Faye Wong

This article is about the singer. For other uses, see Wang Fei (disambiguation).

I’m lazy, never jogged for more than 2 days. I smoke, an act of damaging health. I’m straightforward, constantly offending others. I'm hot-tempered, not able to control my emotions. I’m impatient, especially with things not interesting to me. I feel confident and inferior, very contradictory. Facing my fans, I feel embarrassed. I’m not motivated, always thinking of vacations. I’m not obedient, even my parents don't know what to do with me. I’m not an idol, please don’t worship me.

— Faye Wong

Faye Wong (王菲 Wang Fei) (born August 8, 1969) is a highly successful and influential Chinese singer-songwriter and actress who is usually referred to as a diva (Chinese: 天后; lit. 'Heavenly Queen'). 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 and Malaysia, she has also gained a large following in Japan and is to date the only C-pop artist to have performed 4 times in Tokyo's Budokan. In the West she is best known for starring in Wong Kar-wai's films Chungking Express (for which she won an award in Sweden) and 2046. 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. 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.

"I wandered around, visited museums and sat at cafes. There were so many strange, confident-looking people. They didn't care what other people thought of them. I felt I was originally like that too, independent and a little rebellious. But in Hong Kong I lost myself. I was shaped by others and became like a machine, a dress hanger. I had no personality and no sense of direction."

— Faye Wong on her 1991 sojourn to New York City.

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" (王菲). 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

One of Wong's comeback concerts in Beijing Wukesong Arena in November 2010. The concert has been overseen by Wong Kar-Wai.

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 for causes she truly cared about: 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.

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. Wong also released a song for her newly founded charity Smile Angel Foundation; but it appeared as if she would stay retired forever.

In May 2009, Wong appeared in an ad for "Royal Wind" shampoo, sparking speculation that it would be the first step in her comeback. In January 2010 the film Confucius was released with Faye Wong singing the theme song "Orchid Parade", and the media concluded that "China's pop queen is back". Her return was clearly marked in February 2010, when 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. While on her tour, she appeared as a special guest at Eason Chan's concert on September 29 at the Beijing Worker's Stadium, surprising many as Wong has previously never accepted any invitation to appear as a special guest at another singer's concert, thus making this the first time of doing so.

Personal life

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. In June 1996, the couple married.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. They divorced in late 1999 with Wong claiming the rights to the daughter and waiving child support.

Wong began dating Mainland television actor Li Yapeng in 2004 in Beijing; their wedding took place in July 2005. 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. 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 Lis agreed to continue paying for her medical needs until she turns 22 and visit her at least once a year.

Microblog

In 2010, Sina Weibo users discovered Wong's microblog under the account "veggieg Template:Zh icon", and unveiled a Faye Wong who is open, talkative and surprisingly funny with her use of cyberlanguage and puns. As of November 2011, the still unverified account has over 5 million followers.

Artistry and Legacy

Concerts

Faye Wong in concert, Hong Kong, 2003.

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",

This time I stubbornly face [the problem].

[I'm] inadvertently indulgent.
I don’t care whether it's correct or not.
Even if it is a trap, I dare to [face it].

Even if it is stubbornness, I am still stubborn and regretless.

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" and put Wong's picture on the cover of a split album. A 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

Main article: Faye Wong 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), 2 in Taipei, 2 in Kuala Lumpur and 7 more in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Atlanta, San Francisco, New York City, and Singapore Total: 29	(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 , 2 in Japan, 2 in Singapore, 2 in Malaysia and 1 in Las Vegas Total: 35	(i) "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen); (ii) "Auld Lang Syne"	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 Sydney and 3 more in Japan Total: 17	"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 Total: 16	(i) "Heart of Glass" (Blondie); (ii) "The Look of Love" (Dusty Springfield)	Released on CD, SACD, VCD and DVD. She decided to perform "Pledge" again for these concerts. Pu Shu's "Those Flowers" was only covered for concerts in China. The title sponsor was the clothing company Baleno
Comeback Tour 2010–12 (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), 2 in Wuhan (August 2011), 1 in Singapore (Oct 2011), 1 in Kuala Lumpur (Nov 2011), 2 in Harbin and 6 more upcoming in Chengdu , Xi'an and Chongqing Total: 30 (+6)		She performed 23 tracks for all the concerts, except for Hong Kong where she performed 24. Throughout the tour, she covered other artists' songs as follows: Eason Chan's "大开眼戒" (Cantonese), Cocteau Twins's "Rilkean Heart", Sinead O'Connor's "A Perfect Indian" and Karen Mok's "单人房双人床" (Mandarin)

Tour Setlists

王菲最精彩的演唱會 Live in Concert

1. 夢遊
2. 夢中人
3. 多得他
4. 無奈那天
5. 靜夜的單簧管
6. Medley:
   1. Miss You Night & Day
   2. Summer of Love
   3. 又繼續等
   4. Everything
   5. 不再兒嬉
7. 從明日開始
8. 明天我要嫁給你
9. Medley:
   1. 天與地
   2. 用心良苦
10. Medley:
    1. 如風
    2. 季候風
    3. 有一天我會
    4. 浪漫風暴
    5. Kisses in the Wind
11. 流非飛
12. 愛與痛的邊緣
13. 知己知彼
14. 胡思亂想
15. 誓言
16. 誘惑我
17. 棋子
18. 執迷不悔
19. 容易受傷的女人
20. 冷戰
21. 千言萬語
22. 出路
23. 我願意

唱遊大世界王菲香港演唱會 Faye HK Scenic Tour

1. Overture
2. 感情生活
3. 浮躁
4. 悶
5. 暗湧
6. 天空 (unplugged)
7. 臉
8. 迷路
9. 夢中人
10. 夢遊
11. 原諒自已
12. 末日
13. 墮落
14. 天使
15. 懷念
16. 夢醒了
17. 但願人長久
18. 情誡
19. 一人分飾兩角
20. 為非作歹
21. Di-Dar
22. 曖昧
23. Bohemian Rhapsody
24. 你快樂 (所以我快樂)
25. Auld Lang Syne
26. 約定
27. 償還
28. 我願意
29. 執迷不悔

王菲全面體演唱會 Faye Wong Japan Concert

1. Overture
2. 我願意
3. 再見螢火蟲
4. 悶
5. 矜持
6. Medley:
   1. 半途而廄
   2. 只愛陌生人
7. 開到茶靡
8. 過眼雲煙
9. 流浪的紅舞鞋
10. 新房客
11. 香奈兒
12. 感情生活
13. 掙脫
14. 推翻 （unplugged）
15. 你 (unplugged)
16. 但願人長久
17. 天空
18. Separate Ways
19. 天使
20. Eyes On Me
21. Thank You For Hearing Me
22. 人間

菲比尋常 No Faye! No Live! Tour

1. Overture
2. 天空
3. 誓言
4. Medley:
   1. 純情
   2. 背影
   3. 夢中人
5. 流浪的紅舞鞋
6. 我願意
7. 假如我是真的
8. 只願為你守著約
9. 但願人長久
10. 新房客
11. 香奈兒
12. 將愛
13. 開到荼蘼
14. 償還
15. 紅豆
16. 暗湧
17. 光之翼
18. 悶
19. Heart of Glass
20. 旋木
21. 只愛陌生人
22. The Look of Love
23. 如風
24. 愛與痛的邊緣
25. 精彩
26. Medley:
    1. 尾班車
    2. 靜夜的單簧管
    3. 守時
27. 約定
28. 給自己的情書
29. 冷戰
30. 人間

Filmography

Films

Year	English Title	Original Title	Role	Notes
1991	Beyond's Diary	BEYOND日記之莫欺少年窮	Mary
1994	Chungking Express	重慶森林	Faye	Nominated—14th HK Film Awards for Best Actress Won—Stockholm Film Festival for Best Actress
2000	Okinawa Rendez-vous	戀戰沖繩	Jenny
2002	Chinese Odyssey 2002	天下無雙	Princess Wushuang	Nominated—22nd HK Film Awards for Best Actress Won—HK Film Critics Society Awards for Best Actress
2004	2046		Wang Jingwen
	Leaving Me, Loving You	大城小事	Xin Xiaoyue

Television

Year	English Title	Original Title	Role	Notes
1991	Traces of the Heart	別姬	Mei-fong	TVB movie
1992	The Files of Justice (Part II)	壹號皇庭II	Mandy	TVB series
1993	Legendary Ranger	原振俠	Hoi-tong	TVB series (20 episodes)
	Eternity	千歲情人	Bou Ging-hung	TVB series (20 episodes)
1994	Modern Love Story: Three Equals One Love	愛情戀曲：愛情3加1	Wun-gwan	one part of TVB series
2001	Love From a Lie	ウソコイ	Lin Fei	Kansai TV series (11 episodes)

External links

• Microblog Template:Zh icon (While unverified, the account is believed to belong to her)

• Faye Wong at IMDb
• 王菲 – photo montage (may be slow to load)
• Faye Wong Today – feifan's fan site
• 菲迷府 – Fayenaticshome Template:Zh icon
• All About Ah Faye – Stefan's fan site
• "Flash of Color – Haley's fan site". Archived from the original on 2008-06-29. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
• 唱遊王菲天與地 – Cecilia's Fan Site Template:Zh icon
• Smile Angel Foundation Template:Zh icon