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Taiwan

East and Southeast Asia Taipei 23,359,928 inhabitants 35,980 sq km 649.25 inhabitants/sq km New Taiwan dollars (TWD) population evolution

Famous people from Taiwan

Here is a list of famous people from Taiwan. Curious if anybody from Taiwan made it our most famous people in the world list? Read the aformentioned article in order to find out.

Rainie Yang

Taiwanese pop Artist

Rainie Yang, was born on 4 June 1984, of Cantonese descent, is a multiple-award-winning Taiwanese singer, Golden Bell Awards lead actress and TV host.

Hsieh Su-wei

Tennis Player

Hsieh Su-wei is a Taiwanese professional female tennis player. As of 25 February 2013 she was ranked No. 23 in the WTA Tour singles rankings and is the highest ranked Taiwanese women's singles player ever. In 2013 Wimbledon, Hsieh won her first ladies' double championship with Peng Shuai from the People's Republic of China, making her the first citizen of Taiwan to win a Grand Slam title of any kind.

Chen Shui-bian

Politician

Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was president from 2000 to 2008. Chen's election ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang control of the Executive Yuan in Taiwan. A native-born Taiwanese, he is colloquially referred to as A-Bian. A lawyer, Chen entered politics in 1980 during the Kaohsiung Incident as a member of the Tangwai movement and was elected to the Taipei City Council in 1981. He was jailed in 1985 for libel as the editor of the weekly pro-democracy magazine Neo-Formosa, following publication of an article critical of Elmer Feng, a college philosophy professor who was later elected a Kuomintang legislator. After being released, Chen helped found the Democratic Progressive Party in 1986 and was elected a member of the Legislative Yuan in 1989, and Mayor of Taipei in 1994. Chen won the 2000 presidential election on March 18 with 39% of the vote as a result of a split of factions within the Kuomintang, when James Soong ran for the presidency as an independent against the party nominee Lien Chan, becoming the only non-member of the Kuomintang to hold the office of president. Although Chen received high approval ratings during the first few weeks of his term, his popularity sharply dropped due to alleged corruption within his administration and the inability to pass legislation against the opposition KMT, who controlled the Legislative Yuan. In 2004, he won reelection by a narrow margin after surviving a shooting while campaigning the day before the election. Opponents suspected him of staging the incident for political purposes. However, the case was officially closed in 2005 with all evidence pointing to a single deceased suspect, Chen Yi-hsiung.

Chien-Ming Wang

Pitcher

Chien-Ming Wang is a Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher. He was initially signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees for the 2000 season, and played for the Staten Island Yankees. He was considered the Yankees ace pitcher for the 2006 and 2007 seasons, after winning 19 games in both years, to finish among the Major League leaders in victories. Wang is a tall pitcher, standing at 6'4".

Jiro Wang

Singer

Jiro Wang, nicknamed Da Dong meaning "Big East", was born on 24 August 1981. He is a Taiwanese actor and singer, who started his career as a model. While born in Taiwan he is of Guangdong descent. He is a member of Taiwanese Mandopop vocal quartet boy band Fahrenheit.

Cyndi Wang

Singer

Cyndi Wang is a Taiwanese singer and actress of Hakka descent. Wang has released eleven albums, nearly all of which carries her name. These includes eleven studio albums: Begin, Cyndi Loves You, Honey, Shining Cyndi 2005, Cyndi With U, Magic Cyndi, Fly! Cyndi, Red Cyndi, Beautiful Days, H2H, and Sticky. She has also contributed to three Taiwanese drama soundtracks. Outside her music career, Wang has starred in various Taiwanese dramas, including Westside Story, Heaven's Wedding Gown, and Smiling Pasta. She acted alongside JJ Lin in three short love stories, a movie in 2008 with Karena Lam, held concerts and she also made several commercials and endorsements.

Chi-ling Lin

Actor

Lin Chi-ling, is a Taiwanese model and actress. She is famed for her gentle demeanor and physical beauty. Lin has been referred to as "The First Face of Taiwan" by members of the Taiwanese media, and has been an official spokesperson for both China Airlines and Longines since 2006. Lin's meteoric rise to fame caused Taiwanese commentators and scholars to coin the phrase "The Lin Chi-Ling Phenomenon".

Natalie Morales-Rhodes

Journalist

Natalie Morales-Rhodes is an American broadcast journalist, working for NBC News. As of 2013, she is the Today Show News Anchor and Third Hour Co-Anchor and appears on other programs including Dateline NBC and NBC Nightly News.

Alec Su

Actor

Alec Su is a Taiwanese pop star and versatile actor in films and television dramas. He became famous as a member of the Taiwanese Idol Band The Little Tigers, formed in 1988, and later for his first Chinese TV series Princess Returning Pearl.

Jam Hsiao

Singer

Jam Hsiao is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer. At the age of 17, while still in high school, he started working as a restaurant singer. In May 2007, Hsiao rose to fame after only three brief appearances in the first season of China Television's star search show, One Million Star, which was the Taiwanese equivalence of American Idol. His wide vocal ranges, unique singing style, diverse music genres, and astounding charisma quickly captured the attention of the Taiwanese music industry. He chose to accept a contract with Warner Music Taiwan Ltd. in 2008, and became a professional musician. Jam Hsiao's music career took off with a blast. His first album was released in June 2008. It not only got fervent reception in Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia, but also received favorable comments from fellow musicians. He successfully released 2 more albums in 2009, and completed his 5-concert tour from 2009 to 2011. Then he spent time from October 2010 to April 2011 to act as the leadman in a movie, "The Killer Who Never Kills", and won the Best New Actor Award in Hong Kong's 31st Golden Film Award in 2012. In June 2011, Hsiao released his 4th album. In this album, he was also credited as the music producer. In August 2011, Jam started his second world concert tour. This tour continued for more than a year and toured 27 shows in different cities around the world. His fifth album, Mr. Jazz is released in May 2012. In August, he received 2012 CCTV-MTV Awards for Best Male Singer in HK, Macau and Taiwan Regions, and Best Music Video. In November, he released his fourth studio album, It's All About Love, which he received Best Male Singer at the 24th Golden Melody Awards. In July 2013, Jam Hsiao joined Beijing Television, BTV's singing competition reality show Duets, as one of the four mentors. Jam's contestant Xiao Yi-hang won the first place in October 2013. Jam was also voted as the best music mentor in 2013.

Gui Gui

Singer

Wu Ying Jie, better known by her stage name Gui Gui, is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer and actress represented by Polyland International Entertainment.

Chan Yung-jan

Tennis Player

Chan Yung-jan, also known as Latisha Chan, is a Taiwanese professional tennis player. She is known mainly for her success in doubles competitions, having won ten WTA Tour titles. Additionally she appeared in two Grand Slam finals, the 2007 Australian Open final and the 2007 US Open final. Highlights of her singles-career include semifinals in the Japan Open in 2006 and finals in the PTT Bangkok Open in 2007. She reached her career high singles ranking of No. 50 on June 11, 2007. She is the elder sister of Chan Hao-ching.

Kobe Tai

Pornographic actor

Kobe Tai is the stage name of a Taiwanese-born American former pornographic actress and adult model of Taiwanese and Japanese ancestry. She entered the adult film industry at the age of 24, and appeared in over 70 films between 1996 and 2003. She was married to porn actor Mark Davis, with whom she often performed, but is now divorced from him. She was a contract performer with Vivid Entertainment. In 2011, Complex magazine ranked her at #1 in their list of "The Top 50 Hottest Asian Porn Stars of All Time".

Barbie Hsu

Actor

Barbie Hsu is a presenter, singer and actress.

Joey Wong

Actor

Joey Wong Cho-Yee is a Hong Kong based Taiwanese-born actress.

Nicky Wu

Singer

Nicholas "Nicky" Wu is a Taiwanese singer and actor. He found fame in 1988 when he became a member of the boy band, Little Tigers Team, performing alongside Alec Su and Julian Chen. The trio were extremely popular and successful in Taiwan, selling many records in the process. During his time with Little Tigers Team, he pursued a solo career, releasing an extensive catalogue of songs, Mandarin and Cantonese albums as a solo artist when member Julian Chen left the group to serve compulsory military service. Wu released his debut solo album in 1992. After the break-up of the Little Tigers Team in 1995, Wu continued his solo career and embarked on a career in acting. Since then, his career has expanded into film and television in Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China. Wu married Chinese actress Ma Yashu in 2006. They filed for divorce in 2009.

Harlem Yu

Singer

Harlem Yu is a Chinese-Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning singer-songwriter. He was the first artist to experiment with the style of R&B and rap in Chinese music. He has released 15 studio albums. His contribution to the Asian music industry has earned him the reputation of 'God of Pop Music'. Apart from music Yu also hosts television variety shows. His other investments include: mega force studio, AoBa Taiwanese cuisine restaurant, Legacy Taipei, etc.

Jerry Yan

Singer

Jerry Yan was born 1 January 1977. He is a Taiwanese actor and became famous as part of the "F4". His birth name is Liao Yangzhen.

Lo Ta-yu

Singer

Lo Ta-yu, also known as Luo Dayou and Law Tai-yau, is a Taiwanese singer and songwriter who, during the 1980s, affected Chinese pop and rock music with his melodic lyrics, his love songs, and his witty social and political commentary that he infused in his more political songs, often to the point that some of his songs were suppressed in Taiwan and China during the 1980s. He is recognized as a major cultural icon in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. Stylistically, Lo defies classification, though his contribution to Taiwanese campus folk song genre was most significant. His early music in particular shows strong folk roots, and many of his songs tap into native Taiwanese cultural influences. Some songs are reminiscent of 1950s American diner and soda shop rock, and others exhibit a 1970s lounge lizard growl. What captured the hearts of a generation, however, were his lyrics, touching on issues of life, attitudes, social responsibility, and the political problems of both Chinese Mainland and Taiwan with an underhandedly critical strain of dark humor. The lyrical style is not particularly artsy or complex, but rather conversational; the cleverness comes in the meaning, not how the words are put together.

Lee Teng-hui

Politician

Lee Teng-hui, sometimes called the "father of Taiwan's democracy", is a politician of the Republic of China. He was the President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He presided over major advancements in democratic reforms including his own re-election which marked the first direct presidential election for Taiwan. The first native Taiwanese to become ROC president and KMT chairman, Lee promoted the Taiwanese localization movement and led an aggressive foreign policy to gain diplomatic allies. Critics accused him of betraying the party he headed, secret support of Taiwanese independence, and involvement in corruption. After leaving office Lee was expelled from the KMT for his role in founding the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union, which forms part of the Pan-Green Coalition alongside Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party. Lee has been outspoken in support for Taiwanese independence though not necessarily a formal declaration.

Wallace Huo

Actor

Wallace Huo Chien-hwa is a Taiwanese-born Chinese actor and singer. Huo first joined the entertainment business at the age of 17. Setting the goal as a singer, he went through two years of training in vocal and dancing. Just before he was about to record his first album, however, he was mandated to enlist in the army. He became known for his cell phone commercial with Angelica Lee in 2000. After completing his military service, Huo joined etKING and became one of the two leading actors in the new drama Star. Though this series was not immensely popular, it kick-started his acting career. His first real major break was in the drama At the Dolphin Bay, where he portrayed the role of a cold-hearted music director who fell in love with the female lead and eventually found himself slowly changing. After At the Dolphin Bay, he filmed 100% Senorita, Secret Garden I, Great Teacher, Pretty Girl and Westside Story with 5566, all in a year. In 2003, Huo became best known by the audience in Taiwan. The idol drama At the Dolphin Bay brought him new fame and popularity. He filled every major TV channel with the six TV dramas he made within that year. This overnight success brought Huo nothing but apprehension, however. He said, "Suddenly my life was filled with work. I didn't have time to study the script in detail, and I couldn't tell the difference between different characters. But that didn't make big difference: all the roles wanted me to look cool!"

Aaron Yan

Singer

Aaron Yan, born Aaron Wu Keng-Lin in Taiwan, is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer, commercial model and actor. He is the youngest member of Taiwanese Mandopop vocal quartet boy band Fahrenheit. At a young age, his family moved to Connecticut, U.S., where he stayed for his primary school education for about five years. He then moved back to Taiwan for further education. He can speak and understand Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, English and limited Japanese and Cantonese. He was a sophomore at Chinese Culture University, majoring in Journalism and News Broadcasting. However, because his career had greatly affected his academics and learning environment, he transferred to Jinwen University of Science and Technology, majoring in English. In October 2010, Aaron announced that he had quit schooling to focus on his career instead. Having injured his knee previously, Aaron is also exempted from serving in the national army.

Hebe Tian

Mandopop Artist

Tien Fu-Chen, more commonly known as Hebe, was born on 30 March 1983 in Hsinchu City, Taiwan. She is a Taiwanese singer, actress, TV program hostess, and most notably a member of Taiwanese Mandopop girl group S.H.E. She is the second child in her family. After living in Hsinchu for eighteen years, Hebe moved to Taipei after she was signed as a singer. She finished high school but did not attend college.

Amber Kuo

Singer

Amber Kuo is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer and actress. Kuo graduated from National Taipei University with a bachelor's degree in social work in 2008.

Jerry Yang

Organization leader

Jerry Yang is a Taiwanese-born American internet entrepreneur, the co-founder and former CEO of Yahoo! Inc.

Sally Yeh

Singer

Sally Yeh, sometimes written as Sally Yip or Yip Sin-Man, is a Cantopop singer and actress.

Joe Cheng

Actor

Joseph Cheng, also known as Joe Cheng, was born on 19 June 1982. He is a Taiwanese model, actor and singer. Although he started his career as a model, Cheng is well known for his role as Jiang Zhishu in Taiwanese drama serial version of Japanese manga Itazura Na Kiss, It Started with a Kiss. Cheng has gained much recognition as an actor in most parts of Asia, particularly Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines and Japan. Cheng released his debut EP, Sing a Song, in October 2009. The title of the EP as well as its title track is a play on the third word in his name, Chang as a homophone of the word “Sing” in Chinese.

An Yixuan

Actor

Audrey "Ady" An is a Taiwanese actress.

Annie Yi

Actor

Annie Yi, also known as Annie Shizuka Inoh, is a Taiwanese singer, actress, and writer. Born Wu Jingyi in Taipei, Taiwan, she changed her name to Inō Shizuka after her mother remarried a Japanese man, and then simplified her new name to Yi Nengjing upon returning to Taiwan in 1988 to launch her singing career. In 2010, she was selected as a judge for the television series China's Got Talent.

Ethan Ruan

Actor

Ethan Juan was born on 8 November 1982. He is a Taiwanese actor and model. He is sometimes credited as Juan Ching-Tien or Ruan Jing-Tian. He rose to prominence in the Taiwanese drama Fated To Love You, and is the 2010 Best Leading Actor winner of the 47th Golden Horse Awards for his role in Monga.

Sylvia Chang

Actor

Sylvia Chang is a Taiwanese actress, writer, singer, producer and director. In 1992, she was a member of the jury at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival.

Godfrey Gao

Actor

Godfrey Gao I-Hsiang is a Taiwanese-born Canadian model and actor.

Steve Chen

Businessperson

Steven Shih "Steve" Chen is a Taiwanese American internet entrepreneur. He is best known as the co-founder and previous Chief Technology Officer of the popular website YouTube. He currently owns and runs the company called MixBit.

Jonathan Lee

Singer-songwriter

Jonathan Lee is a Taiwanese record producer, singer, and songwriter. Throughout the mid-1980s through the 1990s, he composed song lyrics and melodies for numerous musical artists in the Rock Records label, including Angus Tung, Sarah Chen, Sandy Lam, Sylvia Chang, Winnie Hsin, Tarcy Su, Jeff Chang, Jackie Chan, Zhao Chuan, and Wakin Chau. Lee is hailed as one of the godfathers of Taiwanese Mandopop. He was one of the most successful producers of the 1990s and 2000s and has been credited with building Rock Records into the foremost independent label in Asia. Many songs he wrote for Sarah Chen, Chao Chuan, Sandy Lam, Winnie Hsin, Jeff Chang and Wa Wa Jin Zhijuan became No 1 hits. Lee also produces the occasional solo album for himself and have recorded duets with many of his artistes. In 1998, Jonathan Lee divorced his first wife and married Sandy Lam, one of his artistes at Rock Records. They have a daughter Li Xi'er. The couple eventually divorced in 2004. In 2009, Lee formed "Super Band" with three other popular Taiwanese artistes at Rock Records: Wakin Chau, Luo Dayou and Chang Chen-yue.

Elaine Chao

Politician

Elaine Lan Chao served as the 24th United States Secretary of Labor in the Cabinet of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. She was the first Asian Pacific American woman and first Chinese American to be appointed to a President's cabinet in American history. Chao was the only cabinet member to serve under George W. Bush for his entire administration. She is married to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the current U.S. Senate Minority Leader.

Zaizai Lin

Actor

Zaizai Lin is an actress.

Cherrie Ying

Actor

Ting Man, better known by her stage names Cherrie Ying or Ying Choi-yi, is a Taiwan-born Hong Kong actress. She moved to New York City at a young age, and later to Hong Kong. Her nickname is "Dingding", and she is often credited under the name Cherrie In. After making her film debut in Fulltime Killer, Ting caught the attention of Charles Heung's wife, Tiffany Chen, and was signed to a contract with China Star Entertainment Group. Since then, Ting has been working consistently as an actress and continues to gain popularity in the Hong Kong cinema. Ting married actor and singer Jordan Chan on 14 February 2010. The couple held their wedding at The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas at 12:30pm. They plan to have their wedding reception in Hong Kong.

Chang Chen

Actor

Chang Chen, sometimes credited as Chen Chang according to Western name order, is a Taiwanese actor. His father Chang Kuo-chu and his brother Chang Han are also actors.

Valen Hsu

Singer

Valen Hsu, also known as Xiu Xiu, was born on 20 September 1974 in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. She is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer-songwriter. Hsu is widely known for her sad love ballads which have earned her the nickname "The Queen of Love Songs". Her songs are mostly sung in Mandarin Chinese and some in Cantonese.

Jacky Wu

Taiwanese pop Artist

Jacky Wu or Xian Ge, is a celebrity from Taiwan. He is an accomplished variety show host, singer and actor. He hosts and co-hosts numerous variety shows, such as long running popular Taiwanese variety show GUESS.

Alyssa Chia

Actor

Alyssa Chia is a Taiwanese television hostess and actress. She is also known as "Queen of drama" and Niu-niu. She once studied in Beijing Film Academy. Her ancestral home is in Tianjin, China. Her ex-husband is Sun Zhihao and they have a daughter named Angelina. She is known for her roles in television series such as Da Han Tian Zi, The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber and Zhizun Hongyan.

Lin Yu-chun

Singer

Lin Yu-chun; born March 9, 1986 in Taipei is a Taiwanese singer, who gained fame by appearing on a Taiwanese talent show, One Million Star, singing "I Will Always Love You" in the style of Whitney Houston's cover version. Lin is well known for his mezzo-soprano-like, and sometimes, contralto-like countertenor singing voice, although he has an adult speaking voice. According to many sources, Lin's voice is usually described as a mixture of Whitney Houston and Susan Boyle, with a dash of Cher. When Lin sings in his normal masculine voice rather than in a falsetto range, his voice actually somewhat sounds like Jamie Walters. In 2013, he competed in the second season of The Voice of China.

Kai-Fu Lee

Computer Scientist

Kai-Fu Lee is a Chinese IT venture capitalist, executive, writer, micro-blogger, and computer scientist. He is currently based in Beijing, China. Dr. Lee developed the world's first speaker-independent, continuous speech recognition system as his Ph.D. thesis at Carnegie Mellon. He later became a high-technology executive at Apple, SGI, Microsoft, and Google. He became the focus of a 2005 legal dispute between Google and Microsoft, his former employer, due to a one-year non-compete agreement that he signed with Microsoft in 2000 when he became its corporate vice president of interactive services. He is one of the most prominent figures in the Chinese internet sector. He was the founding president of Google China, serving from July 2005 through September 4, 2009. He has created personal website, "我学网" dedicated to helping young Chinese people achieve in their studies and careers. He is one of the most followed micro-bloggers in China, in particular on Sina Weibo, where he has over fifty million followers.

Ken Chu

Actor

Ken Chu, he speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English.

Michelle Krusiec

Actor

Michelle J. Krusiec born October 2, 1974 in Taiwan, is a Taiwanese American actress.

Stanley Huang

Actor

Stanley Huang is a Taiwanese-born American singer.

Tarcy Su

Singer

Tarcy Su is a Taiwanese singer and actress who was popular in the 1990s during her recording days with Rock Records. Her first album was released in 1990, when she was 20 years old. Her albums were primarily in Mandarin, although she had three Cantonese solo albums to her name. To date Su has acted in 5 movies and several TV series.

Joe Alexander

Basketball Player

Joe Alexander is an American professional basketball player. Alexander, who at 6 ft 8 in and 230 lb plays both forward positions, was selected for the 2007 All-Big East squad during his collegiate career with West Virginia and was an All-American Honorable Mention. He was selected eighth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He is the first-ever Taiwanese-born NBA player.

Selina Ren

Singer

Jen Chia-Hsüan, more commonly credited as Selina, is a member of the Taiwanese girl group S.H.E. She was born in Taipei, Taiwan, with ancestry in Dachuan District,Sichuan, China. On June 11, 2004, she graduated from the National Taiwan Normal University with a Bachelor of Education degree, majoring in Civic Education and Leadership. In September 2006, Selina released her first book, Selina Loves Beading, which taught readers how to use beads to make designs. On October 22, 2010, Selina was injured in an explosive accident while filming the series “I have a date with Spring” along with co-star Yu Haoming. Selina suffered third degree burns over 54% of her body and needed to undergo skin grafting treatment/operation where her hands, legs and back were injured.

Collin Chou

Martial Artist

Collin Chou, sometimes credited as Ngai Sing, is a Hong Kong-based Taiwanese actor and martial artist. Chou is best known in the United States for his portrayal of Seraph in the films The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, and in the video game Enter the Matrix. In Asian cinema, Chou has co-starred with Jet Li, Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung in martial arts films such as SPL: Sha Po Lang, Fearless, and Flash Point. He is also known for playing the antagonist "Jade Warlord" in The Forbidden Kingdom, which starred Jet Li and Jackie Chan. Chou attended Pierce Community College in Los Angeles, United States.

Liljay

Dancer

Liao Xiao Jie, also known as Xiao Jie or Liljay, is a member of a trio boyband, JPM, with Qiu Wang Zi and Qiu Mao Di. He was a former member of Lollipop, a Taiwanese Mandopop boyband, which consists of six members, Zhuang Ao Quan/Owodog, Qiu Wang Zi/Prince, Yang Xiao Yu/Fabien, Liao Wei Lian/William, Liu A-wei, and himself. They were all chosen from Channel [V] Taiwan's show Bang Bang Tang, a show which sought to create new male artists in the entertainment business of Taiwan. Lollipop signed under the label Gold Typhoon and Channel [V] Taiwan in 2006. However, their artist management contract with Channel [V] Taiwan ended at the end of 2009. Liao is now signed under A Legend Star Entertainment Corp., a company founded by former Channel [V] Taiwan director, Andy Chang.

Christine Kuo

Woman

Christine Kuo is a Taiwanese Canadian actress based in Hong Kong. She is of mixed Korean, Japanese, Dutch, and Taiwanese aborigine parentage. She was the winner of the Miss Chinese Toronto Pageant 2008 and Miss Chinese International Pageant 2009.

JerryC

Musician

JerryC, also known by his English name Jerry Chang, is a Taiwanese guitarist and composer. He is best known for his song "Canon Rock", a rock arrangement of Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D. He began playing the guitar at the age of 17, and the piano before age 15. His style is influenced by classical music, neoclassical guitarists, as well as metal bands such as Helloween and Metallica and Japanese rock bands such as B'z and L'Arc-en-Ciel.

Calvin Chen

Singer

Calvin Chen is a Taiwanese singer and actor. He is a member of the boy band Fahrenheit. His stage name is a homophone of his birth name. After graduating from Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School, one of the top high schools in Taiwan, he pursued his college education in Canada at Simon Fraser University. He completed his masters degree in Economics at the University of Victoria. He joined a pageant-like competition in Vancouver, where he won first place with a free ticket to Taiwan, a contract with a music company, and a role in a drama in 2004. He became a member of Fahrenheit in 2005. He had enrolled in the graduate program in Public Finance at National Chengchi University, but discontinued his study to focus on his showbiz career. He launched his fashion brand, WOW, in October 2008. He speaks Mandarin, English, Taiwanese, and understands conversational Cantonese. Chen can also manage in Korean and Japanese due to his work as host.

Chyi Yu

Singer

Chyi Yu, is a Taiwanese singer. She is also the elder sister of Taiwanese singer songwriter Chyi Chin齊秦, and is best known for her 1979 hit, "The Olive Tree". She is a practicing Buddhist.

Lars Larson

Broadcast Artist

Lars Kristopher Larson is an American conservative talk radio show host based in Portland, Oregon. Larson worked in television and radio news from the 1970s to 1990s and has hosted The Lars Larson Show from flagship station KXL in Portland since 1997. Two versions of the show exist: the first being from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and discussing Oregon issues and the second syndicated nationally and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. discussing national issues. Compass Media Networks distributes both shows.

Beatrice Hsu

Actor

Beatrice Hsu was a Taiwanese actress.

Genie Chuo

Mandopop Artist

Genie Chuo was born on 20 January 1986. She is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer and actress, and also known as Genie Zhuo, "Xuan Xuan" or "Xiao Mi".

Sam Lee

Singer

Sam Lee, born 21 February 1973, is a Taiwanese singer and songwriter. He is one-quarter German through his maternal grandfather. He graduated from Soochow University, and was once on the Taiwanese national tennis team.

Yuan T. Lee

Chemist

Yuan Tseh Lee is a Taiwanese chemist. He was the first Taiwanese Nobel Prize laureate, who, along with the Hungarian-Canadian John C. Polanyi and American Dudley R. Herschbach won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986 "for their contributions to the dynamics of chemical elementary processes". Lee's particular Physical chemistry work was related to the use of advanced chemical kinetics techniques to investigate and manipulate the behavior of chemical reactions for relative large molecules using crossed molecular beams. From January 15, 1994 to October 19, 2006, Lee served as the President of the Academia Sinica of the Taiwan. In 2011, he was elected head of the International Council for Science.

Betty Ting

Actor

Betty Ting Pei is a Taiwanese actress who joined Shaw Brothers in 1967. Despite acting in more than 30 movies, nowadays she is known because of the untimely death of Bruce Lee in her apartment.

Kenji Wu Ke Qun

Singer

Kenji Wu is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer-songwriter and actor.

Yuki Hsu

Singer

Yuki Hsu is a Taiwanese pop singer. She is perhaps best remembered for the single "Fen Fei". Between 1998 and 2001 she scored a series of hits in Taiwan. Most of her songs were upbeat, catchy, melodic dance tracks, often with youthful themes or lyrics. Her song "Angel" featured a chorus of kids singing along with her. Other well-known Yuki Hsu songs include "Ai De Ding Dong," "Who's Naughty," and a remake of the '90s techno track "Dub-i-Dub." In 1999 she paired up with South Korean rapper Yoo Seung Jun to record the duet "Can't Wait," which brought her some fame outside of Taiwan. She was also famous for the flambouyant and outlandish hairdos she sported in many of her music videos. After 2001 she stopped recording and turned her career to work in Taiwanese dramas. In 2007 she returned to the pop charts with her new album Bad Girl.

周傳雄

Singer

Steve Chou Chuan-huing is a Taiwanese composer and singer. He was born in Taiwan on 7thJune, 1969. He is the youngest of three children, including an older sister and older brother. Their parents abandoned them at an early age, and they were forced to make a living instead of going to school. Also known as Xiao Gang, Steve Chou started singing and composing in 1989, and has written a variety of well-known Chinese songs performed by famous singers and himself. In 2000, his album "Transfer" contained the hit "黃昏", which was his breakthrough song. In 2003, he released another album, "Dubbing 我在身邊", which included many famous songs he had previously written, as well as new material. His 2004 album "Mixing 男人海洋" wasn't less warmly received. His next album, "星空下的傳說", came out in 2005 and contained the song "寂寞沙洲冷", which won many music awards. In 2010, a new digital single "苦情歌" already charted as of early November.

Ching He Huang

Chef

Ching-He Huang is a Taiwanese-born British food writer and TV chef who has appeared in a variety of television cooking shows. Ching has starred in three popular TV series and is the author of five best-selling cookbooks. She has developed a range of Ching-branded Woks, tableware, Chinese cooking and preparation utensils marketed by Typhoon Housewares, as well as branded exotic mushrooms grown in the UK and available through Tesco.

David Wu

US Congressperson

David Wu is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Oregon's 1st congressional district from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. As a child of immigrants from Taiwan, Wu was the first Chinese American and Taiwanese-American to serve in the House of Representatives. In the wake of accusations that he made unwanted sexual advances on the teenage daughter of a campaign donor and friend, Wu announced that he would resign from office following resolution of the debt ceiling crisis; he submitted his resignation on August 3, 2011. A special election was held on January 31, 2012, to fill the vacancy in advance of the regular 2012 election. Democrat Suzanne Bonamici defeated Republican challenger Rob Cornilles to win this special election.

Patty Hou

Singer

Patty Hou is a former news anchor in Taiwan who resigned her position after a Hong Kong magazine revealed her relationship with Taiwanese R&B singer Jay Chou in February 2005. She subsequently hosted an entertainment program on Azio TV and has published the book Patty's About Love.

Jay Lake

Novelist

Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is a science fiction and fantasy writer. In 2003 he was a quarterly first place winner in the Writers of the Future contest. In 2004 he won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction. He lives in Portland, Oregon and works as a product manager for a voice services company. Lake writings have appeared in numerous publications, including Postscripts, Realms of Fantasy, Interzone, Strange Horizons, Asimov's Science Fiction, Nemonymous, and the Mammoth Book of Best New Horror. He is an editor for the "Polyphony" anthology series from Wheatland Press, and was also a contributor to the Internet Review of Science Fiction.

Dee Hsu

Singer

Dee Hsu, more commonly known as Xiǎo S or Little S, was born on 14 June 1978. She is a Taiwanese host, actress, and singer. She is well known for her quick-witted caustic humor as being a co-host of the most popular talk show in Taiwan KangXi Lai Le which airs on Chung T'ien Television with fellow host Kevin Tsai since 2004, for which they were awarded Best Host in a Variety Programme at the 40th Golden Bell Awards in 2005.

Kris Philips

Singer

Fei Xiang is a Chinese-American pop icon and musical singer.

Ashin

Singer-songwriter

Ashin, born on 6 December 1975, Taipei, Taiwan, is a Taiwanese singer/songwriter and author. His legal name is Chen Hsin-hung. He is the lead vocalist of the Taiwanese rock band Mayday. Even though he majored in art during high school and college, Ashin started his career as a musician after graduating from college. Ashin made a huge influence on both the clothing and music industry. Mayday is one of the most successful rock bands in Taiwan and his clothing line Stay Real has been popular among teenagers ever since it came out. Other artists frequently ask Ashin to sing with them as a duo or compose music for them.

Evan Yo

Mandopop Artist

Tsai Min-you, better known as Evan Yo, is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer-songwriter. He was signed by his management company at 14 and has been signed by Sony Music Taiwan since 2006. He has released four albums and was nominated for Best New Artist in 2007 at the 18th Golden Melody Awards, Taiwan. Tsai graduated from the Music Department of National Taiwan Normal University. He majored in the violin.