Teresa Teng

Template:Infobox Chinese-language singer and actor Teresa Teng (January 29, 1953 – May 8, 1995) (simplified Chinese: 邓丽君; traditional Chinese: 鄧麗君; pinyin: Dèng Lìjūn, , Japanese: テレサ・テン, sometimes spelled as Tang or Deng), was an immensely popular and influential Taiwanese pop singer. Teresa Teng's voice and songs are instantly recognizable in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and areas with large Chinese populations. It is often said, "Wherever there are Chinese people, the songs of Teresa Teng can be heard." She was known for her folk songs and romantic ballads, most of them having reached classic status during her lifetime.

She recorded many songs that are now staples of popular Chinese music; the most popular include "When Will You Return?" (何日君再來) and "The Moonlight Represents my Heart" (月亮代表我的心). In addition to her Mandarin repertoire, she also recorded songs in Taiwanese, Cantonese, Japanese, Indonesian, and English. She had, at one time, sold more albums than any other East-Asian singer, but that record has since been surpassed. Teng died at the age of 42 as a result of a severe asthma attack while holidaying in Thailand in 1995.

Biography

Teresa Teng was born in a village in Yunlin County, Taiwan, to a mainland Chinese family from Hebei province. She was educated at Ginling Girls High School. As a young child, Teresa won awards for her singing at talent competitions. Her first major prize was in 1964 when she sang "Visiting Yingtai" from Shaw Brothers' Huangmei opera movie, "The Love Eterne" (梁山伯與祝英台), at an event hosted by China Radio Station (Taiwan). Her singing proved successful and she was able to support her family during Taiwan's new and developing economy in the 1960s. With her father's approval, Teresa quit high school to pursue singing professionally.

In 1968, She had her first taste of fame after performing on a popular Taiwanese music program, which led to a record contract. She released several albums within the next few years under the Life Records label. In 1973, she attempted to crack the Japanese market by signing with Polydor Japan records label, and taking part in Japan's Kōhaku Uta Gassen, a year-round singing match of the most successful artists. She was named "Best New Singing Star". Following her success in Japan, Teresa sang many Japanese songs, including original hits such as "I Only Care About You" (時の流れに身をまかせ or 我只在乎你).

In 1974, with the song "Airport" (空港), she conquered Japan. She remained a leading star despite a short exile in 1979 when she was deported for having a fake Indonesian passport that was bought for $20,000, a subterfuge thought necessary by a break in relations between Taiwan and Japan on China's entry to the UN Security Council. Singing by now in Cantonese, Japanese and English besides her native Mandarin, Teresa's popularity quickly reached Malaysia and Indonesia.

Teresa ended the contract with Polydor in 1981. Then she signed the contract with Taurus Records in 1983 when she re-debuted in Japan to great success. In 1984, she released her most-acclaimed album, Light Exquisite Feeling (淡淡幽情). This album consists of 12 poems from the Tang and Song dynasties, set to a blend of modern Western and traditional Chinese music written by various composers who wrote many of Teresa's popular songs. The most famous song from the album is "Wishing We Last Forever" (但願人長久).

Political tension between Taiwan and China continued; her music as well as others from Hong Kong were banned for several years in Mainland China in the early 1980s for being too "bourgeois" and reactionary ideology. This did not stop her growing popularity on the mainland; through the black market, her songs were played everywhere, from nightclubs to government buildings. It wasn't long before the ban on her music was lifted. People nicknamed her "Little Deng" because she had the same family name as Deng Xiaoping.

In 1989, She performed in Paris during the Tiananmen student uprising, singing for students and proclaiming her support for democracy. On May 27, 1989, over 300,000 people attended the concert called "Democratic songs dedicated to China" (民主歌聲獻中華) at the Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong. One of the highlights was her rendition of "My home is On The Other Side of the Mountain."

In Taiwan during the 70's and 80's, Teresa was also known as the 'soldier's sweetheart" because she periodically performed for the troops (she was a child of a military family). Her folksy songs were especially noted for giving mainlanders (or KMT) a sense of longing for their homes in China. Yeh Yueh-Yu, a professor of Cultural Theory at the University of Southern California said, "It was the sweetness in her voice that made her famous. She had a perfect voice for folk songs and ballads, and she added traditional folk song stylings into Western-style compositions." Her voice was also described as being "like weeping and pleading, but with strength, capable of drawing in and hypnotizing listeners." Songwriter Tsuo Hung-yun said Teng's voice was "seven parts sweetness, three parts tears." Her singing was heartfelt and genuine.

While Teresa's popularity worldwide boomed in the 1970s, especially after her debut in Japan, her fame peaked during the 1980s. Teen idols Judy Ongg, OuYang Feifei, & Agnes Chan declined in popularity around this time when Teresa took centerstage. 1984-1989 was known as "Teresa Teng's Golden Years" when she released many classic songs & albums. She won the All-Japan Record Awards for four consecutive years (1984-1988). Teresa was the first to achieve this.

Teresa had dreamed of giving a concert in mainland China and was even publicly invited by the Chinese government, but died before this was fulfilled.

Death and commemorations

File:Teresa Teng MTHK.jpg

The wax figure of Teresa Teng at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong

Teng died from a severe asthma attack while on holiday in Chiang Mai, Thailand at the age of 42 (43 by Chinese reckoning) on May 8, 1995. She was an asthmatic throughout her adult life. Teng was given a state funeral in Taiwan, with the Republic of China flag draped over her coffin and the former president Lee Teng-hui in attendance among thousands in mourning.

She was buried in a mountainside tomb at Chin Pao San (金寶山; Jinbaoshan, literally Golden Treasure Mountain), a cemetery near Jinshan, Taipei County in Taiwan. A memorial was built at the tomb with a statue of Teng and her stage clothes on display, with her music playing in the background. There is also a large electronic piano keyboard that visitors can play by stepping on the keys. The tomb is well visited by her fans, a notable departure from traditional Chinese culture shunning visits to burial sites.

A house she bought in 1986 in Hong Kong at No. 18 Carmel Street has also become a site of pilgrimage for her fans soon after her death. Plans to sell the home to finance a museum in Shanghai were made known in 2002, and subsequently sold for HK$ 32 million. It closed on what would have been her 51st birthday on January 29, 2004.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of her death, Teresa Teng Culture and Education Foundation launched a campaign entitled "Feel Teresa Teng". In addition to organizing an anniversary concert in Hong Kong and Taiwan, music fans paid homage at her shrine at Chin Pao San Cemetery. Additionally, some of her dresses, jewelry and personal items were placed on exhibition at Yuzi Paradise, an art park outside Guilin, China.

In May 2002, the wax figure of Teng was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.

Influence on popular culture

• Her songs were so popular in China that they bypassed mainland censorship, and it was said that "by day, Deng Xiaoping rules China, but by night, Deng Lijun rules."
• Her songs have been sung by many singers, most notably Faye Wong who in 1995 released a tribute album (Decadent Sounds of Faye, 菲靡靡之音) consisting of Teresa's popular hits. Timi Zhuo is also known for singing her songs, and has been called her "second generation" because her voice is similar to Teresa's and has a similar singing style.
• In the 1996 Hong Kong film Comrades: Almost a Love Story (甜蜜蜜 - Tiánmìmì), directed by Peter Chan, the endearing legacy and death of Teresa Teng are featured as a subplot to the main story. The movie won best picture in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and at the Seattle Films Festival in the United States.
• Her songs are featured in various films, e.g. Rush Hour 2, Prison On Fire.
• In 2007, TV Asahi produced a tanpatsu (単発, TV movie), entitled Teresa Teng Monogatari (テレサ・テン物語) to commemorate the 13th anniversary of her death. Actress Yoshino Kimura starred as Teresa Teng.
• Teresa Teng, along with Judy Ongg (1950-), Agnes Chan (1955-), OuYang Feifei (1949-), & Yu Yar, became the "Five Great Asian Divas" due to their huge cross-cultural popularity, especially in China and Japan. These "Five Great Divas" reached their peak during the 1970-1980s and their music continued to be played to this day. Teresa Teng, by far, remains the most popular. Many believe that the 5 Great Divas' cross-cultural reach & popularity during their peak years (1970-1980s) have entered the "invincible" high point of Chinese popular music even to this day.

Awards she received in Japan

Teresa Teng received the following awards in Japan:

• The New Singer Award for「空港」(Kūkō) in 1974.

• The Gold Award in 1986 for「時の流れに身をまかせ」(Toki no Nagare ni Mi o Makase).

• The Grand Prix for「つぐない」(Tsugunai) in 1984:「愛人」(Aijin) in 1985; and「時の流れに身をまかせ」(Toki no Nagare ni Mi o Makase) in 1986. This was the first time anyone has won the Grand Prix three years in a row.

• The Outstanding Star Award for「別れの予感」(Wakare no Yokan) in 1987.

• The Cable Radio Music Award for「別れの予感」(Wakare no Yokan) in 1987 and 1988.

• The Cable Radio Special Merit Award (有線功労賞) in 1995 for three consecutive Grand Prix wins.

External links

• Teresa Teng Foundation 鄧麗君文教基金會
• One And Only - Teresa Teng 鄧麗君 テレサ・テン
• publicradio.org
• Teresa Teng discography at MusicBrainz