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Han Geng

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For the South Korean newspaper, see Korea Economic Daily.

Template:Chinese name Template:Infobox Chinese-language singer and actor

Han Geng (born February 9, 1984), better known in Korea as Hankyung, is a Chinese pop singer and actor. He is the only Chinese member of the large boy band Super Junior and the leader of its subgroup Super Junior-M. He is regarded as one of the four lead dancers of Super Junior and is also one of the two members in the group who frequently performs Chinese martial arts in Super Junior's dance routines, the other being Sungmin. Han is well-known for his dancing, being particularly skillful in Chinese traditional dances from the 56 minority Chinese ethnic groups.[a][1] As a member of a Korean music group, he is an important contributor to the Korean wave in China.[2] Han was also a torch bearer for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, being the first boy band member to be chosen in history.[3]

Early life

Han Geng, an ethnic Nanai from Northeast China, was born in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang, China.[4] At the age of 13, he was accepted into Central University for Nationalities and left Mudanjiang to Bejing to perfect his craft in the dance industry.[5] In December 2001, Han's friend notified him of a talent scouting audition that was going to be held in Beijing, and his friend encouraged Han to sign up with him. Although hesitant at first, Han agreed to audition with his friend. Together they signed up for the H.O.T. CHINA Audition Casting, a casting audition that was hosted by Korean talent agency and label SM Entertainment. The competition rate was 3000 to 1, and Han had no hopes of getting selected after auditions ended.[6]

After the audition, Han began to work briefly as a cameo actor in short low-budge Chinese films to earn a salary before entering college. In late August 2002, Han was notified that he had been accepted into SM Entertainment.[5] After Han's graduation at the Central University for Nationalities, he was sent to Korea and received private lessons in singing, dancing, and acting, as well as learning the Korean language. In mid 2003, Han moved into dormitories and lived with other trainees that were under the same label. With the other trainees, he was enrolled in training classes and became a Class A dancing student.[5]

Career

Super Junior

See also: Super Junior's musical career

On February 6, 2005, Han was officially announced to be part of the all-boy rotational musical group Super Junior as a member of its first generation, Super Junior 05. Being the first Chinese and foreigner to formally debut in Korea, the media closely followed the group. Three months later after the announcement, Han made his first media appearance as a runway model in a Fashion Show organized by Bum Suk.

With a total of twelve members, Super Junior 05 offically debuted on November 6, 2005 on SBS's music program Popular Songs, performing their first single, "TWINS (Knock Out)". Their debut performance attracted over 500 fans and also garnered oversea viewers from both China and Japan. A full studio album was released a month later, which debuted at #3 on the monthly MIAK K-pop album charts.[7]

In March 2006, SM Entertainment began to recruit new members for the next Super Junior generation. However, plans changed when the company added in a thirteenth member, Kyuhyun, and the company declared a halt in forming future Super Junior generations. The group dropped the suffix "05" and became officially credited as Super Junior. The re-polished group hit big after they released their first CD single "U" the following summer, which became Super Junior's most successful single in the music charts until the release of "Sorry, Sorry" in March 2009.

Han is one of the few members of Super Junior who actively appears on variety shows, such as being a regular guest in Love Letter and Star Golden Bell. Being active in variety shows, his popularity within Super Junior grew and Han became popular overseas. Aside South Korea, Han is also well-known in China, where he has made guest appearances in over three different Chinese variety shows, being one of the first K-pop idols to appear in them.[8] Han became a national celebrity in China with the debut of Super Junior's third subgroup Super Junior-M on April 8, 2008 in China. The subgroup released their first Chinese-language studio album, Me on May 2, 2008. The album debuted on Taiwan's G-music combo charts as #2 and #1 on many of China's and Thailand's music charts.[9]

Acting

Han made a cameo appearance with band mate Eunhyuk as a friend of Heechul in an episode of the MBC drama Rainbow Romance in early 2006. In August 2006, Han played the role of a police officer in Zhang Liyin's debut music video "Timeless" starring alongside Lee Yeon-hee and band mate Siwon. The two-part music video was separatedly released in September 2006. The music video was ranked #1 for a full four weeks on Melon's Video Chart. In November 2007, Han starred as the lead role in Zhang's debut Chinese music video, "I Will" and "The Left Shore of Happiness" along Lee and Siwon. The two music videos were both released in February 2008.

Han's first big-scale film was Attack on the Pin-Up Boys, an SM Pictures production that starred all Super Junior members except Leeteuk and Kyuhyun. He played the role of a popular basketball player who later got attacked by a mysterious force. Despite positive critical ratings, that film did not do well in the box-office, but all four versions of the film's DVD were all sold out and broke chart records.[10]

In late 2008, Han filmed the CCTV mini drama called Stage of Youth in China. He plays Xia Lei, a young man who has to go through numerous obstacles and challenges in order to achieve his dream to become the new generation's dancing star. The 12-episode drama was a Chinese New Year Special and also a tribute to the Beijing Olympics 2008. It aired on CCTV-Children (少儿频道) from January 19–31, 2009.

2008 Beijing Olympics torch bearer

On March 20, 2008, Han was announced to be one of the torch bearers for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, being the first boy band member to be chosen in history.[3] Being active in a foreign country, Han has simultaneously promoted Chinese culture to Korea, earning him a spot as torch bearer.[3] His torch relay was in the Beijing route on August 07, 2008. He was runner number 240. Not only was he a torch bearer, but also sang the Beijing Olympic theme song "Beijing Welcomes You".

Controversies

Performance restrictions

Before his debut, Han entered Korea with a vacation visa and had to return to China every three months for a new one.[5] After debuting in 2005, his company obtained an E-6 (Entertainment Industry) passport, allowing him to stay for longer periods. However, the passport strictly limited his promotional activities and appearances in various broadcasting corporations in Korea. By law, a foreigner in Korea is only permitted to perform on three television stations. Han was allowed to perform on KBS and SBS, as stated by Lee Soo Man during a Harvard Korean Wave conference in early 2007. Fellow labelmate, Zhang Liyin, also experienced the same issue. Initially, the company did not know of the procedures, and was fined because of it. Before Han signed contracts with KBS and SBS, he performed on stage with a mask and a hat to hide his face on screen. Many thought Han was a back-up dancer until three months later when a band mate finally revealed him to the media by publicly taking off his mask.[5]

Despite visa restrictions, Han performed with the rest of Super Junior at the 2007 M.NET/KM Music Festival and the 2007 Golden Disk Awards. Both award ceremonies air on channels that Han was restricted to perform in.[11] On August 1, 2008, the Korean government's law of restrictions on foreigners were lifted, and foreign entertainers in Korea are now allowed to perform in every station.

Personal life

When Han was still living in a dormitory with band mates Heechul, Kibum, and TRAX member Jay Kim, Heechul decided to name his pet cat Han-Jay-Hee-Bum (simply known as Heebum) because they wanted his cat to have a name that included their names. Han is also popularly known as "Beijing Fried Rice" due to his mispronunciation of saying "fried rice" during an episode in Super Junior Full House (2006). In the Chinese Zodiac, Han is nicknamed the dragon.

Discography

Main article: Super Junior discography

Filmography

Further information: Super Junior filmography

Film

Year Title Role Other notes
2007 Attack on the Pin-Up Boys
꽃미남 연쇄 테러 사건		 himself limited release in South Korea

Television series

Year Title Role Network Other notes
2006 Rainbow Romance
레인보우 로망스		 himself MBC Guest star (Ep. 136)
2009 Stage of Youth
青春舞台		 Xia Lei
夏磊		 CCTV2 Mini-drama

Music video appearances

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ Template:Ko icon Daum.net. 댄스 그룹 슈퍼주니어의 중국인 멤버 '한경
  2. ^ Template:Zh icon Xicn.net. Super Junior member Han Geng: Chinese boy to push forward Korean wave June 7, 2006. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c Template:Zh icon Yonhapnews.com. Super Junior member Han Geng becomes torch bearer for Beijing Olympics March 20, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
  4. ^ Template:Ko icon 댄스 그룹 슈퍼주니어의 중국인 멤버 '한경
  5. ^ a b c d e [From an episode in A Date with Luyu]
  6. ^ Template:Ko icon Daum.net. 댄스 그룹 슈퍼주니어의 중국인 멤버 '한경
  7. ^ "Album Sales of December 2005". Recording Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). p. 1. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
  8. ^ Template:Zh icon Sina.com. SJ's Han Geng, Choi Siwon arrives to Changsha
  9. ^ Template:Zh icon Top in Music
  10. ^ Template:Zh icon 釜山电影节10月4日开幕 将举办 "SM之夜" August 20, 2007. Retrieved August 27, 2007.
  11. ^ Template:Zh icon Ent.163.com. Korea's Golden Melody Awards, Sung Ji Hyo sexy appearance December 15, 2007. Retrieved December 16, 2007.


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