Fong Fei-Fei says thank you to loyal fans
Singer Fong Fei-fei believes in the Chinese tradition of returning favors. She considers herself lucky to have become the top singing star in Free China, and thinks it has a lot to do not only with the support of her enthusiastic fans, but with the nation's character. A year ago she decided to launch a series of actions to show her appreciation.
The latest of these moves was a fund-raising concert at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei. Fei-fei donated the funds raised at the concert to buy one million copies of Dr. Sun's "Three Principles of the People" to be sent by balloon to her compatriots on the China mainland.
Making the announcement at a press conference here, she said that she first came to realize the interest of the mainland Chinese in the "Three Principles of the People" as she talked to emigrants from the mainland on her frequent singing tours of Hong Kong and the United States. She learned from them that there were many copies of the "Three Principles" scattered on the mainland. They said that people there were discarding Communism in favor of Dr. Sun's ideas.
Fei-fei said she was keeping a promise to "continue to work for the cause of the nation," which she made last July when she received the "Jade Voice Award" in Washington D.C. When Mrs. Anna Chennault, representing the Sino-American Cultural Foundation, presented the award, she urged Fei-fei to contribute her talent for the good of the nation.
Above, Fong Fei-fei performs with typical vivacity, sporting one of her many bonnets - a unique trademark. Left, in hard hat, she joins revelers in New Year celebration (File photo)
In fact, Fei-fei had been making such contributions before hearing Mrs. Chennault's words. Last year, in addition to two free concerts for people working in the Taichung and Kaohsiung export processing zones, she made appearances at benefits for handicapped children, whose cause has always been one of her own.
A best-selling recording star and first-class entertainer, Fong Fei-fei has a unique singing technique and individual stage style. In a career spanning 13 years, she has recorded more than 100 original songs; millions of her records have been sold. More than 80 percent of her LP records reached 50,000 in sales. "I Wish I Were a Cloud," a single made by Fei-fei five years ago, sold 150,000 copies, an all-time record here.
Although she has had no professional training, Fei-fei has a compel1ing voice and a natural feeling for music. But it is her stage style, a combination of sophisticated professionalism and perky cuteness that endears her to her audiences. Usually appearing on stage in simple slacks and broad rimmed hat, and always smiling, Fei-fei wins her audiences immediately.
Her style has particular appeal for popular audiences but even the most sophisticated appreciate her natural ways and bold melodies.
Widely known as the "singer with the hat," Fei-fei owns more than 200 hats and bonnets. Her headgear has become her trademark, but it became so only by chance.
Her father was a truck driver in the north-western Taiwan county of Taoyuan. As she launched her singing career, the family savings were drained when her father was hurt in a traffic accident. Determined to continue her singing career, but faced with the problem of making ends meet, Fei-fei started to wear homemade hats to cut down on hairdressing expenses. After the hats had become a trademark, she started to wear matching slacks.
Since her marriage last June to Chao Hong-chi, a Hong Kong-based businessman, Fei-fei has adopted a less demanding singing schedule, which has also allowed her to engage in more charitable activities. She is now planning to establish a foundation for handicapped children.