan, and the seventh of its kind to take place in Asia. Flora Exposition visitors hit new 1-day high admissions on February 27, 2011 with 110,000 people showing.

Taipei in film

{| |valign=top|

Ang Lee's ''Eat Drink Man Woman'' (drama)

Edward Yang's ''Yi Yi: A One and a Two'' (drama)

Edward Yang's ''Mahjong'' (drama/comedy)

Edward Yang's ''A Confucian Confusion'' (drama/comedy)

Edward Yang's ''A Brighter Summer Day'' (drama)

Edward Yang's ''The Terrorizers'' (drama)

Edward Yang's ''Taipei Story'' (drama)

Tsai Ming-liang's ''Rebels of the Neon God'' (drama)

Tsai Ming-liang's ''Vive L'Amour'' (drama)

Tsai Ming-liang's ''The River'' (drama)

Tsai Ming-liang's ''What Time Is It There?'' (drama)

Tsai Ming-liang's ''Goodbye, Dragon Inn'' (drama)

Tsai Ming-liang's ''Face'' (drama)

|valign=top|

Hou Hsiao-hsien's ''Dust in the Wind'' (drama)

Hou Hsiao-hsien's ''Daughter of the Nile'' (drama)

Hou Hsiao-hsien's ''Goodbye South, Goodbye'' (drama)

Hou Hsiao-hsien's ''Millennium Mambo'' (drama)

Hou Hsiao-hsien's ''Three Times'' (drama)

Leon Dai's ''No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti'' (drama)

Chung Mong-hong's ''Parking'' (drama)

Chen Yin-jung's ''Formula 17'' (gay/comedy)

Zero Chou's ''Spider Lilies'' (lesbian/drama)

Chen Hung-I's ''Candy Rain'' (lesbian/drama)

Arvin Chen's ''Au Revoir Taipei'' (comedy)

Chen Yu-hsun's ''Tropical Fish'' (drama/comedy)

Te-sheng Wei's ''Cape No. 7'' (drama/comedy)

|- |valign=top|

Doze Niu's ''Monga'' (drama/action)

Hsiao Ya-chuan's ''Taipei Exchanges'' (drama/comedy)

Lin Cheng-sheng's ''Betelnut beauty'' (drama/romance)

Chen Kuo-Fu's ''The Personals'' (drama/romance)

Fen-fen Cheng's ''Hear Me'' (drama/romance)

Huo Jianqi's ''Snowfall in Taipei'' (drama/romance)

Hsiao-tse Cheng's ''Miao Miao'' (romance/comedy)

Sylvia Chang's ''20 30 40'' (romance/comedy)

Hsiao-ming Hsu's ''Love of May'' (romance)

Yee Chin-yen's ''Blue Gate Crossing'' (romance)

Jay Chou's ''Secret'' (romance)

Chen Kuo-Fu's ''Double Vision'' (horror/suspense)

Chao-Bin Su's ''Silk'' (horror/suspense)

Jia Zhangke's ''I Wish I Knew'' (Documentary)

|valign=top|

Wong Kar-wai's ''Happy Together'' (Hong Kong studio, filmed in three cities : Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, and Taipei)

John Woo's ''A Better Tomorrow'' (Hong Kong studio, filmed in Hong Kong and Taipei) (action)

Kirk Wong's ''Crime Story'' (Hong Kong studio, filmed in Hong Kong, Taipei) (action)

David Lam's ''Asian Connection'' (Hong Kong studio, filmed in Hong Kong, Taipei) (action)

Andrew Lau's ''Young and Dangerous 2'' (Hong Kong studio, filmed on location in Taipei)

''Turn Left, Turn Right'' (Hong Kong studio, filmed on location in Taipei)

''One Missed Call 2'' (Japanese studio, filmed in Taipei and Jinguashi)

''About Love'' (Japanese studio, filmed on three cities in Asia: Taipei, Tokyo, and Shanghai)

Mamoru Oshii's ''StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops'' (science fiction/drama)

Takashi Miike's ''Rainy Dog'' (Japanese studio, filmed on location in Taipei) (drama)

Takahisa Zeze's ''Moon Child'' (Japanese studio, filmed in Taipei, as the futuristic city of Mallepa) (drama)

Robert Wise's ''The Sand Pebbles'' (Hollywood studio, filmed in Taipei, Keelung, Danshui and Hong Kong) (drama)

Håkon Liu's ''Miss Kicki'' (Swedish studio, filmed in Taipei, Sun Moon Lake) (drama)

Monika Treut's ''Ghosted'' (German studio, filmed in Hamburg, Taipei) (drama)

|}

Geography

Taipei City is located in the Taipei Basin in northern Taiwan. It is bordered by the Xindian River on the south and the Danshui (Tamsui) River on the west. The generally low-lying terrain of the central areas on the western side of the municipality slopes upward to the south and east and especially to the north, where it reaches at Cising Mountain (七星山), the highest (extinct) volcano in Taiwan in Yangmingshan National Park. The northern districts of Shilin and Beitou extend north of the Keelung River and are bordered by Yangmingshan National Park. The Taipei city limits cover an area ranked sixteenth of twenty-five among all counties and cities in Taiwan.

Two peaks, Cising Mountain and Mt. Datun, rise to the northeast of the city. Cising Mountain is located on the Tatun Volcano Group and the tallest mountain at the rim of the Taipei Basin, with its main peak at . Mt. Datun's main peak is . These former volcanoes make up the western section of Yangmingshan National Park, extending from Mt. Datun northward to Mt. Caigongkeng (菜公坑山). Located on a broad saddle between two mountains, the area also contains the marshy Datun Pond.

To the southeast of the city lie the Songshan Hills and the Qingshui Ravine, which form a barrier of lush woods.

Climate

Taipei has a four-season, monsoon-influenced, humid subtropical climate (Koppen ''Cfa''). Summers are very hot, humid, and accompanied by occasional heavy rainstorms and typhoons，while winters are short and mild.

Due to Taiwan's location in the Pacific Ocean, it is affected by the Pacific typhoon season, which occurs between June and October.

Air quality

Motor vehicle engine exhaust, particularly from motor scooters, is a source of air pollution in Taipei. The levels of fine particulate matter, including PAHs, are consistently more serious in the mornings as there is less air movement; sunlight helps clear up some pollutants, which tend to be trapped close to the ground. When compared to other Asian cities, however, Taipei has "excellent" capabilities for managing air quality in the city. Occasionally, dust storms from Mainland China can temporarily bring poor air quality to the city.

Administrative divisions

Taipei City is divided up into 12 administrative districts (區 ''qu''). Each district is further divided up into villages (里), which are further sub-divided up into neighborhoods (鄰). {| |- | ! align=right| District ! align=right| ! align=right| ! align=right| Population ! align=right| Area ! align=right| Postal code ! align=right| |- | rowspan=15 | | align=right | Hanyu Pinyin | align=right | 漢字 | align=right | Wade-Giles | align=right | ''as of 2009'' | align=right | ''km²'' | align=right | |- | align=left|■ Běitóu | align=right|北投區 | align=right|Pei-t'ou | align=right|249,319 | align=right|56.8216 | align=right|112 |- | align=left|■ Shìlín | align=right|士林區 | align=right|Shih-lin | align=right|285,459 | align=right|62.3682 | align=right|111 |- | align=left|■ Dàtóng | align=right|大同區 | align=right|Ta-t'ung | align=right|124,466 | align=right|5.6815 | align=right|103 |- | align=left|■ Zhōngshān | align=right|中山區 | align=right|Chung-shan | align=right|218,551 | align=right|13.6821 | align=right|104 |- | align=left|■ Sōngshān | align=right|松山區 | align=right|Sung-shan | align=right|209,903 | align=right|9.2878 | align=right|105 |- | align=left|■ Nèihú | align=right|內湖區 | align=right|Nei-hu | align=right|267,120 | align=right|31.5787 | align=right|114 |- | align=left|■ Wànhuá | align=right|萬華區 | align=right|Wan-hua | align=right|190,050 | align=right|8.8522 | align=right|108 |- | align=left|■ Zhōngzhèng | align=right|中正區 | align=right|Chung-cheng | align=right|159,464 | align=right|7.6071 | align=right|100 |- | align=left|■ Dà'ān | align=right|大安區 | align=right|Ta-an | align=right|313,371 | align=right|11.3614 | align=right|106 |- | align=left|■ Xìnyì | align=right|信義區 | align=right|Hsin-yi | align=right|227,232 | align=right|11.2077 | align=right|110 |- | align=left|■ Nángǎng | align=right|南港區 | align=right|Nan-kang | align=right|113,462 | align=right|21.8424 | align=right|115 |- | align=left|■ Wénshān | align=right|文山區 | align=right|Wen-shan | align=right|261,523 | align=right|31.5090 | align=right|116 |}

City planning

The city is characterized by straight roads and public buildings of grand Western architectural styles. The city is built on a square grid configuration, however these blocks are huge by international standards ( sides). However there is little uniformed planning within these blocks; therefore lanes (perpendicular to streets) and alleys (parallel with street, or conceptually, perpendicular to the lane) spill out from the main throughways. These minor roads are not always perpendicular and sometimes cut through the block diagonally.

Although development began in the western districts of the city from trade, the eastern districts of the city have become the downtown. Many of the western districts, already in decline, have become targets of new urban renewal projects.

History

First Settlements

The region known as the Taipei Basin was home to Ketagalan tribes before the eighteenth century. Han Chinese mainly from Fujian Province of China began to settle in the Taipei Basin in 1709. In the late 19th century, the Taipei area, where the major Han Chinese settlements in northern Taiwan and one of the designated overseas trade ports, Tamsui, were located, gained economic importance due to the booming overseas trade, especially that of tea exportation. In 1875, the northern part of Taiwan was separated from Taiwan Prefecture () and incorporated into the new Taipei Prefecture as a new administrative entity of the Chinese government (Qing Dynasty). Having been established adjoining the flourishing townships of Bangkah, Dalongdong, and Twatutia, the new prefectural capital was known as Chengnei (), "the inner city", and government buildings were erected there. From 1875 (during the Qing Dynasty) until the beginning of Japanese rule in 1895, Taipei was part of Danshui County of the Taipei Prefecture and the prefectural capital. In 1886, when Taiwan was proclaimed a province of China, Taipei city was made the provincial capital. Taipei remained a temporary provincial capital before it officially became the capital of Taiwan in 1894. All that remains from the old Qing Dynasty city is the north gate. The west gate and city walls were demolished by the Japanese while the south gate, little south gate, and east gate were extensively modified by the Kuomintang (KMT) and have lost much of their original character.

Japanese Rule

As settlement for losing the First Sino-Japanese War, China ceded the island of Taiwan to the Empire of Japan in 1895 as part of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. After the Japanese take-over, Taipei, called Taihoku in Japanese, was retained as the capital and emerged as the political center of the Japanese Colonial Government. During that time the city acquired the characteristics of an administrative center, including many new public buildings and housing for civil servants. Much of the architecture of Taipei dates from the period of Japanese rule, including the Presidential Building which was the Office of the Taiwan Governor-General.

During Japanese rule, Taihoku was incorporated in 1920 as part of Taihoku Prefecture (台北縣). It included Bangka, Dadaocheng, and Chengnei among other small settlements. The eastern village Matsuyama (松山區) was annexed into Taihoku City in 1938. Upon the Japanese defeat in the Pacific War and its consequent surrender in August 1945, the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) assumed control of Taiwan. Subsequently, a temporary Office of the Taiwan Province Administrative Governor was established in Taipei City.

Under the Republic of China

On December 7, 1949, the KMT government under Chiang Kai-shek, after being forced to flee mainland China by the Communists at the Chinese Civil War, declared Taipei as the provisional capital of the Republic of China, with the official capital at Nanjing (Nanking).

Taipei expanded greatly in the decades after 1949, and as approved on December 30, 1966 by the Executive Yuan, Taipei was declared a special centrally administered municipality on July 1, 1967 and given the administrative status of a province. In the following year, Taipei City expanded again by annexing Shilin, Beitou, Neihu, Nangang, Jingmei, and Muzha. At that time, the city's total area increased fourfold through absorbing several outlying towns and villages and the population increased to 1.56 million people.

The city's population, which had reached one million in the early 1960s, also expanded rapidly after 1967, exceeding two million by the mid-1970s. Although growth within the city itself gradually slowed thereafter — its population had become relatively stable by the mid-1990s — Taipei remained one of the world's most densely populated urban areas, and the population continued to increase in the region surrounding the city, notably along the corridor between Taipei and Keelung. In 1990, the then 16 districts in Taipei City were consolidated into the current 12 districts.

Economy

As the capital of the Republic of China, Taipei has been at the center of rapid economic development in the country and has now become one of the global cities in the production of high technology and its components. This is part of the so-called Taiwan Miracle which has seen dramatic growth in the city following foreign direct investment in the 1960s. Taiwan is now a creditor economy, holding one of the world's largest foreign exchange reserves of over US$352 billion as of February 2010.

Despite the Asian financial crisis, the economy continues to expand at about 5% per year, with virtually full employment and low inflation. , the nominal GDP of the core city of Taipei has accrued to an amount of nearly US$160 billion, while the metro region of Taipei has a GDP (nominal) of around US$260 billion, a record that would rank it 13th among world cities by GDP. The GDP per capita of Taipei is US$48,400, and the second highest in Asia behind Tokyo, which has a GDP per capita of US$65,453. If outskirts, neighboring cities, and townships are taken into account, the GDP per capita would fall to US$25,000.

Taipei and its environs have long been the foremost industrial area of Taiwan, consisting of industries of the secondary and tertiary sectors. Most of the country's important factories producing textiles and apparel are located there; other industries include the manufacture of electronic products and components, electrical machinery and equipment, printed materials, precision equipment, and foods and beverages. Such companies include Shihlin Electric, CipherLab and Insyde Software. Shipbuilding, including yachts and other pleasure craft, is done in the port of Keelung northeast of the city.

Services, including those related to commerce, transportation, and banking, have become increasingly important. Tourism is a small but significant component of the local economy with international visitors totaling almost 3 million in 2008. Taipei has many top tourist attractions and contributes a significant amount to the US$6.8 billion tourism industry in Taiwan. National brands such as ASUS, Chunghwa Telecom, Mandarin Airlines, Tatung, and Uni Air, D-Link are headquartered in Taipei City.

Government

Taipei City is a special municipality which is directly under the Executive Yuan (Central Government) of ROC.The mayor of Taipei City had been an appointed position since Taipei's conversion to a centrally administered municipality in 1967 until the first public election was held in 1994. The position has a four-year term and is elected by direct popular vote. The first elected mayor was Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party. Ma Ying-jeou took office in 1998 for two terms, before handing it over to Hau Lung-pin who won the 2006 mayoral election on December 9, 2006. Both Chen Shui-bian and Ma Ying-Jeou went on to become President of the Republic of China.

Based on the outcomes of previous elections in the past decade, the vote of the overall constituency of Taipei City shows a slight inclination towards the pro-KMT camp (the Pan-Blue Coalition); however, the pro-DPP camp (the Pan-Green Coalition) also has considerable support.

Ketagalan Boulevard, where the Republic of China's Presidential Office Building and other government structures are situated, is often the site of mass gatherings such as inauguration and national holiday parades, receptions for visiting dignitaries, political demonstrations, and public festivals.

Garbage Recycling

Taipei City is also famous for its effort in garbage recycling, which has become such a good international precedent that other countries have sent teams to study the recycling system. After the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) established a program in 1998 combining the efforts of communities, a financial resource named the Recycling Fund was made available to recycling companies and waste collectors. Manufacturers, vendors and importers of recyclable waste pay fees to the Fund, which uses the money to set firm prices for recyclables and subsidize local recycling efforts. Until 2008, the recycling rate has increased from 6 percent to 32 percent. This improvement enabled the government of Taipei to demonstrate its recycling system to the world at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

Transportation

Public transport accounts for a substantial portion of different modes of transport in Taiwan, with Taipei residents having the highest utilization rate at 34.1%. Private transport consists of motor scooters, private cars, and bicycles. Motor-scooters often weave between cars and occasionally through oncoming traffic. Respect for traffic laws, once scant, has improved with deployment of traffic cameras and increasing numbers of police roadblocks checking riders for alcohol consumption and other offenses.

Taipei Station serves as the comprehensive hub for the subway, bus, conventional rail, and high speed rail. A contactless smartcard, known as EasyCard, can be used for all modes of public transit and contain credits that are deducted each time a ride is taken. The EasyCard is read via proximity sensory panels on buses and in MRT stations, and it does not need to be removed from one's wallet or purse.

Metro

Taipei's public transport system, the Taipei Metro (commonly referred to as the MRT), incorporates a metro and light rail system based on advanced VAL and Bombardier technology. In addition to the rapid transit system itself, the Taipei Metro also includes several public facilities such as the Maokong Gondola, underground shopping malls, parks, and public squares. Modifications to existing railway lines to integrate them into the metro system are underway, as well as a rapid transit line to connect the city with Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taoyuan County.

Rail

Beginning in 1983, surface rail lines in the city were moved underground as part of the Taipei Railway Underground Project. The Taiwan High Speed Rail system opened in 2007. The bullet trains connect Taipei with the west coast cities of Banciao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, and Tainan before terminating at Zuoying (Kaohsiung) at speeds that cut travel times by 60% or more from what they normally are on a bus or conventional train. The Taiwan Railway Administration also runs passenger and freight services throughout the entire island.

Bus

An extensive city bus system serves metropolitan areas not covered by the metro, with exclusive bus lanes to facilitate transportation. Riders of the city metro system are able to the EasyCard for discounted fares on buses, and vice versa. Several major bus terminals are located throughout the city, including the Taipei Bus Station and Taipei City Hall Bus Station.

Airports

Most scheduled international flights are served by Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in nearby Taoyuan County. Songshan Airport at the heart of the city in the Songshan District serves mostly domestic flights, with the exception of some cross-strait and a scheduled flight to Tokyo International Airport (also known as Haneda Airport). Now Songshan Airport is accessible by the Taipei Metro Neihu Line; Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is not yet accessible by rail but a line is under construction. Both airports are linked to the city by highways.

Demographics

Taipei City is home to 2,607,428 people, while the metropolitan area has a population of 6,776,264 people. The population of the city proper has been decreasing in recent years while the population of the adjacent New Taipei has been increasing. Due to Taipei's geography and location in the Taipei Basin as well as differing times of economic development of its districts, Taipei's population is not evenly distributed. The districts of Daan, Songshan, and Datong are the most densely populated.

In 2008, the crude birth rate stood at 7.88% while the mortality rate stood was at 5.94%. A decreasing and rapidly aging population is an important issue for the city. By the end of 2009, one in ten people in Taipei was over 65 years of age. Residents who had obtained a college education or higher accounted for 43.48% of the population, and the literacy rate stood at 99.18%.

Like the rest of Taiwan, Taipei is composed of four major ethnic groups: Hoklos, Mainlanders, Hakkas, and aborigines. Although Hoklos and Mainlanders form the majority of the population of the city, in recent decades many Hakkas have moved into the city. The aboriginal population in the city stands at 12,862 (<0.5%), concentrated mostly in the suburban districts. Foreigners (mainly from Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines) numbered 52,426 at the end of 2008.

Education

20 universities have campuses located in Taipei:

{| |- | style="vertical-align:top; width:60%;"|

National Taiwan University (1928)

National Chengchi University (1927)

National Taipei University

National Taipei University of Education

National Taiwan University of Science and Technology

National Taipei University of Technology

National Taiwan Normal University (1946)

National Yang Ming University

Taipei National University of the Arts

| valign="top" |

Taipei Municipal University of Education

Tamkang University

Fu Jen University

Soochow University

Chinese Culture University

Ming Chuan University

Shih Hsin University

Shih Chien University

Taipei Medical University

Tatung University

China University of Technology

|}

National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) is Taiwan's oldest university. Originally established in Shanghai in 1896, the University was moved to Taiwan by former Chiao Tung University faculty and alumni in 1958. It is a public university with campuses in both Taipei and Hsinchu.

National Taiwan University (NTU) was established in 1928 during the period of Japanese colonial rule. NTU has produced many political and social leaders in Taiwan. Both pan-blue and pan-green movements in Taiwan are rooted on the NTU campus. The university has six campuses in the greater Taipei region (including New Taipei) and two additional campuses in Nantou County. The University governs farms, forests, and hospitals for educational and research purposes. The main campus is in Taipei's Da-An district, where most department buildings and all the administrative buildings are located. The College of Law and the College of Medicine are located near the Presidential Building. The National Taiwan University Hospital is a leading international center of medical research.

National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU or ''Shida'') likewise traces its origins to the Japanese colonial period. Originally a teacher training institution, NTNU has developed into a comprehensive international university with demanding entrance requirements. The university boasts especially strong programs in the humanities and international education. Worldwide it is perhaps best known as home of the Mandarin Training Center, a program that offers Mandarin language training each year to over a thousand students from dozens of countries throughout the world. The main campus in Taipei's Gutting district is known for its historic architecture and giving its name to the Shida Night Market, one of the most popular among the numerous night markets in Taipei.

Chinese as a Foreign Language

International Chinese Language Program (ICLP) (國際華語研習所) of National Taiwan University

Mandarin Training Center (MTC) (國語教學中心) of National Taiwan Normal University

Taipei Language Institute (中華語文研習所)

Sports

Due to Taiwan being under American and Japanese influence over the years, the sports of baseball in particular and basketball have become popular in the city. Taipei, like the rest of the country, has featured most prominently in baseball and has often been the venue for the Asian Baseball Championship since the 1960s.

Major sporting events

Below is a list of recent sporting events hosted by the city:

2001 Asian Baseball Championship

2001 Baseball World Cup

2001 AFC Women's Championship

2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship

2007 Baseball World Cup

2009 Summer Deaflympics

The Taipei Arena is located in the city home to baseball with a capacity of over 15,000. It is located at the site of the former Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium (demolished in 2000). Designed by Archasia, the arena was opened on December 1, 2005. Since opening in 2005, the arena has held more art and cultural activities (such as live concerts) than sporting events, which it was originally designed and built for.

The main arena has an adjustable floor space: its minimum floor space is , and can be extended to . The Chinese Taipei Ice Hockey League (CIHL) plays out of the auxiliary arena, which is a ice skating rink.

Taipei has the only football-specific stadium in Taiwan, Zhongshan Soccer Stadium, which hosts the national football team. It hosts qualifiers for the FIFA World and AFC regional cups, and finals of school football tournaments. Since there are no professional football leagues in Taiwan, no other sporting events are held there.

Professional baseball

The Brother Elephants baseball team competes in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). Its home games are played in Sinjhuang Baseball Stadium.

Youth baseball

In 2010, a Taipei baseball team — Chung-Ching Junior Little League — won the Junior League World Series, after winning the Asia-Pacific Region, then defeating the Mexico Region and Latin America Region champions to become the International champion, and finally defeating the U.S. champion (Southwest Region), Rose Capital East LL (Tyler, Texas), 9-1.

Media

As the capital, Taipei City is the headquarters for many television and radio stations in Taiwan and the center of some of the country's largest newspapers.

Television

Television stations centred in Taipei include the CTS Education and Culture, CTS Recreation, CTV MyLife, CTV News Channel, China Television, Chinese Television System, Chung T'ien Television, Dimo TV, Eastern Television, Era Television, FTV News, Follow Me TV, Formosa TV, Gala Television, Public Television Service, SET Metro, SET News, SET Taiwan, Sanlih E-Television, Shuang Xing, TTV Family, TTV Finance, TTV World, TVBS, TVBS-G, TVBS-NEWS, Taiwan Broadcasting System, Videoland Television Network and Taiwan Television.

Newspapers

Newspapers include Apple Daily, Central Daily News, The China Post, China Times, Kinmen Daily News, Liberty Times, Mandarin Daily News, Matsu Daily, Min Sheng Bao, Sharp Daily, Taipei Times, Taiwan Daily, Taiwan News, Taiwan Times and United Daily News.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Taipei is twinned with:

{| |- | style="vertical-align:top; width:37%;"| Houston, Texas, United States (1961) Lomé, Togo (1966) Manila, Philippines (1966) Cotonou, Benin (1967) Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (1968) Quezon City, Philippines (1968) Seoul, South Korea (1968) San Francisco, California, United States (1970) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (1970) Guam, United States (1973) Cleveland, Ohio, United States (1975) Tegucigalpa, Honduras (1975) Indianapolis, Indiana, United States (1978) Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (1978) Marshall, Texas, United States (1978) Atlanta, Georgia, United States (1979) | style="vertical-align:top; width:33%;"| Los Angeles, California, United States (1979) Phoenix, Arizona, United States (1979) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States (1981) Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia (1982) Johannesburg, South Africa (1982) Pretoria, South Africa (1983) Lilongwe, Malawi (1984) San José, Costa Rica (1984) Versailles, France (1986) Asunción, Paraguay (1987) Panama City, Panama (1989) Managua, Nicaragua (1992) San Salvador, El Salvador (1993) Warsaw, Poland (1995) Ulan-Ude, Russia (1996) Banjul, Gambia (1997) | style="vertical-align:top; width:29%;"| Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (1997) Boston, Massachusetts, United States (1997) Dakar, Senegal (1997) Dallas, Texas, United States (1997) La Paz, Bolivia (1997) Mbabane, Swaziland (1997) San Nicolás, Mexico (1997) Ulan Bator, Mongolia (1997) Guatemala City, Guatemala (1998) Majuro, Marshall Islands (1998) Monrovia, Liberia (1998) Vilnius, Lithuania (1998) Riga, Latvia (2001) Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (2008) Daegu, South Korea (2010) |}

Partner city

Anchorage, Alaska, United States (1997)

Friendship cities

Perth, Western Australia, Australia (1999) Orange County, California, United States (2000)

Gallery

See also

List of districts of Taipei by area

List of districts of Taipei by population

List of districts of Taipei by population density

List of most expensive cities for expatriate employees (#61 in the world)

List of schools in Taipei

Notes

External links

Taipei City Government official website

Taipeipedia - a city wiki for foreigners

Taipei Travel Net

Taipei Night View

Taipei Atis Web

Taipei e-services

Discovery Taipei

Healthy Taipei City

List of Sister Cities from the official site

Taipei City Council

National Theater and Concert Hall

Taipei Expat, featuring directory and expat social network

Taipei City Go

{{s-ttl|title=Capital of the Republic of China |years=1949–present}}

Category:Capitals in Asia Category:Populated places established in 1884

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Coordinates	29°57′53″N90°4′14″N
name	Steve Jobs
birth name	Steven Paul Jobs
birth date	February 24, 1955
birth place
death date	October 05, 2011
death place
occupation	Chairman, Apple Inc.
Boards	The Walt Disney Company, Apple, Inc.
alma mater	Reed College (one semester in 1972)
networth	$8.3 billion (2011)
religion	Buddhism
spouse	Laurene Powell Jobs(m. 1991–2011; his death)
children	4
signature	Firma de Steve Jobs.svg
relatives	Mona Simpson (sister)
website	}}

Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American computer entrepreneur and inventor. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Jobs also previously served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney. He was credited in ''Toy Story'' (1995) as an executive producer.

In the late 1970s, Jobs, with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Mike Markkula, and others, designed, developed, and marketed one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers, the Apple II series. In the early 1980s, Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential of Xerox PARC's mouse-driven graphical user interface, which led to the creation of the Macintosh. After losing a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985, Jobs resigned from Apple and founded NeXT, a computer platform development company specializing in the higher-education and business markets. Apple's subsequent 1996 buyout of NeXT brought Jobs back to the company he co-founded, and he served as its CEO from 1997 until 2011.

In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd which was spun off as Pixar Animation Studios. He remained CEO and majority shareholder at 50.1 percent until its acquisition by The Walt Disney company in 2006. Consequently Jobs became Disney's largest individual shareholder at 7 percent and a member of Disney's Board of Directors.

On August 24, 2011, Jobs announced his resignation from his role as Apple's CEO. In his letter of resignation, Jobs strongly recommended that the Apple executive succession plan be followed and Tim Cook be named as his successor. Per his request, Jobs was appointed chairman of Apple's board of directors. On October 5, 2011, Apple announced that Jobs had died. He was 56 years old. His aim, to develop products that are both functional and elegant, had earned him a devoted following.

Early years

Jobs was born in San Francisco and was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs (née Hagopian) of Mountain View, California. Paul and Clara later adopted a daughter, Patti. Jobs' biological parents – Abdulfattah John Jandali, a Syrian immigrant to the U.S. who later became a political science professor, and Joanne Schieble (later Simpson), an American graduate student who went on to become a speech language pathologist – eventually married. Together, they gave birth to and raised Jobs' biological sister, novelist Mona Simpson.

Jobs attended Cupertino Junior High and Homestead High School in Cupertino, California. He frequented after-school lectures at the Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto, California and was later hired there, working with Steve Wozniak as a summer employee. Following high school graduation in 1972, Jobs enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Although he dropped out after only one semester, he continued auditing classes at Reed, while sleeping on the floor in friends' rooms, returning Coke bottles for food money, and getting weekly free meals at the local Hare Krishna temple. Jobs later said, "If I had never dropped in on that single calligraphy course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts."

In autumn 1974, Jobs returned to California and began attending meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club with Wozniak. He took a job as a technician at Atari, a manufacturer of popular video games, with the primary intent of saving money for a spiritual retreat to India.

Jobs then traveled to India to visit the Neem Karoli Baba at his Kainchi Ashram with a Reed College friend (and, later, the first Apple employee), Daniel Kottke, in search of spiritual enlightenment. He came back a Buddhist with his head shaved and wearing traditional Indian clothing. During this time, Jobs experimented with psychedelics, calling his LSD experiences "one of the two or three most important things [he had] done in [his] life". He later said that people around him who did not share his countercultural roots could not fully relate to his thinking.

Jobs returned to his previous job at Atari and was given the task of creating a circuit board for the game ''Breakout''. According to Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, Atari had offered $100 for each chip that was eliminated in the machine. Jobs had little interest or knowledge in circuit board design and made a deal with Wozniak to split the bonus evenly between them if Wozniak could minimize the number of chips. Much to the amazement of Atari, Wozniak reduced the number of chips by 50, a design so tight that it was impossible to reproduce on an assembly line. At the time, Jobs told Wozniak that Atari had only given them $700 (instead of the actual $5,000) and that Wozniak's share was thus $350.

Career

Beginnings of Apple Computer

In 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, with later funding from a then-semi-retired Intel product-marketing manager and engineer A.C. "Mike" Markkula Jr., founded Apple. Prior to co-founding Apple, Wozniak was an electronics hacker. Jobs and Wozniak had been friends for several years, having met in 1971, when their mutual friend, Bill Fernandez, introduced 21-year-old Wozniak to 16-year-old Jobs. Steve Jobs managed to interest Wozniak in assembling a computer and selling it. As Apple continued to expand, the company began looking for an experienced executive to help manage its expansion.

In 1978, Apple recruited Mike Scott from National Semiconductor to serve as CEO for what turned out to be several turbulent years. In 1983, Steve Jobs lured John Sculley away from Pepsi-Cola to serve as Apple's CEO, asking, "Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?" The following year, Apple aired a Super Bowl television commercial titled "1984". At Apple's annual shareholders meeting on January 24, 1984, an emotional Jobs introduced the Macintosh to a wildly enthusiastic audience; Andy Hertzfeld described the scene as "pandemonium". The Macintosh became the first commercially successful small computer with a graphical user interface. The development of the Mac was started by Jef Raskin, and eventually taken over by Jobs.

While Jobs was a persuasive and charismatic director for Apple, some of his employees from that time had described him as an erratic and temperamental manager. An industry-wide sales slump towards the end of 1984 caused a deterioration in Jobs's working relationship with Sculley, and at the end of May 1985 – following an internal power struggle and an announcement of significant layoffs because of disappointing sales at the time – Sculley relieved Jobs of his duties as head of the Macintosh division. He later claimed that being fired from Apple was the best thing that could happen to him; "The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life."

NeXT Computer

Around the same time, Jobs founded another computer company, NeXT Computer. Like the Apple Lisa, the NeXT workstation was technologically advanced; however, it was largely dismissed by industry as cost-prohibitive. Among those who could afford it, however, the NeXT workstation garnered a strong following because of its technical strengths, chief among them its object-oriented software development system. Jobs marketed NeXT products to the scientific and academic fields because of the innovative, experimental new technologies it incorporated (such as the Mach kernel, the digital signal processor chip, and the built-in Ethernet port).

The NeXTcube was described by Jobs as an "interpersonal" computer, which he believed was the next step after "personal" computing. That is, if computers could allow people to communicate and collaborate together in an easy way, it would solve many of the problems that "personal" computing had come up against.

During a time when e-mail for most people was plain text, Jobs loved to demo the NeXT's e-mail system, NeXTMail, as an example of his "interpersonal" philosophy. NeXTMail was one of the first to support universally visible, clickable embedded graphics and audio within e-mail.

Jobs ran NeXT with an obsession for aesthetic perfection, as evidenced by such things as the NeXTcube's magnesium case. This put considerable strain on NeXT's hardware division, and in 1993, after having sold only 50,000 machines, NeXT transitioned fully to software development with the release of NeXTSTEP/Intel.

Pixar and Disney

In 1986, Jobs bought The Graphics Group (later renamed Pixar) from Lucasfilm's computer graphics division for the price of $10 million, $5 million of which was given to the company as capital.

The new company, which was originally based at Lucasfilm's Kerner Studios in San Rafael, California, but has since relocated to Emeryville, California, was initially intended to be a high-end graphics hardware developer. After years of unprofitability selling the Pixar Image Computer, it contracted with Disney to produce a number of computer-animated feature films, which Disney would co-finance and distribute.

The first film produced by the partnership, ''Toy Story'', brought fame and critical acclaim to the studio when it was released in 1995. Over the next 15 years, under Pixar's creative chief John Lasseter, the company would produce the box-office hits ''A Bug's Life'' (1998), ''Toy Story 2'' (1999), ''Monsters, Inc.'' (2001), ''Finding Nemo'' (2003), ''The Incredibles'' (2004), ''Cars'' (2006), ''Ratatouille'' (2007), ''WALL-E'' (2008), ''Up'' (2009) and ''Toy Story 3'' (2010). ''Finding Nemo'', ''The Incredibles'', ''Ratatouille'', ''WALL-E'', ''Up'' and ''Toy Story 3'' each received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, an award introduced in 2001.

In the years 2003 and 2004, as Pixar's contract with Disney was running out, Jobs and Disney chief executive Michael Eisner tried but failed to negotiate a new partnership, and in early 2004 Jobs announced that Pixar would seek a new partner to distribute its films once its contract with Disney expired.

In October 2005, Bob Iger replaced Eisner at Disney, and Iger quickly worked to patch up relations with Jobs and Pixar. On January 24, 2006, Jobs and Iger announced that Disney had agreed to purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. Once the deal closed, Jobs became The Walt Disney Company's largest single shareholder with approximately 7% of the company's stock. Jobs's holdings in Disney far exceed those of Eisner, who holds 1.7%, and of Disney family member Roy E. Disney, who until his 2009 death held about 1% of the company's stock and whose criticisms of Eisner – especially that he soured Disney's relationship with Pixar – accelerated Eisner's ousting. Jobs joined the company's board of directors upon completion of the merger. Jobs also helped oversee Disney and Pixar's combined animation businesses with a seat on a special six person steering committee.

Return to Apple

In 1996, Apple announced that it would buy NeXT for $429 million. The deal was finalized in late 1996, bringing Jobs back to the company he had co-founded. Jobs became ''de facto'' chief after then-CEO Gil Amelio was ousted in July. He was formally named interim chief executive in September 1997. In March 1998, to concentrate Apple's efforts on returning to profitability, Jobs terminated a number of projects, such as Newton, Cyberdog, and OpenDoc. In the coming months, many employees developed a fear of encountering Jobs while riding in the elevator, "afraid that they might not have a job when the doors opened. The reality was that Jobs' summary executions were rare, but a handful of victims was enough to terrorize a whole company." Jobs also changed the licensing program for Macintosh clones, making it too costly for the manufacturers to continue making machines.

With the purchase of NeXT, much of the company's technology found its way into Apple products, most notably NeXTSTEP, which evolved into Mac OS X. Under Jobs's guidance the company increased sales significantly with the introduction of the iMac and other new products; since then, appealing designs and powerful branding have worked well for Apple. At the 2000 Macworld Expo, Jobs officially dropped the "interim" modifier from his title at Apple and became permanent CEO. Jobs quipped at the time that he would be using the title 'iCEO.'

The company subsequently branched out, introducing and improving upon other digital appliances. With the introduction of the iPod portable music player, iTunes digital music software, and the iTunes Store, the company made forays into consumer electronics and music distribution. On June 29, 2007, Apple entered the cellular phone business with the introduction of the iPhone, a multi-touch display cell phone, which also included the features of an iPod and, with its own mobile browser, revolutionized the mobile browsing scene. While stimulating innovation, Jobs also reminded his employees that "real artists ship", by which he meant that delivering working products on time is as important as innovation and attractive design.

Jobs was both admired and criticized for his consummate skill at persuasion and salesmanship, which has been dubbed the "reality distortion field" and was particularly evident during his keynote speeches (colloquially known as "Stevenotes") at Macworld Expos and at Apple's own Worldwide Developers Conferences.

In 2005, Jobs responded to criticism of Apple's poor recycling programs for e-waste in the U.S. by lashing out at environmental and other advocates at Apple's Annual Meeting in Cupertino in April. However, a few weeks later, Apple announced it would take back iPods for free at its retail stores. The Computer TakeBack Campaign responded by flying a banner from a plane over the Stanford University graduation at which Jobs was the commencement speaker. The banner read "Steve — Don't be a mini-player recycle all e-waste". In 2006, he further expanded Apple's recycling programs to any U.S. customer who buys a new Mac. This program includes shipping and "environmentally friendly disposal" of their old systems.

Resignation

In August 2011, Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple, but remained at the company as chairman of the company's board. Hours after the announcement, Apple Inc. (AAPL) shares dropped 5% in after-hour trading. The relatively small drop, when considering the importance of Jobs to Apple, was associated with the fact that Jobs' health had been in the news for several years, and he was on medical leave since January 2011. It was believed, according to ''Forbes'', that the impact would be felt in a negative way beyond Apple, including at The Walt Disney Company where Jobs served as director. In after-hour trading on the day of the announcement, Walt Disney Co. (DIS) shares dropped 1.5%.

Business life

Wealth

Even though Jobs earned only $1 a year as CEO of Apple, he held 5.426 million Apple shares, as well as 138 million shares in Disney (which he had received in exchange for Disney's acquisition of Pixar). ''Forbes'' estimated his net wealth at $8.3 billion in 2010, making him the 42nd wealthiest American.

Stock options backdating issue

In 2001, Steve Jobs was granted stock options in the amount of 7.5 million shares of Apple with an exercise price of $18.30, which allegedly should have been $21.10, thereby incurring taxable income of $20,000,000 that he did not report as income. This indicated backdating. Apple overstated its earnings by that same amount. If found liable, Jobs might have faced a number of criminal charges and civil penalties. Apple claimed that the options were originally granted at a special board meeting. Furthermore, the investigation is focusing on false dating of the options resulting in a retroactive $20 million increase in the exercise price. The case is the subject of active criminal and civil government investigations, though an independent internal Apple investigation completed on December 29, 2006, found that Jobs was unaware of these issues and that the options granted to him were returned without being exercised in 2003. On July 1, 2008, a $7 billion class action suit was filed against several members of the Apple Board of Directors for revenue lost due to the alleged securities fraud.

Management style

Much was made of Jobs' aggressive and demanding personality. ''Fortune'' wrote that he was "considered one of Silicon Valley's leading egomaniacs". Commentaries on his temperamental style can be found in Mike Moritz's ''The Little Kingdom'', one of the few authorized biographies of Jobs; ''The Second Coming of Steve Jobs,'' by Alan Deutschman; and ''iCon: Steve Jobs'', by Jeffrey S. Young & William L. Simon. In 1993, Jobs made Fortune's list of America's Toughest Bosses in regard to his leadership of NeXT. Cofounder Dan'l Lewin was quoted in Fortune as saying of that period, "The highs were unbelievable . . . [b]ut the lows were unimaginable," to which Jobs's office replied that his personality had changed since then.

Jef Raskin, a former colleague, once said that Jobs "would have made an excellent king of France," alluding to Jobs' compelling and larger-than-life persona.

Jobs always aspired to position Apple and its products at the forefront of the information technology industry by foreseeing and setting trends, at least in innovation and style. He summed up that self-concept at the end of his keynote speech at the Macworld Conference and Expo in January 2007 by quoting ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky:

Floyd Norman said that at Pixar, Jobs was a "mature, mellow individual" and never interfered with the creative process of the filmmakers.

In 2005, Steve Jobs banned all books published by John Wiley & Sons from Apple Stores in response to their publishing an unauthorized biography, ''iCon: Steve Jobs''. In its 2010 annual earnings report, Wiley said it had "closed a deal ... to make its titles available for the iPad."

Inventions

Jobs is listed as either primary inventor or co-inventor in 338 US patents or patent applications related to a range of technologies from actual computer and portable devices to user interfaces (including touch-based), speakers, keyboards, power adapters, staircases, clasps, sleeves, lanyards and packages.

Philanthropy

After Bloomberg accidentally published Jobs' obituary in 2008, Arik Hesseldahl of BusinessWeek magazine noted that "Jobs isn't widely known for his association with philanthropic causes", compared to Bill Gates' efforts. After resuming control of Apple in 1997, Jobs eliminated all corporate philanthropy programs.

Personal life

Jobs married Laurene Powell, on March 18, 1991. Presiding over the wedding was the Zen Buddhist monk Kobun Chino Otogawa. The couple have a son and two daughters. Jobs also has a daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs (born 1978), from his relationship with Bay Area painter Chrisann Brennan. She briefly raised their daughter on welfare when Jobs denied paternity by claiming he was sterile; he later acknowledged Lisa as his daughter.

In the unauthorized biography, ''The Second Coming of Steve Jobs,'' author Alan Deutschman reports that Jobs once dated Joan Baez. Deutschman quotes Elizabeth Holmes, a friend of Jobs from his time at Reed College, as saying she "believed that Steve became the lover of Joan Baez in large measure because Baez had been the lover of Bob Dylan." In another unauthorized biography, ''iCon: Steve Jobs'' by Jeffrey S. Young & William L. Simon, the authors suggest that Jobs might have married Baez, but her age at the time (41) meant it was unlikely the couple could have children.

Jobs was also a fan of The Beatles. He referred to them on multiple occasions at Keynotes and also was interviewed on a showing of a Paul McCartney concert. When asked about his business model on ''60 Minutes'', he replied:

In 1982, Jobs bought an apartment in The San Remo, an apartment building in New York City with a politically progressive reputation, where Demi Moore, Steven Spielberg, Steve Martin, and Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of Rita Hayworth, also had apartments. With the help of I.M. Pei, Jobs spent years renovating his apartment in the top two floors of the building's north tower, only to sell it almost two decades later to U2 singer Bono. Jobs had never moved in.

In 1984, Jobs purchased a , 14-bedroom Spanish Colonial mansion, designed by George Washington Smith, in Woodside, California (also known as Jackling House). Although it reportedly remained in an almost unfurnished state, Jobs lived in the mansion for almost ten years. According to reports, he kept an old BMW motorcycle in the living room, and let Bill Clinton use it in 1998. From the early 1990s, Jobs lived in a house in the Old Palo Alto neighborhood of Palo Alto. President Clinton dined with Jobs and 14 Silicon Valley CEOs there on August 7, 1996 on a meal catered by Greens Restaurant. Clinton returned the favor and Jobs, who was a Democratic donor, slept in the Lincoln bedroom of the White House.

Jobs allowed Jackling House to fall into a state of disrepair, planning to demolish the house and build a smaller home on the property; but he met with complaints from local preservationists over his plans. In June 2004, the Woodside Town Council gave Jobs approval to demolish the mansion, on the condition that he advertise the property for a year to see if someone would move it to another location and restore it. A number of people expressed interest, including several with experience in restoring old property, but no agreements to that effect were reached. Later that same year, a local preservationist group began seeking legal action to prevent demolition. In January 2007 Jobs was denied the right to demolish the property, by a court decision. The court decision was overturned on appeal in March 2010 and the mansion was demolished beginning February 2011.

Jobs usually wore a black long-sleeved mock turtleneck made by St. Croix, Levi's 501 blue jeans, and New Balance 991 sneakers. He was a pescetarian, one whose diet includes fish but no other meat.

His car was a silver 2008 Mercedes SL 55 AMG, which does not display its license plates.

Jobs had a public war of words with Dell Computer CEO Michael Dell, starting when Jobs first criticized Dell for making "un-innovative beige boxes". On October 6, 1997, in a Gartner Symposium, when Michael Dell was asked what he would do if he owned then-troubled Apple Computer, he said "I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders." In 2006, Steve Jobs sent an email to all employees when Apple's market capitalization rose above Dell's. The email read:

Illness and death

In mid-2004, Jobs announced to his employees that he had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his pancreas. The prognosis for pancreatic cancer is usually very poor; Jobs, however, stated that he had a rare, far less aggressive type known as islet cell neuroendocrine tumor. After initially resisting the idea of conventional medical intervention and embarking on a special diet to thwart the disease, Jobs underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy (or "Whipple procedure") in July 2004 that appeared to successfully remove the tumor. Jobs apparently did not require nor receive chemotherapy or radiation therapy. During Jobs' absence, Timothy D. Cook, head of worldwide sales and operations at Apple, ran the company.

In early August 2006, Jobs delivered the keynote for Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference. His "thin, almost gaunt" appearance and unusually "listless" delivery, together with his choice to delegate significant portions of his keynote to other presenters, inspired a flurry of media and Internet speculation about his health. In contrast, according to an ''Ars Technica'' journal report, WWDC attendees who saw Jobs in person said he "looked fine". Following the keynote, an Apple spokesperson said that "Steve's health is robust."

Two years later, similar concerns followed Jobs' 2008 WWDC keynote address. Apple officials stated Jobs was victim to a "common bug" and was taking antibiotics, while others surmised his cachectic appearance was due to the Whipple procedure. During a July conference call discussing Apple earnings, participants responded to repeated questions about Steve Jobs' health by insisting that it was a "private matter". Others, however, voiced the opinion that shareholders had a right to know more, given Jobs' hands-on approach to running his company. The ''New York Times'' published an article based on an off-the-record phone conversation with Jobs, noting that "while his health issues have amounted to a good deal more than 'a common bug,' they weren't life-threatening and he doesn't have a recurrence of cancer."

On August 28, 2008, Bloomberg mistakenly published a 2500-word obituary of Jobs in its corporate news service, containing blank spaces for his age and cause of death. (News carriers customarily stockpile up-to-date obituaries to facilitate news delivery in the event of a well-known figure's untimely death.) Although the error was promptly rectified, many news carriers and blogs reported on it, intensifying rumors concerning Jobs' health. Jobs responded at Apple's September 2008 ''Let's Rock'' keynote by quoting Mark Twain: "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." At a subsequent media event, Jobs concluded his presentation with a slide reading "110/70", referring to his blood pressure, stating he would not address further questions about his health.

On December 16, 2008, Apple announced that marketing vice-president Phil Schiller would deliver the company's final keynote address at the Macworld Conference and Expo 2009, again reviving questions about Jobs' health. In a statement given on January 5, 2009 on Apple.com, Jobs said that he had been suffering from a "hormone imbalance" for several months. On January 14, 2009, in an internal Apple memo, Jobs wrote that in the previous week he had "learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought" and announced a six-month leave of absence until the end of June 2009 to allow him to better focus on his health. Tim Cook, who had previously acted as CEO in Jobs' 2004 absence, became acting CEO of Apple, with Jobs still involved with "major strategic decisions."

In April 2009, Jobs underwent a liver transplant at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in Memphis, Tennessee. Jobs' prognosis was "excellent".

On January 17, 2011, a year and a half after Jobs returned from his liver transplant, Apple announced that he had been granted a medical leave of absence. Jobs announced his leave in a letter to employees, stating his decision was made "so he could focus on his health". As during his 2009 medical leave, Apple announced that Tim Cook would run day-to-day operations and that Jobs would continue to be involved in major strategic decisions at the company. Despite the leave, he made appearances at the iPad 2 launch event (March 2), the WWDC keynote introducing iCloud (June 6), and before the Cupertino city council (June 7).

Jobs announced his resignation from his role as Apple's CEO on August 24, 2011. In his resignation letter, Jobs wrote that he could "no longer meet [his] duties and expectations as Apple's CEO".

On October 5, 2011, his family, in a statement, said Jobs "died peacefully today surrounded by his family . . ."

Apple released a separate statement saying that Jobs had died. The statement read "We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts."

Also on October 5, 2011, Apple's corporate website greeted visitors with a simple page showing Jobs's name and lifespan next to his greyscale portrait. Clicking on Jobs's image led to an obituary that read "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple." An email address was also posted for the public to share their memories, condolences, and thoughts.

Jobs is survived by his wife, Laurene, to whom he was married for 20 years, their three children, and a fourth child, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, from a previous relationship.

Statements on Jobs' death

Statements reacting to Jobs' death were released by notable people in the US, including U.S. President Barack Obama, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Walt Disney Company's Bob Iger, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Wired collected reactions and posted them in tribute on their homepage.

Excerpts from President Barack Obama's statement:

Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it. By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.

Bill Gates released a statement saying:

I'm truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs' death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work. Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.

Walt Disney Company president Bob Iger said in regards to Jobs:

Steve Jobs was a great friend as well as a trusted advisor. His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built. It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined. Steve was such an "original," with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started. With his passing the world has lost a rare original, Disney has lost a member of our family, and I have lost a great friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Laurene and his children during this difficult time.

Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page:

Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.

American director Steven Spielberg said: "Steve Jobs was the greatest inventor since Thomas Edison. He put the world at our fingertips."

Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen said: "We've lost a unique tech pioneer and auteur who knew how to make amazingly great products. Steve fought a long battle against tough odds in a very brave way. He kept doing amazing things in the face of all that adversity. As someone who has had his own medical challenges, I couldn't help but be encouraged by how he persevered."

Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak said : "People sometimes have goals in life. Steve Jobs exceeded every goal he set himself."

Honors

Jobs was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 with Steve Wozniak (among the first people to ever receive the honor), and a Jefferson Award for Public Service in the category "Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under" (a.k.a. the ''Samuel S. Beard Award'') in 1987. On November 27, 2007, Jobs was named the most powerful person in business by ''Fortune Magazine''. On December 5, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Jobs into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.

In August 2009, Jobs was selected as the most admired entrepreneur among teenagers in a survey by Junior Achievement. On November 5, 2009, Jobs was named the CEO of the decade by ''Fortune Magazine''. In September 2011, Jobs was ranked No.17 on Forbes: The World's Most Powerful People. In December 2010, the ''Financial Times'' named Jobs its person of the year for 2010, ending its essay by stating, "In his autobiography, John Sculley, the former PepsiCo executive who once ran Apple, said this of the ambitions of the man he had pushed out: 'Apple was supposed to become a wonderful consumer products company. This was a lunatic plan. High-tech could not be designed and sold as a consumer product.' How wrong can you be".

In popular culture

Due to his youth, great wealth, and charisma, after Apple's founding Jobs became a symbol of his company and industry. When ''Time'' named the computer as the 1982 "Machine of the Year", it published a long profile of him as "the most famous maestro of the micro". In 2011 Jobs was voted Best Business Entrepreneur On Earth. Jobs was prominently featured in four productions about the history of the personal computing industry:

''Triumph of the Nerds'' – a 1996 three-part documentary for PBS, about the rise of the home computer/personal computer.

''Nerds 2.0.1'' – a 1998 three-part documentary for PBS, (and sequel to ''Triumph of the Nerds'') which chronicles the development of the Internet.

''Pirates of Silicon Valley'' – a 1999 docudrama which chronicles the rise of Apple and Microsoft. He was portrayed by Noah Wyle.

''The Machine that Changed the World (1992)'' – Part 3 of this 5 part documentary, called ''The Paperback Computer'', prominently featured Jobs and his role in the early days of Apple.

After his resignation as Apple's CEO, Jobs was characterized as the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford of his time.

Notes

References

Bantam Doubleday Dell. ISBN 0-385-48684-7. Chapter 28

External links

Steve Jobs' executive profile at Apple.

YouTube video of first Jobs' Macworld keynote in 1997, when he returned to Apple, where he announced partnership with Microsoft.

Jobs's commencement address at Stanford University, June 12, 2005 (YouTube video).

"Thoughts on Music" by Steve Jobs, February 6, 2007.

"Thoughts on Flash" by Steve Jobs, April, 2010.

Bloomberg Game Changers: Steve Jobs A 48 minute video on Steve Jobs by Bloomberg

Profile at ''Forbes''

Articles

"Thirty Years of Innovation at Apple: Jobs on the Job". ''Time''. 2007.

Anecdotes from Steve Jobs' early days in Apple as reported by Andy Hertzfeld. Folklore.org.

Interviews

Steve Jobs in 1994: The Rolling Stone Interview, ''Rolling Stone'' – 1994, republished January 17, 2011. Archived URL

 — April 20, 1995.

The Seed of Apple's Innovation, ''BusinessWeek'' — October 12, 2004.

How Big Can Apple Get?, ''Fortune'' — February 21, 2005.

, ''Newsweek'' — October 15, 2006.

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs (video and transcript of on stage interview), ''All Things D'' – May 30, 2007.

Videotaped Deposition of Steven P. Jobs in front of the Securities and Exchange Commission  – March 18, 2008

Interview with Abdulfattah "John" Jandali, Job's biological father, by Mohannad Al-Haj Ali, published in ''Al Hayat'' ''Ya Liban'', February 28, 2011

Category:1955 births Category:2011 deaths Category:American adoptees Category:American billionaires Category:American chief executives Category:American people of Syrian descent Category:American Zen Buddhists Category:Apple Inc. employees Category:Articles with inconsistent citation formats Category:Businesspeople from California Category:Businesspeople in software Category:Computer designers Category:Computer pioneers Category:Disney people Category:Internet pioneers Category:National Medal of Technology recipients Category:NeXT Category:Organ transplant recipients Category:People from the San Francisco Bay Area Category:Pescetarians Category:Reed College alumni

af:Steve Jobs ar:ستيف جوبز as:ষ্টীভ জবচ ast:Steve Jobs az:Stiv Cobs bn:স্টিভ জবস zh-min-nan:Steve Jobs be:Стыў Джобс be-x-old:Стыў Джобс bs:Steve Jobs bg:Стив Джобс ca:Steve Jobs cs:Steve Jobs cy:Steve Jobs da:Steve Jobs de:Steve Jobs et:Steve Jobs el:Στηβ Τζομπς es:Steve Jobs eo:Steve Jobs eu:Steve Jobs fa:استیو جابز fr:Steve Jobs fy:Steve Jobs ga:Steve Jobs gd:Steve Jobs gl:Steve Jobs ko:스티브 잡스 hy:Սթիվ Ջոբս hi:स्टीव जाब्स hr:Steve Jobs io:Steve Jobs id:Steve Jobs is:Steve Jobs it:Steve Jobs he:סטיב ג'ובס jv:Steve Jobs kn:ಸ್ಟೀವ್ ಜಾಬ್ಸ್ ka:სტივ ჯობსი kk:Стив Джобс sw:Steve Jobs la:Stephanus Jobs lv:Stīvs Džobss lb:Steve Jobs lt:Steve Jobs li:Steve Jobs lmo:Steve Jobs hu:Steve Jobs mk:Стив Џобс ml:സ്റ്റീവ് ജോബ്സ് mr:स्टीव्ह जॉब्स ms:Steve Jobs my:စတိဂျော့ nl:Steve Jobs new:स्टीभ जब्स ja:スティーブ・ジョブズ no:Steve Jobs nn:Steve Jobs oc:Steve Jobs uz:Steve Jobs pl:Steve Jobs pt:Steve Jobs ro:Steve Jobs ru:Джобс, Стив sa:स्टीव जाब्स sco:Steve Jobs simple:Steve Jobs sk:Steve Jobs sl:Steve Jobs sr:Стив Џобс sh:Steve Jobs fi:Steve Jobs sv:Steve Jobs tl:Steve Jobs ta:ஸ்டீவ் ஜொப்ஸ் te:స్టీవ్ జాబ్స్ th:สตีฟ จอบส์ tr:Steve Jobs uk:Стів Джобс ur:سٹیو جابز vec:Steve Jobs vi:Steve Jobs war:Steve Jobs yi:סטיוו זשאבס yo:Steve Jobs zh-yue:喬布斯 zh:史蒂夫·乔布斯

Coordinates	29°57′53″N90°4′14″N
name	Russell Howard
birth name	Russell Joseph Howard
birth date	March 23, 1980
birth place	Bath, England
medium	Stand up, Television, Radio
nationality	English
active	2004–present
genre	Social satire, Observational comedy, Absurdist humour
subject	Everyday life, politics, Current events, family
notable work	The Milk Run, Mock the Week, Russell Howard's Good News
website
footnotes	}}

Russell Joseph Howard (born 23 March 1980) is an English comedian, best known for his shows ''Russell Howard's Good News'', and was a permanent panelist on ''Mock The Week''. He won "Best Compère" at the 2006 Chortle Awards and was nominated for an if.comedy award for his 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, ''Wandering''.

Career

TV and radio work

In 2004 he was commissioned by BBC Radio 1 to write, sing and perform on the comedy series, ''The Milk Run'' and he has also appeared on the shows ''Banter'', hosted by Andrew Collins, and ''Political Animal'' for BBC Radio 4.

He was a regular on British topical panel show ''Mock the Week''. He has also made appearances on ''8 Out Of 10 Cats'', ''Would I Lie To You?'', ''Live At The Apollo'', ''The Secret Policeman's Ball 2008'', ''Law of the Playground'' and ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' (Series 18, Episode 2 and Series 20, Episode 4).

He was one of several comedians picked as the best comedy talent from the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe that recorded 10–15-minute spots for the 'Edinburgh and Beyond show' which was aired on Paramount Comedy 1 in the autumn of 2006. The show was filmed at The Bloomsbury Theatre. From 2009 he took over as compère of this show from Al Murray.

From November 2006 to July 2008, Russell co-hosted ''The Russell Howard Show'' on BBC 6 Music with fellow comedian Jon Richardson in a Sunday morning slot previously hosted by Russell Brand. The show continued to air, without Howard, until March 2010. He has since explained that his main reason for leaving the show was that he finds radio "really restrictive" and "I feed off the audience as a performer, but you can't gauge a reaction on the radio."

Russell was commissioned to make a comedy show called ''Russell Howard's Good News'', aimed at under-25s, for BBC Three. The first episode aired on 22 October 2009 and the show ran for seven episodes as well as a "Best Of" show and a Christmas Special. It went on to become BBC Three's highest ever rating entertainment series. In the show, he gave his take on the week's major news stories, as well as giving attention to some of the more light-hearted stories of the week. Two more series of the show were commissioned, with the second series starting on March 25, 2010. A fourth series began on 24 March 2011 on BBC Three.

He made his United States television debut on the August 3, 2011 episode of ''Conan''.

Charity work

He appeared at Friends of the Earth's LIVEstock 1993 comedy and music event at the Hammersmith Apollo in support of the green campaign group's Food Chain Campaign for planet-friendly farming, in 12 November 2009.

For Sport Relief 2010 he took part in the BT Sport Relief Million Pound Bike Ride, with David Walliams, Jimmy Carr, Fearne Cotton, Miranda Hart, Patrick Kielty, and Davina McCall. They cycled from John O'Groats in Scotland to Land's End in 4 days trying to raise 1 million pounds.

In April 2010, Howard ran the Virgin London Marathon for the first time with both his brother and sister, to raise money for the National Society for Epilepsy – a condition from which his brother suffers. He completed the 26 mile course in 4 hours and 15 minutes, beating his target time of 5 hours. Sponsorship has raised over £7,000 to date.

Live comedy

A show from his 2007 ''Adventures'' tour was released on DVD on 17 November 2008, under the title "Russell Howard Live". The show on the DVD was recorded at The Bloomsbury Theatre.

Howard started touring his show ''Dingledodies'' in September 2008 and played various dates through to December. Due to overwhelming demand he further extended the tour twice into 2009. It sold in excess of 125,000 tickets, including three sell-out shows at the Hammersmith Apollo as well as several large arenas such as Wembley Arena and Manchester's MEN Arena. The DVD of this tour was released on 9 November 2009 and features a recording of the show from the Brighton Dome.

He was named "Best Theatre Show" at the 2009 Chortle Comedy Awards.

Howard performed 10 UK dates between 11 and 20 December 2009 for his "Big Rooms and Belly Laughs" tour.

In 2011 the far right English Defence League threatened to picket one of his live gigs in retaliation at material poking fun at them in one of his TV performances.

He is currently performing his new arena tour for 2011, titled ''Right Here Right Now''. The tour sold out in days and was extended twice, with new dates in December 2011 announced on 3 May 2011.

Personal life

Russell Joseph Howard, was born on 23 March 1980 in Bath, Somerset

Russell grew up in [[Bristol. He now lives in Leamington Spa.

Russell was educated at Flitwick Lower School, Bedford Modern School which he attended for a year at the age of 8, Perins School and Alton College in Hampshire, then at the University of the West of England in Bristol, where he studied economics in the end attaining a 2:1.

He has a dog named Archie, who he refers to in his show, Russell Howard's Good News.

It was reported in The Independent and News Of The World that he earned £4 million in 2009 alone, but he categorises these reports as false.

Television

*''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' BBC 2 (2006)

*''Mock The Week'' BBC 2 (2006–2010)

*''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' BBC 2 (2007)

*''Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive'' BBC Three (2007)

Would I Lie To You? (TV series)>Would I Lie To You?'' BBC 1 (2007)

Live at the Apollo (TV series)>Live at the Apollo'' BBC 1 (2007)

*''Law of the Playground'' Channel 4 (2008)

*''The Secret Policeman's Ball 2008'' Channel 4 (2008)

*''8 out of 10 Cats'' Channel 4 (2008)

Live at the Apollo (TV series)>Live at the Apollo'' BBC 1 (2009)

*''Russell Howard's Good News'' BBC Three (2009–)

Conan (TV series)>Conan'' (2011)

Radio

*''The Milk Run'' BBC Radio 1 (2004)

*''Political Animal'' BBC Radio 4 (2004)

Banter (radio show)>Banter'' BBC Radio 4 (2005)

*''The Russell Howard Show'' BBC 6 Music (2006–2008)

Writing

*''The Milk Run'' BBC Radio 1 (2004)

Stand-Up DVDs

!Title	!Release Date	!Notes
''Live''	17 November 2008	Live at London's Bloomsbury Theatre
''Live 2 – Dingledodies''	9 November 2009
''Right Here Right Now''	14 November 2011	Live at London's Hammersmith Apollo

References

External links

Russell Howard Official Website

Category:Alumni of the University of the West of England Category:British radio DJs Category:English comedians Category:English satirists Category:English stand-up comedians Category:English television writers Category:People from Bristol Category:1980 births Category:Living people

nl:Russell Howard sv:Russell Howard

Coordinates	29°57′53″N90°4′14″N
name	Faye Wong
chinesename
pinyinchinesename	Wáng Fēi
jyutpingchinesename	Wong4 Fei1
birth name	Xià Lín (Mandarin)
origin	Hong Kong
birth date	August 08, 1969
birth place	Beijing, China
othername	Shirley WongWong4 Zing6 Man4 (Cantonese)
occupation	singer-songwriter, actress
genre	C-pop, C-rock, dream pop
label	Cinepoly, EMI, Sony Music
yearsactive	1989–2005, 2010-present
spouse	Dou Wei (1996–1999)Li Yapeng, married on 29 July 2005 ()
children	Dou Jintong, born on January 03, 1997Li Yan, born on May 27, 2006
parents	Wang YoulinXia Guiyin
influences	Teresa Teng, The Cranberries, Tori Amos, Cocteau Twins
hkfcsawards	Best Actress2002 ''Chinese Odyssey 2002''
goldenmelodyawards	Best Female Mandarin Artist2004 ''To Love''
awards	Stockholm Film FestivalBest Actress1994 ''Chungking Express'' }}

Faye Wong (王菲 Wang Fei) (born August 8, 1969) is a Chinese singer-songwriter and actress. Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong (王靖雯). Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and rose to stardom in the early 1990s by singing ballads in Cantonese. Since 1995 she has recorded mostly in her native Mandarin, often combining alternative music with mainstream Chinese pop. In 2000 she was recognized by Guinness World Records as the ''Best Selling Canto-Pop Female''. Following her second marriage in 2005 she withdrew from the limelight, but returned to the stage in 2010 amidst immense interest in the Sinosphere.

Although her music is quite individualized, Faye Wong is famously reserved in public, and has become a cultural icon of "coolness". Hugely popular in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and even Japan, she is also usually referred to as a ''diva'' (|l=Heavenly Queen}}). In the West she is best-known by the few movies she starred in, such as ''Chungking Express'' (for which she won an award in Sweden) and ''2046'', both directed by Wong Kar-wai. While she has collaborated with international artists such as Cocteau Twins, Wong recorded only a few songs in English, the most famous being "Eyes on Me" – the theme song of the video game ''Final Fantasy VIII''.

Life and career

1969-1991: Early life and Shirley Wong

The daughter of a mining engineer and a revolutionary music soprano, Wong Fei was born in Beijing in the midst of China's Cultural Revolution.|group=fn|name="givenname"}} She also has an elder brother named Wang Yi (王弋). As a student, Wong already displayed great singing talents and attracted interest from several publishers. On occasions, the school had to hide her artistic activities from her strict mother, who as a professional saw singing as a dead-end career. Despite her mother's opposition, Wong released 6 low-cost cover albums from 1985 to 1987 while still in high school, all in the form of cassettes, mostly consisting of songs by her personal idol, Taiwan's Teresa Teng. For the last of these early recordings, the producer Wei Yuanqiang chose the title ''Wong Fei Collection'', intending to show that he recognized a distinctive talent in the teenager.

In 1987, after being accepted to college, she immigrated to British Hong Kong to join her father, who had been working there for a few years. The plan was for her to stay there for a year to fulfill the permanent residency requirement, and go to a university abroad thereafter. However, as Wong knew no Cantonese language, she experienced great loneliness. Following a brief modeling stint, she began singing lessons with Tai See-Chung, who was also from Mainland China and had previously tutored Hong Kong superstars Anita Mui, Andy Lau, Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok. Under Tai's tutelage, the 19-year-old signed with Cinepoly Records after winning third place in an ABU singing contest in 1988. It was a risky move on the part of Chan Siu-Bo, Cinepoly's General Manager, since Mainlanders were stereotyped to be "backwards" in Hong Kong.

As a result, Cinepoly asked Wong to change her "Mainland-sounding" name to a "sophisticated" stage name Wong Jing Man. (Her English name was to be "Shirley".) In 1989, her debut album ''Shirley Wong'' was a surprising success, selling over 30,000 copies and helped her won bronze at the "Chik Chak New Artist Award". Two more albums (''Everything'' and ''You're the Only One'') followed, similarly featuring many cover songs by artists from the US and Japan. However, they sold worse than her debut album, despite relentless promotions by the company. Many in Hong Kong perceived her to be "backwards", lacking personality.

Frustrated with her career decision, she made a surprise move in 1991 by deciding to travel to New York City for vocal studies and cultural exchange. The media was shocked; in the ultra-competitive Canto-pop scene, taking time off was equivalent to career suicide especially for a young start-up like her. Because it was a hurried decision, she also ended up missing the registration deadline for her classes in New York. However, the brief hiatus would prove to be critical for her later artistic development, as in America she re-discovered herself. Wong returned to Hong Kong and found a new agent in Katie Chan, who would remain her agent for the next 2 decades. The next album would prominently feature on the cover the English name "Faye", a homophone to her given Chinese name. The "Shirley" Cinepoly tried to carve her into was history.

1992-1993: Rise to Superstardom

The 1992 album ''Coming Home'' incorporated R&B influences and was a drastic change in musical direction from the more traditional Cantopop fare of her earlier albums. But the song that lifted her into superstardom was titled "Fragile Woman", a cover of a Japanese song "Rouge" originally composed by the Miyuki Nakajima and sung by Naomi Chiaki. It became the No.1 hit on almost all local radio stations and won Song of the Year at several musical awards. (Thanks to Wong's cover, this 1972 song–in different language versions–would in the early 1990s become a huge regional hit in Thailand, Vietnam and the rest of Southeast Asia and even Turkey; the most popular English version was titled "Broken-Hearted Woman".) ''Coming Home'' also included her first English-language number, "Kisses in the Wind". Wong stated in a 1994 concert that she very much liked this song, after which various websites listed it as her personal favourite; however, in a 1998 CNN interview she declined to name one favourite song, saying that there were too many, and in 2003 she stated that she no longer liked her old songs.

The cover for ''Coming Home'' prominently shows the name "Faye", and from then on she changed her stage name back to "Wong Fei" (). In 1992-93 she also starred in TVB shows such as ''Files of Justice II'' (壹號皇庭II) and ''Legendary Ranger'' (原振俠).

In 1993, she wrote the Mandarin lyrics for her ballad "No Regrets" (執迷不悔) which led many to praise her as a gifted lyricist. In February, it became the title track to her album ''No Regrets''. ''No Regrets'' features soft contemporary numbers, a few dance tracks and two versions of the title ballad: Wong's Mandarin version, and a Cantonese version (lyrics by Chen Shao Qi).

1993–1994: Alternative style

Her next album ''100,000 Whys'' (September 1993) showed considerable alternative music influences from the West, including the popular song "Cold War" (冷戰), a cover of "Silent All These Years" by Tori Amos.

Faye has named the Scottish post-punk group Cocteau Twins among her favourite bands, and their influence was clear on her next Cantonese album, ''Random Thoughts'' (胡思亂想). Her Cantonese version of The Cranberries' "Dreams" was featured in Wong Kar-wai's film ''Chungking Express'', and gained lasting popularity. Besides covering songs and learning distinctive vocal techniques, Wong recorded her own compositions "Pledge" (誓言), co-written with ex-husband Dou Wei, and her first and only spoken-word song "Exit" (出路), which expresses some of her pessimism about the future.

1994–1995: Mandarin market

Besides two Cantonese albums in 1994, Wong released two other albums in Mandarin in Taiwan, ''Mystery'' (迷) and ''Sky'' (天空). The runaway hit "I'm Willing" (我願意) in ''Mystery'' became her trademark hit in the Mandarin-speaking communities for years, and has been covered by other singers such as Gigi Leung, Sammi Cheng and Jay Chou. ''Sky'' was seen by fans as a successful amalgam of artistic experimentation and commercialism.

While her hits in Hong Kong were noticeably alternative, her two Mandarin albums were more lyrical and traditional. Critics generally credit Taiwanese producer Yang Ming-huang for their success.

Four best-selling albums in Cantonese and Mandarin, a record-breaking 18 consecutive concerts in Hong Kong, and a widely acclaimed film (''Chungking Express'') made Faye Wong the most eminent female Hong Kong singer in the mid-1990s. Meanwhile, her distaste for the profit-oriented HK entertainment industry became more and more apparent. She was frequently in touch with the rock circle in Beijing. Given her somewhat reticent and nonchalant personality, she would sometimes give terse, direct, and somewhat unexpected answers when asked personal questions by the HK media.

In 1995, she released ''Decadent Sounds of Faye'' (菲靡靡之音), a cover album of songs originally recorded by her idol Teresa Teng, one of the most revered Chinese singers of the 20th century. A duet with Teng was planned for the album, but unfortunately she died before this could be recorded. ''Decadent Sounds'' sold well despite initial negative criticism, and has come to be recognised as an example of imaginative covering by recent critics.

In December, she released her Cantonese album ''Di-Dar'' which mixes an alternative yodelling style with a touch of Indian and Middle Eastern flavor. This album was a success, partly because it was so different from the mainstream Cantopop music, but—ironically—a couple of very traditional romantic songs topped the charts.

1996: ''Restless'' and Cinepoly EPs

1996 saw the release of what many would consider her boldest and most artistically coherent effort to date, ''Fu Zao'' (浮躁), usually translated as ''Restless'' or ''Impatience''. This was her last album with Cinepoly, and Wong felt she could take more artistic risks. The album contains mainly her own compositions, with an aesthetic inspired by the Cocteau Twins, who penned two original songs for the album, "Fracture" (分裂) and "Repressing Happiness" (掃興). As Wong had covered their work in 1994, she had established a remote working relationship with them—even laying down vocals for a special duet version of "Serpentskirt" on the Asian release of the group's 1996 album, ''Milk And Kisses''.

Although the album was Wong's personal favorite, the response from Hong Kong and Taiwan was less supportive. Many fans who enjoyed her previous three Mandarin albums turned their back on ''Restless'', which they considered to be too alternative and self-absorbed. There were few ballads which were radio-friendly—had Faye taken her experimentations too far? However, hardcore fans, known as Fayenatics, adored the album and it became a cult hit. Wong has not released another fully artistic album since. After the release, Wong became the second Chinese artist (after Gong Li)—and the first Chinese singer—to be featured on the cover of ''TIME'' magazine.

From 1993 to 1995, Cinepoly released an EP of Wong's songs each year: ''Like Wind'' (如風), ''Faye Disc'' (菲碟), and ''One Person, Two Roles'' (一人分飾兩角). Then in 1996-97, she recorded ten original songs in Cantonese all written by lyricist Lin Xi (林夕) and various composers, such as Wong Ka Keung, Adrian Chan, and Chan Xiao Xia, before her departure from Cinepoly. After her contract with Cinepoly expired, the company released eight of these songs in the two subsequent EPs entitled ''Toy'' (玩具) and ''Helping Yourself'' (自便). Although the EPs contained new songs—ballad hits like "Undercurrent" (暗湧), "Date" (約定), and "On Time" (守時)—and were welcomed by fans, they received lukewarm critical responses. The other two songs were included in later compilations; the last to be released was "Scary" (心驚膽顫) in 2002.

1997: EMI and ''Faye Wong''

Wong signed for the recording giant EMI in 1997 after her first daughter was born, in a contract worth 60 million Hong Kong dollars (approx. 7.7 million US dollars), to release 55 songs in 5 albums. While most of her earlier albums were sung in Cantonese, Wong has since sung almost exclusively in Mandarin, her mother tongue, although she recorded Cantonese versions of a couple of songs in each of her last four albums with EMI to please her Hong Kong audience. Having gone through a period of experimentation, Wong stated that she wished to make "music that I like. I do not care if others don't, though I would be delighted if they do".

Her first album with EMI was ''Faye Wong (1997)'' (王菲), released in autumn 1997. Critics expecting another artistic breakthrough after 1996's ''Restlessness'' found – much to their dismay – a much more inoffensive and commercially oriented musical album. Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins wrote two original compositions for the album, but only one, "The Amusement Park" (娛樂場), was used. This release included an acoustic cover of the Cocteau Twins' "Rilkean Heart", renamed "Nostalgia" (懷念).

This album is filled with feelings of lethargy, languor and disengagement, yet most of the tracks sound warm and sweet, as opposed to those piquant self-centered ones before her motherhood. Reporters noticed that she began to smile more often in public and was not as icy or aloof as before. However, the album was released during the Asian financial crisis which swept East and Southeast Asia. Wong's old company Cinepoly, which retains the copyright on her previous records, released a Mandarin compilation at the same time in 1997 to counteract her new EMI album (and indeed outperformed it). Later, Cinepoly would release two compilations each year to compete with Faye's new releases, a tactic which has come under fire from her international fans. ''Faye Wong'' did not sell well in Hong Kong, but did quite well in Taiwan and mainland China. Although Wong had garnered some popularity with her 4 previous Mandarin albums, it was really this sweet yet slightly alternative album which had the Mainland Chinese audience listening. Her profile began to rise sharply in Asia.

1998: Conquering Mainland China

In 1997 singer Na Ying signed with EMI and struck a lasting friendship with Wong. Na had been a regular at the annual ''CCTV New Year's Gala'', the highest-watched TV show in Mainland China, and she invited Wong to do a duet with her on the upcoming show in 1998. The collaboration by the "Mainland Diva" and "Hong Kong Diva", titled "Let's Meet in 1998", became an instant hit and arguably the most played song in Mainland China that year. Thanks to this exposure, in late 1998 Wong finally held her first concert in her native Mainland China, and continued her tour in 9 cities.

''Scenic Tour'' (唱遊) was released in October, and contained four songs composed by Faye: the opening track "Emotional Life", "Face", "A Little Clever" and "Tong" (both written for her daughter, the latter produced by Dou Wei). Amongst other songs were "Give Up Halfway" (sung both in Mandarin and Cantonese), which was one of the more commercially successful tracks from the album, along with the successful ballad "Red Bean" (紅豆).

It was the best selling Chinese album in Singapore in 1999. Together with ''Only Love Strangers'' and the compilation album ''Wishing We Last Forever'', Faye Wong had 3 albums in the Singapore top 10 selling Chinese albums of 1999, making her one of the best selling artists in Singapore in 1999.

1999: Venturing into Japan

The video game ''Final Fantasy VIII'' was released in Japan in February 1999, for which Faye Wong recorded the ballad "Eyes on Me" in English. It was the first time that a Japanese video game featured a Chinese singer for its theme. The "Eyes on Me" single sold over 400,000 copies in Japan, winning "Song of the Year (Western Music)" at the 14th Annual Japan Gold Disc Awards. When the game was released in North America later that year, the theme song became very popular among gamers in the West; while it was not a mainstream hit there (as Wong had no desire to explore these markets), she gained many fans who were not previously familiar with her music.

In March, she held two concerts in Nippon Budokan; she was the first Chinese singer to perform in that venue. Earlier in the year, Pepsi-Cola had made Wong a spokesperson, and after these concerts she shot the promotional music video for "Spectacular" (精彩), which Pepsi used in commercials.

The album ''Only Love Strangers'' (只愛陌生人) was released in late September, and sold over 800,000 copies, topping the charts in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. This was her first album after she parted from her husband Dou Wei, and her first without any musical collaborations with him since their relationship began. The title track was featured in Sylvester Stallone's remake of ''Get Carter''. Wong also became a spokesperson for JPhone in October, performing in several commercials which aired in Japan.

In addition, she began filming for ''2046'' in August, a project she would pursue on and off over the next few years when her schedule permitted.

2000: ''Fable''

The new millennium saw a shift in Wong's musical career with the album ''Fable'' (寓言). The prominent feature of this album is its segregated and distinguishable halves – songs in the first half of the album running in an almost continuous manner and in a format that is akin to a song-cycle, and the second half of discrete, chart-friendly numbers. The album itself derives its artistic merits from the first half, notable for its unique thematic and continuous sequencing of songs unprecedented in the Chinese music industry. The theme itself is ambiguous and the lyrics subject to multiple interpretations, though it is quite certain that the theme of ''Fable'' forms the main thematic reference, derived from the motivic elements of the prince and princess in fables and fairytales of European origins. Elements of spirituality, metaphysics and Buddhism hold an important place in the lyrics as well, penned by Lin Xi who has by then, been unanimously identified as Faye's lyricist ''par excellence''. Musically the arrangements display influences of drum and bass, electronica, east-west collage and lush string orchestral infusions.

Her other activities during this year included the Pepsi promotional duet and music video of "Galaxy Unlimited" with Aaron Kwok, the filming of ''Okinawa Rendezvous'', as well as several concerts in China and Taiwan.

2001 to 2004: ''Faye Wong'' and ''To Love''

By this time, Faye had forged a famous alliance with producer/musician Zhang Ya Dong (張亞東) and lyricist Lin Xi (林夕), often referred to by the HK public as the 'iron triangle'. However, due to Zhang Ya Dong's unavailability during this period (he was engaged on other projects), Faye decided to treat this last album with EMI as an experiment whereby she would collaborate with new producers/musicians/lyricists and 'see what their vision of her will be'.

Nevertheless, the response from the public and critics alike were lukewarm at best. Faye herself admitted that she was not totally satisfied with some tracks, namely those produced by Taiwan 'father of rock' Wu Bai, which had an industrial electronica flavor reminiscent of Karen Mok's 'Golden Flower' album. She cited the two folk-style songs written by Singaporean singer-song writer Tanya Chua as her favorite picks on her album. The song that generated most noise from the press turned out to be one penned by former love Nicholas Tse. ''Faye Wong'' (王菲) reached number 14 on the Japan Oricon charts.

While she was under contract with EMI and later Sony, she performed in the ensemble movie ''2046'' which had been in production since 1999 and finally wrapped in 2004. She performed at fund-raising concerts to benefit various charities, including ones that helped those who suffered from AIDS and SARS. She sang on tracks with other celebrities such as Tony Leung, Anita Mui, and Aaron Kwok. She also starred in a Japanese TV serial, ''Usokoi'', and the film ''Leaving Me Loving You'' with Leon Lai.

The theme song for ''Usokoi'', titled "Separate Ways", was released as a single; it was one of her few Japanese songs (another being "Valentine's Radio"). She recorded several other solo non-album tracks, such as the eponymous hit theme song to ''Hero'' and a Buddhist song containing similar sounds to some of her work on her album ''Fu Zao''. In addition, she recorded a recitation of the Heart Sutra. Meanwhile, her former record companies released several more compilations and boxed sets of her records.

For her Sony album ''To Love'' (將愛), released in November 2003, she recorded 13 tracks, 10 in Mandarin and 3 in Cantonese. She wrote the music and lyrics for 3 songs, the title track "To Love", "Leave Nothing" (不留), "Sunshine Dearest" (陽寶), as well as the music for "April Snow" (四月雪). Before the album's release, her Cantonese song "The Name of Love" (假愛之名), with lyrics by Lin Xi, was banned in some areas such as mainland China because the lyrics mentioned opium. According to interviews, she said that she preferred the Mandarin version of the song (the title track); she had penned these lyrics herself, and they made no reference to drugs. She also recorded "Passenger" (乘客), a cover of Sophie Zelmani's "Going Home". The album became more successful than her previous self-titled album, both financially and critically. Afterwards, she held numerous successful concerts for over a year. At the 2004 Golden Melody Awards, she was awarded Best Female Artist after being nominated many times. Her acceptance speech, in which she quipped "I've known that I can sing, therefore I will also confirm this panel's decision," was controversial to the local Taiwanese media.

2005 to present: Hiatus and comeback

In January 2005, during the last concert of her tour, the usually reticent Faye Wong left a quote that left her fans wondering: "If I ever retire from showbiz, I hope you all forget about me." In May 2005 her agent Katie Chan (陳家瑛) confirmed to press that Wong was "resting indefinitely". Two months later she wed actor Li Yapeng, and their daughter was born in the following year.

In the four years that followed, Faye Wong would not return, ignoring Live Nation's offer of 100m-HKD, and even rejecting the 3m-Yuan offer for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sing at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony on her birthday. (The Beijing native was the unanimous choice of netizens, receiving over 63% of the tens of millions of votes cast in a CCTV online poll. The honor eventually went to Liu Huan.) She did, however, voluntarily perform on causes she truly cared: she sang "Wishing We Last Forever" in May 2008 at a CCTV fundraising event for Sichuan earthquake victims, and "Heart Sutra" in May 2009 for a Buddhist ceremony at the Famen Temple. She also released a song for her newly-founded charity Smile Angel Foundation; but it appeared as if Wong would stay retired forever.

In February 2009, her previous collaborator Zhang Yadong released his second music collaboration album titled ''Zhang Yadong - Underflow''. The opening track was the first release of Faye Wong's jazzy pop song "I Love You", which she recorded as the theme for Zhang Yuan's 2002 movie of the same name.

In May 2009, Wong appeared in an ad for "Royal Wind" shampoo, sparking speculation that it would be the first step in her comeback. Like her retirement, there was no announcement nor explanation for her comeback, but few seemed to care. In January 2010 the film ''Confucius'' was released with Faye Wong singing the theme song "Orchid Parade". In February 2010, she performed at the CCTV New Year's Gala watched by over 700 million people, covering Li Jian's ballad "Legend". Soon afterwards, she announced a series of comeback concerts starting in October 2010. Despite her lengthy absence, interest was overwhelming: in Mainland China tickets worth nearly 200 million Yuan (US$29 million) were taken up in just 10 days while in Taiwan the computerized ticketing system crashed due to excessive traffic, and 90 percent of the tickets were sold within two hours after it was restored. The story repeated itself in Hong Kong, with 93% of the tickets gone in one morning and 2 ticketing phone lines added to the 3 existing, as Wong added 4 Chinese cities in her tour to catch up with the huge demand. In 2011, she teamed up with Eason Chan for the theme song of her husband's movie ''Eternal Moment''.

Faye Wong began her "Faye Wong Tour 2011" on March 5 at the Asia World Expo in Hong Kong.

Personal life

Love Life

Dou Wei

In 1995, Wong fell in love with Dou Wei, a talented Beijing rocker of the band "Black Panther" who was much more famous in Mainland China. The relationship was controversial since its on-start, as a bitter female rocker Jessica Jiang accused Wong of being the third party. Wong disregarded the accusations and moved in with Dou in Beijing during her free time, surprising the Hong Kong entertainment industry. Even more shocking material came in the summer of 1995, as during one of these short stays paparazzi captured pictures of the sleepy-eyed diva, wearing a T-shirt and sandals, going to a dirty public restroom in the narrow Beijing hutong to dump a urine chamber pot. The images contrasted so much with the glamorous life Hong Kong celebrities lead that many begin to characterize Wong as someone who would sacrifice anything for love. Taiwanese lyricist Yao Chien later admitted that these images served as his inspiration when he penned the undying lyrics for "I'm Willing", one of the greatest love songs in the Chinese language.

In June 1996, after being pregnant for several months, she finally married Dou.

Their daughter, Dou Jingtong (竇靖童, lit. meaning "child of Dou and Jing" [from Wong's first stage name Jingwen]) was born on January 3, 1997. The baby's voice appears in the song "Tong" on the 1998 album ''Scenic Tour'' (唱遊), as well as the title track of the album ''Only Love Strangers'' (只愛陌生人) released in 1999.

In March 1999, Hong Kong paparazzi first noticed obvious alienation between the couple in Wong's Japan concert. A few days later they caught Dou dining in Beijing with another woman Gao Yuan in Beijing, whom Dou unabashedly admitted to be his "lover". Since then, Dou has continuously blamed Wong and her company for "setting up" the marriage, calling it a "conspiracy". Wong would remain mum on the controversy, but interestingly Dou Wei's sister Dou Yin, who would remain close with Wong, openly claimed that Wong had been "wronged a lot, but she chose to be silent". The divorce was made final in late 1999 with Wong claiming the rights to the daughter and waiving child support. Years later, Dou Wei's union with Gao Yuan also ended in bitter divorce.

Nicholas Tse

In her first public romantic relationship after her failed marriage, Wong started dating young Hong Kong singer and actor Nicholas Tse, the city's leading "bad boy" celebrity, in June 2000. This May–December romance delighted local tabloids and gossip magazines (Wong is 11 years his senior).

In March 2002 local news media reported Tse had been secretly romancing Hong Kong actress and singer Cecilia Cheung. Not long after this affair was made public, Wong severed ties with Tse. However, after Tse's romance with Cheung ended months later in July 2002, Wong and Tse would resume an on-off relationship until 2003, when she met her current husband Li Yapeng. Tse and Cheung later married in 2007.

Li Yapeng

In 2004 tabloids posted pictures indicating Wong may be dating Mainland television actor Li Yapeng in Beijing. It remained a mere rumor until their wedding took place in July 2005. Many predicted the marriage would not last, but they forgot Wong was someone who would sacrifice for love, and this time, to the surprise of almost all (especially since Li was not even an A-lister), she gave up her career. Around the time of her wedding, her manager confirmed that she might take an indefinite break from the entertainment business. Their daughter, Li Yan, was born on 27 May 2006, and Li Yapeng has always accepted Dou Jingtong as his own daughter. In January 2011, appearing for the first time with her husband on a talk show, Wong told host Yang Lan that the past 5 years of her married life has been "very steady, very satisfying".

Charities and Smile Angel Foundation

In August 2006, Li published a thousand-word public online letter, "Gratitude (感謝)", on his Sina.com blog. The letter served as an outlet for their gratitude towards all concerned parties, and confirmed rumors their daughter was born with a congenital cleft lip. He expressed their reason for seeking medical treatment in California: due to the severity of Li Yan's cleft, the special reconstructive surgeries she needed were not available in China. Citing a South American folk tale, Li described his daughter as a special child and her cleft as a mark of an angel. The couple has since established the Smile Angel Foundation to assist children with clefts.

On December 26, 2006 Wong made her first public appearance since 2005 at the foundation's inaugural fundraising ball. She opted not to speak or sing, but her new composition "Cheerful Angel" (愛笑的天使) debuted at the event as the official theme song of the charity. At the second fundraising ball on December 8, 2007, Wong mentioned that although she would not return to her music career in 2008, she would consider it afterwards. However, she sang and produced an electronica-infused version of the Diamond Sutra for the event. For the foundation's publicity event on November 27–28, 2008, Wong and her husband visited children in Tibet who are in various stages of recovery after being cured with the help of the charity. To date, the foundation has raised over 35 million renminbi, including over 29.5 million from auctions during the three December fundraisers, and helped more than 2008 children.

In May 2008, following the disastrous earthquake in Sichuan, the couple accepted a local girl who lost a leg trying to save her classmates, to their family as she underwent recuperation and treatments in Beijing. The middle school student returned to her hometown a year later but help would not stop; the Li's agreed to continue paying for her medical needs until she turns 22 and visit her at least once a year.

Buddhism

Ever since her unconventional rap song "Exit" which specifically mentions the word "Buddhism", Wong has been known as a devout follower of the religion, and Buddhist references were particularly obvious in her 2000 album ''Fable''. Today Wong practices vegetarianism and her close friends including Na Ying, Vicki Zhao and Carina Lau have all converted under her influence. Shortly after the birth of Li Yan she traveled to India and helped record an album titled ''Loving Kindness & Wisdom: Invocation to Maitreya'' with Lama Zopa Rinpoche. The recordings included "Heart Sutra", which she performed again in a public religious ceremony before the Famen Temple in 2009. (This recording was later used in the 2010 Chinese blockbuster ''Aftershock''.) However, Wong has refrained from singing Buddhist songs in her commercial concerts, even though she played a recording of "Heart Sutra" in her 2010 Shanghai concerts on the days following the fire disaster.

Paparazzi

For her entire career Wong has been constantly hounded by Paparazzi but she always chose to ignore them. The attention did not subside during her dormancy between 2005 and 2010, and it has been joked in the media that Wong was still directing the fashion trend by always appearing on tabloids, for simply getting out of the house.

In 2008, after attending the wedding of close friends Tony Leung and Carina Lau in Bhutan, the family was met with heavy paparazzi in Bangkok International Airport. Intent on capturing a close-up shot of Li Yan's lips, a Hong Kong paparazzi got too close and frightened the toddler and her grandmother, as an infuriated Li Yapeng slapped him. Li was detained for a few hours, and later apologized publicly but warned the paparazzi not to "cross the line": "My wife and I are OK targets, but please spare the rest of the family."

Microblog

In 2010, Sina Weibo users discovered Wong's microblog under the account "veggieg ", and unveiled a Faye Wong who is open, talkative and surprisingly funny with her use of cyberlanguage and puns. As of July 2011, the still unverified account has over 4 million followers.

Artistry and Legacy

Concerts

The focus of Faye Wong's concerts has always been on her vocal performance. She seldom dances or speaks to the audience, and there are generally no supporting dancers. There were two exceptions to the latter in the 1994-95 live concerts; first, many dancers joined Faye on stage for the lively song "Flow Not Fly". In the second half, Faye and a line of male dancers were menaced by a giant mechanical spider overhead during the song "Tempt Me".

Another trademark is her unconventional fashion on stage. Her 1994 concerts were memorable for dreadlocks and extremely long sleeves, as well as for the silver-painted tears. Her 1998 concerts saw her sporting the "burnt" cheek makeup, the "Indian chief" look, and the soleless strap-on boots. At the start of her 2003 concerts her headgear was topped by an inverted shoe supporting a very long feather, and her makeup for that concert went through several changes of painted eye-shades.

Her 2003 concerts set a Hong Kong record, selling 30,000 tickets within three days.

After her release of Miyuki Nakajima's "Mortal World" (人間) in 1997, she ended her concerts for the next few years with this song while shaking hands with the audience, then taking a deep bow to a horizontal position before leaving the stage. She does not perform encores, and usually exits by sinking below the stage via a platform.

She has given concerts in North America and Australia as well as many venues in East and Southeast Asia, including charity concerts. The key features of her four major concert tours are set out below.

Public Image

Dutch scholar Jeroen Groenewegen credits Wong's mass appeal to some of her perceived "cool" traits including autonomy, androgyny and childishness. The part of Faye Wong's personality that resonated most with her audiences is her independence and her courage to be different. As she wrote for the lyrics of "No Regrets", Katie Chan, Wong's agent, once said "Faye does whatever she wants.... it's really quite a miracle that she became a success."

Legacy

Faye Wong is one of the biggest Chinese celebrities today. In 2004 and 2005 she was ranked in the top 5 on the Forbes China Celebrity 100. In a 2011 "most popular celebrity in China" marketing study she was also ranked in the top 5. In 2009, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, a government web portal conducted an online poll on ''The Most Influential Chinese Cultural Celebrity in the Past 60 Years''; out of 192 candidates, Wong received over 7 million votes, second only to the deceased Teresa Teng from Taiwan, Wong's own personal idol. Chen Tao, a China Radio International DJ, compares Wong's influence in the Sinosphere to Madonna's in America: "She represents a certain era of pop music, a certain trend, and a vision of being unique." Beijing-based scholar Wang Dong also believes Wong's popularity reflects a social phenomenon broader than entertainment itself, as people identify themselves through Wong due to her image of being unique.

Outside the Chinese world, the American rock band J-Church once recorded a song "I want to see Faye Wong" while the Norwegian band "Green Club Riviera" also had a song titled "Faye Wong". Wong probably has more Western fans than most of her C-pop peers, collectively referred to as "Fayenatics".

According to famous Japanese director Shunji Iwai, his film ''All About Lily Chou-Chou'' was inspired by attending a Faye Wong concert, and the titular character, portrayed by singer Salyu, was based on Wong.

China's 2007 spacecraft Chang'e 1 played Faye Wong's version of "Wishing We Last Forever".

Discography

Studio Albums

1989: ''Shirley Wong'' (王靖雯)

1990: ''Everything''

1990: ''You're the Only One''

1992: ''Coming Home''

1993: ''No Regrets'' (執迷不悔)

1993: ''100,000 Whys'' (十萬個為什麼)

1994: ''Mystery'' (迷)

1994: ''Random Thoughts'' (胡思亂想)

1994: ''Sky'' (天空)

1994: ''Ingratiate Oneself'' (討好自己)

1995: ''Decadent Sounds of Faye'' (菲靡靡之音)

1995: ''Di-Dar''

1996: ''Restless'' (浮躁)

1997: ''Faye Wong'' (王菲)

1998: ''Scenic Tour'' (唱遊)

1999: ''Only Love Strangers'' (只愛陌生人)

2000: ''Fable'' (寓言)

2001: ''Faye Wong'' (王菲)

2003: ''To Love'' (將愛)

Tours

! Concert Series	! Dates & venues	! Songs on concert albums that had not been previously released on any studio albums	! Availability and trivia
! Faye Wong Live In Concert 1994-95 (王菲最精彩演唱会)	18 concerts in Hong Kong (Dec 1994-Jan 1995), 7 more in Edmonton, Vancouver, New York City, Toronto, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore	(i) I Will Marry You Tomorrow (Emil Chau); (ii) One Thousand Words, Ten Thousand Phrases (Teresa Teng)	Released on CD, VHS and Laserdisc. The visual designer for the concerts was the film director Wong Kar-wai
! Faye Wong Scenic Tour 1998-99 (王菲唱游大世界演唱会)	17 concerts at Hong Kong Coliseum: 24 Dec 1998 - 9 Jan 99, 11 concerts in China and 2 in Japan, then 5 more in Singapore, Malaysia & USA		Released on CD and VCD. In the Japan concert, she covered Dou Wei's "Don't Break My Heart". After her divorce, she stopped performing "Pledge" for the remaining concerts
! Faye Wong Tour in 2000-01	11 concerts in China, 1 concert in Taipei, 1 in Melbourne, 1 in Sdyney and then 3 more in Japan	Thank You For Hearing Me (Sinéad O'Connor)	Her concert in Tokyo of Japan is being released on VCD and DVD.
! No Faye! No Live! Tour 2003-05 (菲比寻常)	8 concerts in Hong Kong (Dec 2003), 8 more in Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Singapore, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Beijing, Taipei and Guangzhou	(i) Heart of Glass (Blondie); (ii) The Look of Love (Dusty Springfield)
! Relive Tour 2010-11 (巡唱)	5 concerts in Beijing (Oct-Nov 2010), 5 in Shanghai (Nov 2010), 3 in Taipei (Jan 2011), 5 in Hong Kong (Mar 2011), 2 in Guangzhou (May 2011), 2 in Nanjing (May 2011), 2 in Changsha (July 2011) and 6 more in Wuhan, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Ha'er Bin		(i) She performed 23 tracks for all the concerts, except 24 tracks for the 5 concerts in Hong Kong.	(ii) Only for 4 of the 5 Hong Kong concerts, she performed Eason Chan's "大开眼戒" (a cantonese song).	(iii) From Beijing to Nanjing (Oct 2010 - May 2011), instead of the Mandarin cover "怀念", Faye chose to perform the original English track "Rilkean Heart", which is originally sung by Cocteau Twins.	(iv) From Changsha (July 2011) onwards, Faye replaced "Rilkean Heart" with Sinéad O'Connor's English song entitled "A Perfect Indian".

Tour Setlists

#夢遊 #夢中人 #多得他 #無奈那天 #靜夜的單簧管 #Medley: ##Miss You Night & Day ##Summer of Love ##又繼續等 ##Everything ##不再兒嬉 #從明日開始 #明天我要嫁給你 #Medley: ##天與地 ##用心良苦 #Medley: ##如風 ##季候風 ##有一天我會 ##浪漫風暴 ##Kisses in the Wind #流非飛 #愛與痛的邊緣 #知己知彼 #胡思亂想 #誓言 #誘惑我 #棋子 #執迷不悔 #容易受傷的女人 #冷戰 #千言萬語 #出路 #我願意

#Overture #感情生活 #浮躁 #悶 #暗湧 #天空 (unplugged) #臉 #迷路 #夢中人 #夢遊 #原諒自已 #末日 #墮落 #天使 #懷念 #夢醒了 #但願人長久 #情誡 #一人分飾兩角 #為非作歹 #Di-Dar #曖昧 #Bohemian Rhapsody #你快樂 (所以我快樂) #Auld Lang Syne #約定 #償還 #我願意 #執迷不悔

#Overture #我願意 #再見螢火蟲 #悶 #矜持 #Medley: ##半途而廄 ##只愛陌生人 #開到茶靡 #過眼雲煙 #流浪的紅舞鞋 #新房客 #香奈兒 #感情生活 #掙脫 #推翻 （unplugged） #你 (unplugged) #但願人長久 #天空 #Separate Ways #天使 #Eyes On Me #Thank You For Hearing Me #人間

#Overture #天空 #誓言 #Medley: ##純情 ##背影 ##夢中人 #流浪的紅舞鞋 #我願意 #假如我是真的 #只願為你守著約 #但願人長久 #新房客 #香奈兒 #將愛 #開到荼蘼 #償還 #紅豆 #暗湧 #光之翼 #悶 #Heart of Glass #旋木 #只愛陌生人 #The Look of Love #如風 #愛與痛的邊緣 #精彩 #Medley: ##尾班車 ##靜夜的單簧管 ##守時 #約定 #給自己的情書 #冷戰 #人間

Filmography

Films

''Beyond's Diary'' ''Chungking Express'' ''Okinawa Rendez-vous'' ''Chinese Odyssey 2002'' ''2046 (film) 大城小事

!Year	!English Title	!Original Title	!Role	!Notes
1991 in film	1991	|	BEYOND日記之莫欺少年窮	Mary
1994 in film	1994	|	重慶森林	Faye	14th Hong Kong Film Awards>14th HK Film Awards for Best ActressWon—Stockholm Film Festival for Best Actress
2000 in film	2000	|	戀戰沖繩	Jenny
2002 in film	2002	|	天下無雙	Princess Wushuang	Nominated—[[22nd Hong Kong Film Awards
rowspan="2"	2004	2046'' ||		Wang Jingwen
''Leaving Me, Loving You''	|	Xin Xiaoyue

Television

''Traces of the Heart'' ''The Files of Justice (Part II)'' ''Legendary Ranger'' 千歲情人 ''Modern Love Story: Three Equals One Love'' ''Love From a Lie''

!Year	!English Title	!Original Title	!Role	!Notes
1991 in television	1991	|	別姬	Mei-fong	TVB television movie>movie
1992 in television	1992	|	壹號皇庭II	Mandy	television series>series
rowspan="2"	1993	|	原振俠	Hoi-tong	TVB series (20 episodes)
''Eternity''	|	Bou Ging-hung	TVB series (20 episodes)
1994 in television	1994	|	愛情戀曲：愛情3加1	Wun-gwan	one part of TVB series
2001 in television	2001	|	ウソコイ	Lin Fei	Kansai Telecasting Corporation>Kansai TV series (11 episodes)

External links

Microblog (While unverified, the account is believed to belong to her)

王菲 - photo montage (may be slow to load)

Faye Wong Today - feifan's fan site

菲迷府 - Fayenaticshome

All About Ah Faye - Stefan's fan site

唱遊王菲天與地 - Cecilia's Fan Site Smile Angel Foundation

Footnotes

References

|- ! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Top Chinese Music Chart Awards |-

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Cantopop singers Category:Hong Kong Mandopop singers Category:People's Republic of China singers Category:Hong Kong singers Category:Hong Kong actors Category:People's Republic of China Buddhists Category:Hong Kong Buddhists Category:Video game musicians Category:People from Beijing Category:People with acquired permanent residency of Hong Kong Category:Chinese vegetarians

da:Faye Wong de:Faye Wong es:Faye Wong fr:Faye Wong ko:왕페이 id:Faye Wong it:Wang Fei jv:Faye Wong nl:Faye Wong ja:王菲 no:Faye Wong pl:Faye Wong pt:Faye Wong ro:Faye Wong ru:Ван Фэй (певица) sk:Fej Wangová sv:Wang Fei vi:Vương Phi zh-yue:王菲 zh:王菲

Coordinates	29°57′53″N90°4′14″N
name	Show Luo
tradchinesename	羅志祥
simpchinesename	罗志祥
pinyinchinesename	Luó Zhīxiáng
ancestry	Amis
origin	Republic of China (Taiwan)
birth date	July 30, 1979
birth place	Keelung, Taiwan
othername	Show Lo, Alan Luo, Xiao Zhu (小豬), Asia's Dance King
occupation	Singer, dancer, host, actor, songwriter, spokesperson, model, designer, Impressionist
genre	Mandopop, Hip hop, Dance
instrument	Piano, Drums, Guitar, Violin
label	威聚國際 (1996–2000)Avex Taiwan (2003–2007)EMI Music Taiwan (2007–2008)Gold Typhoon (2008–present)
yearsactive	1995–present
associatedact	Four Heavenly Kings (1996–1998)Romeo (1998–2000)
parents	Father (Deceased)
influences	Mother (Singer) & Father (Host), Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, Jacky Cheung, Michael Jackson
website	Gold Typhoon homepage
mtvasiaawards	Favorite Artist, Taiwan (2008)
goldenmelodyawards	Most Popular Male Artist (2007)
awards	}}

Show Luo also known as Xiao Zhu (小豬) () was born on 30 July 1979. He is a Taiwanese entertainer: Mandopop singer, dancer, host and actor. He has been dubbed "Dancing King of Asia" for his dancing skills.

Biography

Born into a musical family; his parents hosted entertainment shows for weddings, events throughout his childhood, his father as host and his mother sang. He is of Taiwanese aborigine (Amis) from his mother's family and of Taiwanese Chinese ancestry from his father. He is commonly known by his nickname Xiao Zhu, which means 'Little Pig', due to him being overweight during his childhood. Show started playing drums at the age of 3 and performed onstage with his parents as a child. He won a silver award at a father-son singing contest when he was 7.

He is fluent in Mandarin, Taiwanese and conversational Japanese (learnt during his stay in Japan before the debut of ''Show Time'', hosted a TV show with Kumi Koda). His English is infamously bad and his off-key mis-used English is somewhat of a running joke especially on his 100% Entertainment show.

He is managed by Univerises Entertainment Marketing Limited (天地合娛樂), along with Elva Hsiao, Wong JingLun and Nick (周湯豪). It is a sister company of Mars Entertainment Ltd (天熹娛樂) which manages artists such as Rainie Yang, Stanley Huang, Jolin Tsai, hence sometimes they refer to each other as being in the same company.

He co-hosts a daily entertainment news/variety show, 100% Entertainment (娛樂百分百) on Gala Television (GTV) Variety Show/CH 28 (八大綜合台) with Alien Huang. He is also the creator and designer of street trend fashion brand "STAGE Hyaline of World" (世界透明舞台), abbreviated as S.H.O.W. It has outlets throughout Taiwan and in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, USA and Australia.

Music career

Debut (1995–2003)

In December 1995, Show joined «You Are Four Heavenly Kings» imitation competition on China Television. He imitated Aaron Kwok and won 1st place. Then along with 3 other contestants, debut as a quartet boy band 'Four Heavenly Kings' 『四大天王』, releasing 5 albums from 1996 to 1998. Then in 1998 they formally disbanded after 2 members left (compulsory military service). In the same year he formed a duo 'Romeo' 『羅密歐』, with Ou Han Sheng (歐漢聲) the other member of Four Heavenly Kings. They released 2 albums and was active till 2000. After the disbandment of Romeo, Show went solo and for the next 3 years concentrated on hosting variety shows, including stints on Japanese Fuji TV

Avex Taiwan (2003–2007)

In 2003 he was signed by Avex Taiwan and launched his solo career with the release of ''Show Time''. It sold over 80,000 copies leading to a 2nd celebration version to be published. He has since worked on a variety of genres including hip hop, R&B and has collaborated with Jolin Tsai, Elva Hsiao, Rainie Yang and many other artists.

His follow up album ''Expert Show'' () was released on 22 October 2004. The album features collaborations with Xiao S and Taiwanese boy band Energy and a MV featuring Rainie Yang. It also contains two songs composed by Show and the ending theme song of Taiwanese drama ''Outsider II'' (鬥魚2), starring Show.

On 14 October 2005, Show released his 3rd album ''Hypnosis Show'' (). He collaborated with Jolin Tsai for the first lead dance track "真命天子" [Destined Guy]. The other lead track "自我催眠" [Self-Hypnosis] is composed by Jay Chou, especially for Show with the MV featuring Da S.

After 11 years, on 18 November 2005, Show realised his dream of holding his first solo concert. It was held in conjunction with McDonald's World Children's Day, titled ''«Love's Strength» Charity Concert'' («愛的力量»慈善演唱會). Coincidently he became the first artist to perform in a concert at the then newly opened Taipei Arena.

Show released his 4th album ''SPESHOW'' on 17 November 2006. The album's title is a play on the words "special" and his name "Show". The first lead track, "精舞門" [The Dance Gate], is a cover of "James Dean (I Wanna Know)" by Daniel Bedingfield. For the first time, he sang a full length English song "Twinkle" with Japanese singer Kumi Koda, and collaborated with Simon Webbe of British boy band Blue and Ariel Lin for the MV of "好朋友" [Good Friend].

EMI Music Taiwan (2007–2008)

In May 2007, Show moved from Avex Taiwan to EMI Music Taiwan. On 9 June 2007, Show kicked off the ''2007 Show Luo «Show On Stage» World Tour Concert'' in Shanghai, China. The tour continued onto Nanjing, Beijing, Taipei, Singapore, Jiangsu and Hong Kong.

On 16 June, Show was voted the 2007 ''Most Popular Male Artist'' at the 18th Golden Melody Awards.

In August, Show was selected to be the Mandarin spokesperson for High School Musical 2 and sang the Mandarin version of the themesong '"Bet On It" () and it was released on ''High School Musical 2 Special Edition'' on 31 August.

He released his 5th album ''Show Your Dance'' () on 16 November 2007. He went to New York to learn and refine his dancing skills with choreographer and creative director Laurie Ann Gibson. The other lead track is a duet "敗給你" [Lost To You] with Elva Hsiao.

On 11 July 2008 the live DVD of ''2007 Show Luo «Show On Stage» World Tour Concert'' filmed in Taipei titled ''Show On Cruel Stage Concert Live'' was released. It debuted at number one on Taiwan's G-Music Top 20 Audio/Video chart (風雲榜 影音榜), peaked at number one for four weeks and charted for 29 weeks.

Gold Typhoon (2008–present)

In June 2008 EMI Music Taiwan reformed as Gold Typhoon (Taiwan) (金牌大風) and Show kept his contract with them. Show's 6th album, ''Trendy Man'' () was released on 26 December 2008.

Controversy erupted when Wang Leehom's record company Sony, whose record was released on the same day, accused Gold Typhoon (Taiwan) of buying the charts and inflating sales figures. HIM International Music, who manages S.H.E. and Fahrenheit, joined in. The dispute got bigger when prominent artists like Jay Chou, A-Mei, Mayday backed LeeHom while several TV hosts like Jacky Wu showed their support for Show Luo.

Show won the most awards at the first Singapore Entertainment Awards in 2009, despite competition from other mandarin pop stars like JJ Lin and Stefanie Sun. He also performed as the opening act for the 6th Asia Song Festival in Seoul, Korea.

Show recently renewed his contract with Gold Typhoon (Taiwan). Remembering his debut album where no record companies would sign him, Show demonstrated his gratitude towards Gold Typhoon. His 7th album ''Rashomon'' () held the number 1 spot on G-music for 10 weeks straight, tying Jolin Tsai's run. A re-packaged album was released with bonus DVD which included a 3D music video of new song "舞法舞天" [Dance Without Limits].

''2010 Show Luo «Dance Without Limits 3D World Live» World Tour Concert'': Tickets for Show's 2010 world tour were are sold out in less than 2 hours, becoming the first artist to hold 3D concerts. He also held three concerts within 24 hours in Taipei.

He released his new album Only for You on 18 February 2011, featuring the singles "Only You", "Hero In Vain" and "Touch My Heart".

On 14th May 2011, Show Luo performed a sold out concert for his Dance Without Limits' Encore World Live Tour and being the first person to set a record of over 10000 spectators in attendance since the opening of Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Discography

;Studio

1st ''Show Time'' - 2003

2nd ''Expert Show'' (達人Show) - 2004

3rd ''Hypnosis Show'' (催眠Show) - 2005

4th ''Speshow'' - 2006

5th ''Show Your Dance'' (舞所不在) - 2007

6th ''Trendy Man'' (潮男正傳) - 2008

7th ''Rashomon'' (羅生門) - 2010

8th ''Only for You'' (獨一無二) - 2011

;Compilation

''Best Show'' - 2007

''All for You'' (All for You 超精選) - 2011

; Remix

''Dance is King Remix Collection'' (舞者為王混音極選) - 2010

; DVD

''Show On Cruel Stage Concert Live'' - 2008

Concerts

Standalone concerts

24 March 2007

width="370px"	Name !! width="130px"|Date !! width="150x"|Venue !! width="270px"|Special Guests
2005 McDonald's World Children's Day "Love's Strength" Charity Concert麥當勞世界兒童日 "愛的力量" 慈善演唱會	18 November 2005	Taipei Arena, Taiwan		* Rainie Yang	* Wang Leehom	* Jolin Tsai
2006 Show Luo BenQ "SPESHOW" Concert羅志祥 BenQ "SPESHOW" 演唱會	30 December 2006		* Rainie Yang	:zh:衛斯理>衛斯理)	* Party Boys
2007 Show Luo & Rainie Yang 《Rainie Show》Sydney, Australia Concert羅志祥楊丞琳《Rainie Show》澳洲雪梨演唱會	|	Sydney Entertainment Centre, Australia
2007 Show Luo Cotton USA 《When We Are 2gether》 Tainan Celebration Concert羅志祥美國棉《當我們宅一塊》台南慶功演唱會	29 December 2007		* Cyndi Wang	:zh:元衛覺醒>元衛覺醒)
2009 Show Luo 《Cause I Believe 214》Celebration Concert羅志祥《幸福不滅214》慶功演唱會	14 February 2009		* Terri Kwan	:zh:黃文星>黃文星)

World tours

Nanjing, China Beijing, China Singapore Wuxi, Jiangsu, China rowspan="2">Hong Kong Guangzhou, China Macau Connecticut, USA Tokyo, Japan

+ 2007 Show Luo《Show On Stage》 World Tour Concert<	羅志祥《Show On Stage》一支獨SHOW世界巡迴演唱會	Date !! Location !! Venue !! Special Guests
9 June 2007	Shanghai, China	Shanghai Indoor Stadium>Shanghai Grand Stage
30 June 2007	|	Nanjing Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium	Jolin Tsai
4 August 2007	|	Beijing Chaoyang Park
1 December 2007	|	Singapore Indoor Stadium
18 December 2007	|	Wuxi New Sports Stadium
17 November 2007				* Karen Mok - dance show	* Jolin Tsai - duet: "天空"
18 November 2007		* Rainie Yang - dance show	* Elva Hsiao - duet: "敗給你"
23 February 2008	|	West Kowloon Pop TV Arena	Lollipop (Taiwanese group)>Lollipop
24 February 2008	Rainie Yang
27 December 2008	|	Tianhe Stadium	Energy - duet: "一起走吧"
2 May 2009	|	CotaiArena, The Venetian Macao	Rainie Yang - duet: "戀愛達人"
26 November 2009	|	Mohegan Sun Arena	Rainie Yang - duet: "戀愛達人"
24 April 2010	|	Shibuya-AX

* These 2 shows were released on DVD titled: ''Show On Cruel Stage Concert Live'' (殘酷舞台真實錄Live)

rowspan="3">Taipei, Taiwan Singapore Wuhan, Hubei China Shanghai, China Chengdu, China Macau Zhejiang, Hangzhou, China Beijing, China Guangzhou, China Taichung, Taiwan Sydney, Australia Melbourne, Australia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Macau Singapore, Singapore Shanghai, China rowspan="3">Hong Kong Kaohsiung, Taiwan New Jersey

+ 2010 Show Luo «Dance Without Limits 3D World Live» World Tour Concert<	2010羅志祥«舞法舞天 3D WORLD LIVE»世界巡迴演唱會	Date !! Location !! Venue !! Special Guests
30 April 2010	Hong Kong	Hong Kong Coliseum
1 May 2010			Rainie Yang - duet："In Your Eyes"
2 May 2010			Lollipop (Taiwanese group)>Lollipop - duet："撐腰"
15 May 2010	|	Taipei Arena	Sammi Cheng - duet："眉飛色舞"
16 May 2010 (matinee)	Elva Hsiao - duet: "WOW
16 May 2010	A-mei>A-Mei - duet："夏天的浪花"
22 May 2010	|	Singapore Indoor Stadium	Wong JingLun - duet："蝴蝶秀"
26 June 2010	|	Hankou Cultural Sports Centre	Blue Bird & Flying Fish (青鳥飛魚)
7 August 2010	|	Hongkou Gymnasium	Mayday (Taiwanese band)>Mayday - duet："離開地球表面"
28 August 2010	|	Chengdu Sports Centre	Jane Zhang
30 October 2010	|	CotaiArena, The Venetian Macao
5 November 2010	|	Yellow Dragon Sports Center>Zhejiang Huanglong Sports Center	Cyndi Wang (王心凌) - duet："戀愛達人"
13 November 2010	|	Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center>Wukesong Indoor Stadium
5 March 2011	|	Tianhe Stadium	Lollipop F - duet and dance: "撑腰"
colspan="4" align="center"	2011 Show Luo 'Dance Without Limits' Encore World Live Tour2011 羅志祥 舞法舞天之一萬零一夜
19 March 2011	|	National Taiwan College of Physical Education	Dee Hsu - dance show
1 April 2011	|	Acer Arena
8 April 2011	|	Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
16 April 2011	|	Putra Indoor Stadium, Bukit Jalil
7 May 2011	|	CotaiArena, The Venetian Macao
14 May 2011	|	Singapore Indoor Stadium
21 May 2011	|	Shanghai Arena	Zhou Bichang
10 July 2011	|	Hong Kong Coliseum	Joey Yung - duet："戀愛達人"
11 July 2011	Rainie Yang - duet："任意門" (Anywhere Door)
12 July 2011	Sandra Ng - duet："相逢可必曾相識"
13 August 2011	|	Kaohsiung Arena	4 Heavenly Kings - singing Cha Cha Dance Floor
3 September 2011	|	Borgata Hotel and Casino	Vanness Wu

Filmography

Television series

''When We Are Nesting Together'' 女生向前走 少年梁祝 :zh:麻辣鮮師:zh:Hi！上班女郎 ''Hi Working Girl'' :zh:鬥魚2:zh:轉角＊遇到愛:zh:籃球火:zh:海派甜心

Year !! width="100px"	Chinese title !! width="200px"|English title !! width="170px"|Role !! width="100px"|Co-stars !! width="250px"|Remarks
1998	當我們窩在一起	|	Lin Ming Zon (林明宗)
2000	|	''Go Forward Girls''	Luo Jia Xi (羅嘉西)
2001	|	''The Youth Of Liang Shanbo And Zhu Yingtai''	Liang Shan Bo (梁山伯)
2002	麻辣鮮師 ||	''Spicy Hot Teacher''	Yu Zhi Xiang (余志祥)	Wilber Pan	guest star
2003	Hi	上班女郎	|	Zheng Da Lun (鄭達倫)	Jolin Tsai
2004	鬥魚2 ||	''The Outsiders II''	Yuan Cheng Lie (袁承烈) aka Ah Lie (阿烈)		Best Leading Actor in a Television Series (Golden Bell Awards)>Best Leading Actor in a Television Series at the 40th Golden Bell Awards
2007	轉角＊遇到愛 ||	''Corner With Love''	Qin Lang (秦朗)	Barbie HsuAlien Huang
2008	籃球火 ||	Hot Shot (Taiwan TV Series)>Hot Shot''	Yuan Da Ying (元大鷹)	Jerry YanWu ChunGeorge Hu	Best Leading Actor in a Television Series (Golden Bell Awards)>Best Leading Actor in a Television Series at the 44th Golden Bell Awards
2009	海派甜心 ||	''Hi My Sweetheart''	Xue Hai (薛海) aka Lin Da Lang (別名林達浪)	Rainie Yang	Best Leading Actor in a Television Series (Golden Bell Awards)>Best Leading Actor in a Television Series at the 45th Golden Bell Awards

Movies

頻果咬一口 / ''Expect A Miracle'' (2001)

神探兩個半之學校有鬼 / ''Two and Half Detectives- There are Ghosts in the School's Backyard''

Chicken Little / 四眼天雞, as Chicken Little (Chinese, Voice only) (2005)

The Bee Movie / 蜂電影，as Barry Bee Benson (Chinese, Voice Only) (2007)

歲月情 (Cancelled) (2008)

Directorial

2003 - ''Show Luo Music Love Story'' 「羅志祥的音樂愛情故事」: This is Show's directorial debut, also written by him, starring Terri Kwan, Jerry Huang (黃志瑋) and cameo by Show. It is a 30 minutes music drama featuring songs from ''Show Time''. It was boardcasted on Azio TV (東風衛視) from 24–26 December 2003. Then it was released on 9 January 2004, as part of the bonus VCD, in the ''Show Time «Japanese Hip Hop No.1 Celebration Version»''【日式嘻哈NO.1慶功版】(CD+VCD).

Books

30 September 2002 - ''Show Luo «Zhu Shi Hui She»'' / 《羅志祥豬式會社》 - ISBN 9578033923

8 March 2007 - ''I Love Super'' (with CD) with Jolin Tsai, Rainie Yang & Stanley Huang / 《我愛大明星—驚歎號》 - ISBN 9861361219

9 October 2007 - ''Show Luo «Show on Stage»'' / 《羅志祥Show On Stage進化三步曲》 - ISBN 9789861361475

24 December 2010 - ''LoGic'' / 《羅輯課：24個媽媽教我的街頭智慧 (熱賣普及版)》 - ISBN 9789578037908

Awards and nominations

TV shows

+ TV Programme Hostings<		TV Channel !! Programme(s)
	''Variety is Funniest on This Saturday''《綜藝這個禮拜六最好笑》''Win in The First Battle'' 《旗開得勝》''Win in The First Battle of Youth Army'' 《旗開得勝少年兵團》''Variety Club''《綜藝夜總會》''Joyous Fleet''《歡樂艦隊》''TV Delivery'' 《電視宅及便》''Taiwan Tiger is afraid of Tiger'' 《台灣虎怕虎》''An Alien Empire''《藝形帝國》''Exist Bus of Joyous All The Way'' 《歡樂一路發之生存巴士》
	''TV Citizens''《電視大國民》''Red Versus White''《:zh:紅白勝利>紅白勝利》
Chinese Television System	Chinese Television System (CTS) (華視)	''Great Victory on Saturday'' 《週六大勝利》''Variety Big Sister''《綜藝小妹大》''Happy Sunday''《:zh:快樂星期天>快樂星期天》
Formosa TV	Formosa TV (FTV) (民視)	''Taiwan Variety King''《台灣綜藝王》
colspan="2" align="center">''Pay television	Premium /subscription TV channels''
	''100% Entertainment'' (娛樂百分百) 2005–present
Azio TV (東風衛視)	《冷知識轟趴》《超人氣大挑戰》	《亞洲進行式》''Asia Entertainment Centre''《亞洲娛樂中心》
Eastern Television	Eastern Television (ETTV) (東森)	《1800娛樂開講》''Entertainment News'' 《娛樂新聞》
Much TV (年代MUCH台)	''MUCH Chart'' 《MUCH排行榜點唱機》 2001
Sanlih E-Television	Sanlih E-Television (SET) (三立電視)	''Showbiz'' 《完全娛樂》
Dai Da (大地)	''Super Fun Park'' 《超猛樂園》

Endorsements

Show Luo was appointed "Love Ambassador" for McDonald’s World Children’s Day from 2005 to 2007. He donates to Ronald McDonald's Charity house as well.

In Show's 2005 McDonald's World Children's Day 《Love's Strength》 Charity Concert on 18 November 2005 at Taipei Arena over 720 million was raised and went towards "McDonald's Charity Foundation. In 2007 Show continues to raise money by donating $50 from every ticket sold for 《Show On Stage》 World Tour Concert on 17 and 18 November 2007 at Taipei Arena. During the concert the Guinness World Records for "most couples hugging simultaneously" was achieved in conjunction with the World's Children Day.

This gesture was to inform society to spread love and care to the sick children in hospitals. He also worked as a spokesperson for Shiatzy Chen.

;2011

Manhattan Portage

IMAX Chips

Rimowa (April)

;2010

'' FamilyMart'' (Television and banner)

'' IMAX Chips'' (Television)

'' Big Train Jeans'' (Television and banner)

'' MEIKE Sports Shoes'' (Television and banner)

'' Kang Shi Fu noodles'' (Television and banner)

'' YILI Ice-cream'' (Television)

;2009

'' MORRIS K Watches (Banner)

'' Taipei FUN HOUSE (Banner)

'' Kang Shi Fu noodles'' (Television)

'' Pert Shampoo'' (Television)

'' McDonalds'' (Television and banner)

'' IMAX Chips'' (Television)

'' Pepsi Family'' (Television)

'' Semir Clothing'' (Television)

'' Big Train Jeans'' (Television and banner)

'' Rejoice'' (Television)

'' Watsons'' (Television)

'' Online Volleyball game'' (Banner)

'' Blind Foundation'' (Television and Banner)

;2008

'' Hot Shot'' (Television and banner)

'' Big Train Jeans''(Television and banner)

'' Rejoice Shampoo'' (Television)

'' Fantastic Rice Crackers'' (Magazine)

'' McDonalds'' (Television and banner)

'' IMAX Chips''(Television)

'' Pepsi Family'' (Television and banner)

'' Quaker's Essence of Chicken'' (Television)

'' Taiwan Beer'' (Television)

'' The Fourth MRT Dance Competition (Television and banner)

'' SanYang SYM Motorbike (Television)

'' Semir Clothing'' (Television and banner)

'' Watsons - VIP Cards'' (Television)

;2007

'' Banny Wong Electronics'' (Banner)

'' BenQ- SIEMENS EF71'' (Banner)

'' Big Train Jeans'' (Banner)

'' FORMOSA Glasses'' (Television and banner)

'' Geneon Entertainment'' (Billboard)

'' Go Action'' (Television and banner)

'' Golden Circle'' (Television and banner)

'' Green Teahouse- Jasmine Tea'' (Television and banner)

'' HEY SONG Sarsaparilla'' (Television and banner)

'' HiNet- iSing99'' (Television and banner)....

'' Johnny Chan Muffin Company'' (Television and banner)

'' Libra'' (Television)

'' McDonalds''' (Television and banner)

'' Nissan'' (Magazine)

'' Pacific Magazines'' (Magazine)

'' PEPSI- Soy Drink (Xin Yi Dai)'' (Television and banner)

'' SPC'' (Television)

'' Wendy's'' (Magazine)

;2006

'' Big Train Jeans'' (Banner)

'' McDonalds'' (Television and banner)

'' Watsons- The Most Intimate Good Friend Series'' (Television and banner)

'' BenQ Mobiles'' (Television and banner)

;2005

'' Ochean Tea'' (Television and banner)

;Unsorted

'' CATCH Chocolate Stick''

'' CHA CAH 50 Motorcycle''

'' CHA CAH 90 Motorcycle''

'' Golden Hydroxide Peroxide- Contact Lens Sanitary Fluid''

'' Kuo-Nong Fresh Milk''

'' MEIKE Sport Shoes''

Notes

References

G-Music Mandarin Chart

External links

Univerises Entertainment Marketing Ltd Show's official profile 'I Love Super' Mars Entertainment Blogs Show's official blog Show Luo@Gold Typhoon Taiwan Show Luo Discography@Avex Taiwan (2003–2007) Stage Hyaline of World

Show Lo Official Italian forum

Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:Taiwanese aborigines Category:Taiwanese television actors Category:Taiwanese dancers Category:Taiwanese Mandopop singers Category:People from Keelung Category:Taiwanese male singers

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