Chinese top 10
I'd like to pick up on a point I was making earlier this week - the fact that people in the West don't know all that much about China.
I report mostly for people back in the UK. For some UK viewers and listeners, I know that China can be quite a frustrating story - you're told all the time (usually by people like me) that China is hugely important, but you may not know that much about it, you've probably never been there, and here's the killer point: you may not be able to name a single living Chinese person. It's hard to understand what 1.3 billion people are thinking and doing if you don't actually know who any of them are.
So, I want to try to chip away at that. I'd like to come up with a list of the 10 living Chinese people that everyone should know about. (I accept that this is a deeply nerdish and probably incredibly unoriginal idea - but hopefully it might be quite useful.)
So, two questions...
1) If you don't know much about China, which Chinese people - if any - have you actually heard of ?
2) If you're Chinese, or you know a lot about the country, which living people should go on the must-know-about list ?
I’m 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~05~RS~)
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I am surprised you actually read those comments. Good on you.
I thought the one chinese most westerner would come to know was the Chinese take away shop chef.
Most Chinese in fact are long for creditation from the west. for better or for worst.
The world is changing, we all have a aprt to make it a better place.
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Although, as suggested, in common with a lot of people I know relatively little about China, it is a country whose history I find endlessly fascinating. Having watched the BBC's Wild China series I now know it is also a country of stunning beauty.
So, to answer James' question, the Chinese people I have actually heard of are:
Confucius, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaping, Hu Jintao, Qin Shi Huangdi, Zhou Enlai and Chiang Kai Shek. Do Gengis and Kublai Khan count? That's it - pitiful or what?
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Before I do your Chinese top 10, I'd like to recetify what you said "you're told all the time (usually by people like me) that China is hugely important", should be "you're told all the time (usually by people like me) that China is HUGELY EVIL".
Do you agree BBC and yourself have tried very hard to demonised China?
Anyway, it is a good sign that you want to do this sort of survey, which shows you are trying to understand this country, it is a huge step forward.
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I think this is a good idea. It might also be useful if you relate the "top 10 Chinese" to their counterpart in the UK, if they have one. If they don't have one, perhaps you could explain why.
Examples:
Industrialist/entrepreneur (Alan Sugar, Richard Branson)
Political leaders (Gordon Brown, David Cameron)
Political up-and-comings (David Miliband)
Notable sportsmen and women (David Becham, Paula Radcliffe)
Entertainers/TV personalities (Jonathan Ross, Terry Wogan, Russel Brand)
Scientists/thinkers (Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawking)
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Totally agreed with drmarkmark (comment1), most of the western people know so little about China, yet they have their big opinions about the country:
abusing human rights, economic unbalance, one of the biggest polluters in the world... perhaps we should all take our time to try to understand the country and the culture a bit better before we jump to the conclusion
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If China is claiming Tibet as its own, then the Dalai Lama is certainly the most famous Chinese person alive!
Adding a few more philosophical figures: Confucius, Lao Tzu (of Tao Te Ching fame), Sun Tzu (Art of War), Mao ZeDong...
how about also Jet Li, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan? Jung Chang (Wild Swans)...what nationality is Burt Kwouk?
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Hu Jintao and Wen Jiaboa are the two I've heard of.
You could apply to same logic to most countries though. I mean, how many Indians, Americans or Russians does anyone know personally?
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Western media have often criticese the government, Chinese Communist Party, for being a unelected dicatorship and human right abuse. Something that I like to ask, does the UK have human right issue, does the government here abuse the right of its citizens? Whats about the things people can do in China that is illegal in the UK such as smoking in public places, CCTV in everty street corners, charging for use of road and emtying dust bins, etc?
Lets compare government of China and UK, both countries has a multi cultural and ethnic mix with uneven wealth distribution.
Hu Jintao or HM Queen? (unelected)
Wen Jiabao or Gordon Brown? (unelected)
Chinese CCP or New Labour? (neither voted in office by most of its people).
I know which ones I would prefer to run a country of 1.3 billion people and would do a hell of a better job governing 60 million.
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I'm a college student from China. I think Mr.Reynolds issued an very important topic in this essay, that is 'do the westerners really know about modern China?'
In order to know about a country, people should firstly know some outstanding/famous people in that country -- it is true.
So here is my must-know-about list of Chinese:
1.Hu Jintao:
President Hu Jintao is meanwhile the CPC boss, which has the most members in the world, and China is the country that keep in Party-state system. Mr.Hu is much more low-pitched than his predecessor -- Mr.Jiang Zemin. Although Mr.Hu has been in power for 6 years, there are much westerners don't know about him.
CPC is the only state policy maker in China, and Mr.Hu is the core of the core.
2.Deng Xiaoping:
Chinese people regard Mr.Deng as one of the greatest CPC leaders. Because it was him that launched a political reform in the late 1970s, known as the "Reform and Open" policy.
This year of 2008, is the 30th anniversary of this far-reaching policy. For the past three decades, China has changed a lot. These changes are so crucial that the whole country consequently gained a new life.
3.Xi Jinping
He is the most hopeful candidate of next CPC boss and President of China. His major in university is law. I think China needs a leader who can bring Chinese the constitutional thought. He is the very best person.
4.Liu Xiang, Lang lang
These two guys are the great representatives of Chinese young people.
Liu Xiang is the 110-hurdle world record holder, he represents the speed of China's developing.
Lang lang is a world-famous pianist, he represents those Chinese who have the great achievement in art for the whole world.
5.Farmers in China
China is a country has 1.3 billion population, with 80% of farmer. Who can say that he really know about China without any sense of those farmers?
Chinese farmers now faces many social problems: land problem, local officials' corruption problem, one-child policy problem, etc.
If the Chinese authorities can't solve these social problems, China will be in danger.
6.Mid-Class
As the quick development of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, China now has a brand new social class, that is mid-class.
The amount of mid class is considerable. What's more important is that mid-class people hold the most of the nation wealth.
Will they be satisfied with CPC's ruling in the future? Will they become a political power that maybe challenge the Party-state system?
7.The NGO Organizers in China
So far, the relationship between the Chinese authorities and domestic NGOs is not very good, because the government think NGOs could be a great challenger against their ruling.
NGO is absolutely indispensable in a modern society. By observing this year's Sichuan's earthquake we can see that those NGOs play a very important role in rescuing victims.
It is very unfortunate that some Chinese NGO Organizers have been detained by the government in the name of attempting to 'overthrow' the regime.
Can NGO Organizers in China have a better condition in the future?
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Xu Wei, Dadawa (Zhu Zheqin) and Wang Fei!
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China is famous for its greatest thinkers such as Confucius, Lao Tze, Mao Zedong, Deng Xioping, and Hu Jintao.
China is also famous for great entertainers such as Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, and the people of CCTV as well as China Radio International.
China also has historical places such as The Great Wall, The Forbidden Palace, Tienammen Square, and The Great Hall of the People.
China is famous for its people being able to rise above every problem that has been presented to them.
Before talking about human rights in China, why not talk about human rights in America?
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China is indeed a fascinating place and I don't think the BBC has really been even handed in the way it has reported on this country over the past ten years.
First of all comparisons with the west are largely irellevant - the scale of differences and recent changes are too great.
Secondly the reports are heavily influenced by what is fed to the reporters. What you in turn feed to your audience will be only things which meet the criteria of fascination or fear.
Wild China has been a start in redressing the balance. I hope it will give people in the UK a view of the passion and closeness to nature that many in China enjoy.
Specifically with regards to your question - China has politians, pop stars, world champion sportsmen and women, business leaders, scientists, acedemics, film directors, TV soap stars - the list is vast. Few are known by the public in the west (most here cannot pronounce or remember their names) and why should they? Their impact on life here is nothing. Be content in knowing that east is east, west is west and the two will probably never meet except for food, business and tourism.
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Instead of naming some famous Chinese people dead or alive, I would like to point out the popular media in the West including the BBC home in on certain selective periods in Chinese history.
Here are a few examples:
The Qin dynasty of the tyrant, Qin Shi Huangdi (he of terracotta army fame) barely lasted beyond his death. Yet the Han dynasty which came after lasted for 400 years. Yet does anyone in the West apart from some professors and museum curators know anything about this dynasty. This dynasty was contempraneous with the Roman Empire. I cannot imagine anyone who studies European history would hardly bother with the Romans.
The Mongol dynasty in China, the Yuan lasted 88 years. Yet the 2 Chinese dynasties which preceded the Mongol, the Sung and the Tang are hardly mentioned at all in the popular Western media.
Given such selective focus on Chinese history , I am not surprised the average westerner would probably think China was ruled mainly by the Mongols and the Manchus throuhout history.
The 3 dynasties I mentioned the Han, the Tang and the Sung surely were responsible for most of what we today regard as Chinese civilisation and yet I would bet if you go out in the street and ask anyone in the west to name a Chinese dynasty the 3 dynasties would not crop up very often if at all.
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Living guys:
Yuan Longping (scientist)
Wen Jiabao (politician)
Li Yuchun (pop star)
Fang Shimin (scientific writter, not sure about if he holds a US passport)
Hu Jintao (politician)
Zhao Benshan (artist)
Guo Degang (artist)
Yao Ming (athelete)
Liu Xiang (athelete)
I do not think Dalai Lama is really famous, I think most non-tibetan Chinese ignore him dispite of, not because of, what chinese government does to him.
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a short list, all from mainland China
Political leaders :wen jiabao( prime minister) , hu Jingtao(President )
Scientists/thinkers : Yuan Longping (agricultural scientist), Yu qiuyu(writer)
Industrialist/entrepreneur: zhang minrui(Haier), Liu chuanzhi(Lenovo)
sports: liu xiang(hurdler), yao ming(basketball)
Entertainering : Zhang yimou(movie director) , gong li(movie star)
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Sir David Tang KBE
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am so proud bcos am chinese, i know our country will be stronger after sichuan earthquake ,we have many great leaders help us overcome difficult,and most of people can know how important to help each other when meeting difficult ,and i hope the whole world can insist our great country,and wish us lucky !
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well let's see: "10 living Chinese people that everyone should know about" - well according to Chinese (non-Tibetan, i might add) Tibet has always been part of China, therefore surely the world's most famous Chinese person, and only ever Nobel Peace Prize winner, must rank pretty highly? So let's hear it for the Dalai Lama, the most famous living Chinese person.
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I'm a Chinese law student. And as a Chinese , I can list so many people.
Wen Jiabao( Premier) Who is considered a real premier who cares ordinary people's lives.
Lang lang (Pianist) A young talented pianist, one of the top pianists in the world.
Liu Xiang ( Athelet) A Chinese man who changed the history.
Yao Ming ( NBA player)A hero for many youngsters and a dream-achiever for all basketball fans in China.
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James,
I think that this is a great idea, to create a list of the top ten living Chinese who westerners should really know about. As a student of East Asian Studies, and having lived in China for almost 2 years I have begun to know and love China and its people. I’m constantly frustrated when I talk about China, and many of my friends in England don’t know who I’m talking about, I’ve even spoken to people who don’t know who Mao Zedong is!!
So I’ve thought long and hard about the Chinese people I would like my friends and family to know about. I’ve looked at who has already been suggested by other readers, and have come up with my (slightly personal) list of the top 10 living Chinese people.
Firstly I think that it is important to recognise those Chinese who are known about in Britain, so 1 and 2 are Jung Chang and Jackie Chan, both of whom are well know here.
Secondly, as has already been mentioned, it is important for British people to know about key political figures in China so for numbers 3 and 4 I chose Hu Jintao and Wen Jaibao.
Thirdly if those key players in the CCP are recognised, so should those who disagree with them. So for 5 and 6, I’ve chosen the Dalai Lama (who could have been included in the first section) and Wei Jingsheng. Although I know many Chinese people will disagree with this, I believe it is important for westerners to get a rounded view of China which means its supporters and critics.
Next, I think it is very important to tell others about the pop culture which plays as big a role in young people’s lives in China as it does in Britain. Therefore Andy Lau and Wang Fei (Faye Wang) would be at numbers 7 and 8 in my list.
Finally, I would like to include 2 unknown Chinese, who have specifically affected my life, and my interest in China. 9th would be a young man called Chen Jian (Adam Chen) who I meet 5 years ago, from a poor rural background, who has worked very hard, and is gradually becoming more and more successful, he has supported my interest in China and helped me whenever he could to understand more about the country. And 10th is a women called Anne Liao, the first Chinese woman I meet, who made me realise that despite all I had been told before my trip, that Chinese people are not all that different to British people. She helped me to live in China, and love it as my own country. She is now looking after her family whose house was destroyed in the earthquake.
So that’s my list!
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hu jintao
wen jiabao
there is a lack of spirit leader in china
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Before this post gets hijacked by thousands of Chinese students, I think Wu Yi for declaring her salary to the nation (how many Chinese politicians have done that!) and Zhou En Lai for installing some sanity into the Mao-era when his policies led 30 million Chinese to starve to death.
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I am Chinese from HK. Apart from Chinese politicians and movie starts, I think we should also promote those who have achieved world class recognition in what they do, so a few names:
LI Kar Shing (Self made businessman, Forbes Billionaire No.11 reported in May 08, investments include Orange, Vodafone, Superdrug and Facebook)
Ang LEE (Film director, work include Broke Back Mountain, Hulk, Sense and Sensibility)
Yo-yo MA (Musician, multiple Grammy Awards celloist, music producer)
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to understand China, one need to understand confucius. his political thought is based on "rites" and morality. i believe that is how China been ruled. i would argue it is still true today. China settled on confucius few hundred years after "Hundred schools of thought" movement. this probably is the turning point in Chinese history by abandoning legalism during qin dynasty.
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Here is my list:
1. Yuan Longping (Chinese: ???); He is a Chinese agricultural scientist and educator, known for developing the first hybrid rice varieties in the 1970s. His "hybrid rice" has since been grown in dozens of countries in Africa, America, and Asia —providing a robust food source in high famine risk areas. He is called "The Father of Hybrid Rice". His contribution to the mankind is enormous. By his achievement, the Earth is able to produce extra rice equivalent to the food requirement by tens of millions of population. He has gone abroad every year to provide guidance. The FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) 1991 statistics show that 20 percent of the world's rice output came from 10 percent of the world's rice fields that grow hybrid rice. Four minor planets and a college in China were named after him. Yuan won the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award of China in 2000, the Wolf Prize in agriculture and the World Food Prize in 2004, and He was he chief consultant for the FAO.
2. Liu Xiang ( Chinese: ??); he is the most famous athlete in China. Liu is an Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion, and is the world record holder at 12.88 seconds. His 2004 Olympic gold medal was China's first in a men's track and field event. Furthermore he is the first Chinese athlete to achieve the "triple crown" of athletics (World Record Holder, World Champion and Olympic Champion) concurrently.
3. Wen Jiabao (Chinese: ???); the current Chinese Premier. He is a very hardworking and very good man.
4. Zhu rongji (Chinese: ???); the former Premier, also was the Mayor of Shanghai.
5. Faye Wong (Chinese: ??); the most famous living popstar in China, the living Heavenly Queen of Chinese pop music. Her personality is also admirable.
6. Andy Lau Tak-Wah (Chinese: ???); A Hong Kong Cantopop star, movie actor and producer. He has been Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actor since the 1990s. He is the most hardworking celebrity figure ever (in China), and with an almost perfect public image (I think).
7. Hu jintao (Chinese: ???); the current president of China and CCP boss.
8. Zhao benshan (Chinese: ???); He is a Chinese skit and sitcom actor, and recently turned director. Having initially gained immense popularity from performances on the CCTV New Year's Gala, Zhao is now a household-name comedy actor on Mainland China.
9. Yu hua (Chinese: ??); He is a famous writer, my personal favorite. His most important novels are called Chronicle of a Blood Merchant and To Live. Don’t miss.
10. Chen Guangbia (Chinese: ???). He is a successful businessman and also a philanthropist. He is the president of the Jiangsu Huangpu Investment (Group) Co.,Ltd. He has been ranked in the list of China's Top 10 Philanthropists for the third year in a row. After he heard the news of the Sichuan Earthquake. He stopped the business conference he was attending, and organized 60 heavy construction equipments belong to his company to march to the quake zone immediately, and arrived at the epicenter of Sichuan within 36 hours after the earthquake. He is China's first spontaneous civilian disaster relief team with heavy construction equipment. He personally organized a large-scale comprehensive relief operation.
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OMG!!! YUAN LONG PING's name came to my mind in the 1st place as well! I have absolute no idea why...perhaps the rising food prices does have an profound effect on my...um...at least subconsiously~
Really need to finish my thesis before I can come up with the names of 10 top living chinese ppl X(
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I am HK Chinese but lived in the UK for the last 30+ years. I stay connected with the news and event of my country.
My top ten living Chinese from mainland China which I believe most people over there might be familiar with are;-
Hu Jintao (President)
Wen Jiabao (Prime Minister)
Zhang Yimou (film director)
Jet Li (martial artist/actor)
Zhang Ziyi (actress)
Yang Liwei (China's first astronaut)
Yao Ming (basketball)
Liu Xiang (110 m hurdler)
Ding Junhui (snooker player)
Dalai Lama (exhiled seperatist leader)
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Hi James,
Ni hao – from a Chinese girl studying and will soon work in France.
I’ve been following your blog for a few weeks. Before sharing my list, I’d like to say to you, well done (so far ^_^). Please keep going with your professionalism, your curiosity, your courage (or bravery, let say), and your respect (to my motherland and our people). I count on you, seriously speaking, to reveal to your west audience this “mysterious giant” and to “provoke” your Chinese readers to see/think things differently (although sometimes it’s rather painful for us).
My list:
1. HU Jin-tao
2. WEN Jia-bao
3. MA Ying-jeou: the newly elected president of ROC (Republic of China :P) in Taiwan region. Mainland – Taiwan, one of the most sensitive/hottest/debatable topics you won’t be missed if you want to know a bit about the modern China.
4. Dalai-Lama: why the West always trusts him without reservation? Is it a golden rule for the West that whoever says NO to the CPP is a hero and then whatever he does is forever justified?
5. YAO Ming
6. LI Yu-chun
7. WANG Fei (Faye WONG)
8. LANG Lang
9. HAN Han: the 80’s generation writer, Shanghainese. I include him in my list because I think he’s the person who dares say NO to the majority and to the traditions sometimes, and that exactly represents a growing power among the young generations, the future of the society.
10. ZHOU Jie-lun (Jay CHOW): pop star, from Taiwan. – this is a very subjective chose… since I’m his super fan… LOL
(10 is far from enough…and I somehow regret that I couldn’t come up with a Chinese name of “Bill Gates’ type… )
Btw:
The first thing the West would need to know about China may be – we put our family name first, then the given name.
Take care,
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Only a few here:
Mao Zedong --> original leader of Red China
Yao Ming --> basketball player for the Houston Rockets
Watchman Nee --> Once a Chinese christian leader
Hu Jintao --> current president of China
These would be the famous ones, yet I know many students from China who have studied in the USA
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I recommend the following living Chinese people:
Wen Jiabao, the premier. We all know he cares, not so sure about other leaders.
Li Ning, the gymnast and entrepreneur.
Yao Ming, the NBA player. He is not just tall, he has a big heart.
Ang Lee, the best director of Chinese origin.
Zhang Yimou, the best movie director in the mainland.
Fang Shimin – Fang Zhouzhi. He is sharp, against the negative side of Chinese tradition.
Dalai Lama, an open-minded political monk. Generally at odds with China, he recently regarded himself as a citizen of PRC.
Ma Ying-jeou, the new president in Taiwan. He has stopped the island’s creeping away from China.
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I am sure many of the names here on my lists are repeats. I will try to stick to the post-PRC era as I think these individuals will be most relevant to the current misunderstandings between the world and China, but have made exceptions:
Politicians: Mao, Wen, Hu, Deng, Zhou Enlai, etc. Wen's star has risen in particular in the past few months and he is often compared to Zhou Enlai in how much he's now beloved by the Chinese people. But to point out an individual who may be just off the radar -- Fu Ying, Chinese Ambassador to the UK of Mongol descent, a shining example of China's multi-ethnic heritage.
Athletes: Yao Ming, Liu Xiang, but also names familiar to the English Football crowd: Li Tie, Dong FangZhou, Sun JiHai, Zheng Zhi ... all Chinese players who are playing or have played in the Premiership at some point in recent times.
Movie Stars: Gong Li, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Zhang ZiYi ... and, if you don't know her, you should: Zhao Wei (Vicki Zhao).
Others:
Lei Feng - A Hero of China/PRC
Qian XueSen - Helped with the Manhattan Project during WWII, but then deported back to China as a result of McCarthyism, at which time he became the father of Chinese Rocketry for the PRC.
Lin XeZu - Dumped British imposed opium into the sea a la Boston Tea Party style. Wrote to Queen Victoria to complain about the opium, but failed to prevent the Opium Wars. Hailed as a government official of rare virtue, though from defeat via Opium Wars, later forced into exile in XinJiang.
Yuan Longping - Created hybrid rice and helped make the People's Republic self-sufficient in grain production. Could be named as the person that led the opening of Chinese bio-technology and agricultural advancements. Now we're into the era of Super-Rice.
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i think Ordinary people would be more fit to your intention rather than any Top 10 or 100, cause' so much spotlight has been cast on the Top and your 'true and real' ambition would require a quite effort to blot out the light at first. Want it or not, you would very probably land at the same point as your predecessors if taking this 'incredibly unoriginal idea'.^_^ It's just human nature. My idea is to divert your attention to the ordinary people, getting to know their common stories, for their lives will present you a more realistic picture of china than any other top celebrity. However, even if you decide to do so, it would still be difficult for you see 'real'. 'real' means not only objective sometimes, but subjective. Before you can make any common and easy connection with the ordinary chinese, you would never be able to get to know their true thoughts. So it almost seems like an impossible mission 4. To prove that i am not a cynical, i would give you my full respect for any effort you make on the right direction.
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Policitical leaders:
1. Mao Zedong, who found new China in 1949. Although he is a hated figure in the west, but for the first time in 200 years, no foreign soliders could be on Chinese soill, and he has the same family name ("MAO") as I do :-)
2. Deng Xiaoping, who started economic reform.
Sceintist:
1. Tsien Hsue-shen, the Father of Chinese Rocketry.
2. Yuan Longping, an agricultural scientist who is called "The Father of Hybrid Rice".
Entertainment
1. Jackie Chan, an actor and a philanthropist.
2. Gong Li, has been the most famous actress in China from 2 decades ago up to now.
3. Zhao Benshan, most famous comedy actor, and turned to a successful director and entrepreneur, with very humble background.
Sports:
1. Liu xiang, a 110 metre hurdler and world record holder.
2. Yao Ming, a NBA player in Houston Rockets.
Business:
1. Shi Yuzhu, founder of Giant Interactive, which is listed in NYSE. He was bankrupted 15 years ago, but he is now a billionaire(in USD), net worth $2.2 Billion from the figure I can get, and the figure is increasing fast.
2. Zhang Ruimin, founder of Haier.
3. Liu chuanzhi, founder of Lenovo.
4. Ren Zhengfei, founder of Huawei Technologies, the biggest telecommunications equipment supplier in China with revenue 16 billion USD in 2007.
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[At 12:08 pm on 05 Jun 2008, penguish wrote:
If China is claiming Tibet as its own, then the Dalai Lama is certainly the most famous Chinese person alive!
]
Firstly, yes, Dalai Lama is a Chinese, he was even not born in Tibet, but another provice in China.
Secondly, Yes, Dalai Lama is the most famous Chinese person alive, but only in the West(because the West media have WRONGLY turned him into a god, for political purpose as far as I can see), he is not that famous in China I am afraid.
Regarding Dalai Lame, I am in the middle, he is not as good as West media said, not as bad as Chinese state media did.
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Hu Jintao (leader)
Zhang Ziyi (actress)
Tony Leung (actor - Does Hong Kong count since it's not been 'China' for long?)
Andy Lau (actor)
Zhang Yimou (actress)
Bruce Lee (martial arts legend)
Jackie Chan (martial arts actor)
Wong Kar Wai (director)
Faye Wong (actress)
Maggie Cheung (actress)
And..
Confucius and Sun Tzu.
They're all the Chinese people I can name.
How sad.
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continue my comment at #27. Here is my list of No. 11~30 Chinese you shold know:
11. Li Ka-shing (Chinese: ???. In UK: Sir Li Ka-shing, KBE); He is a winner of Grand Bauhinia Medal of Hong Kong, the most successful and richest living Chinese businessman.
12. Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Chinese: ???); He is the best living Hong Kong film star (I think).
13. Stephen Chow Sing-Chi (Chinese: ???); He is the best-known comedian and super movie star of Hong Kong. Don’t miss his film: A Chinese Odyssey I: Pandora’s Box, and II: Cinderella (?????????,?????????). Those two movies have become a cult classic among young Chinese born in 1970s and 1980s.
14. Dr. Gui Xi-En (Chinese: ???). He is a brave doctor who fights the AIDS and the CCP authority together. In later 1990s, Dr. Gui Xi'en got to know the AIDS epidemic by chance. Ever since then, he went to those poor villages in Henan many times and tried to do whatever he could for the benefits of those peasants. But he soon realized that he couldn't really do too much on his own, so he decided to get more people involved. In early 2001, Dr Gui Xi'en brought five patients to the city of Wuhan. He arranged local media to do some reports about their situations ……
15. Yang liwei (Chinese: ???), the first man sent into space by the space program of China.
16. Dr. Zhong Nan-shan (Chinese: ???). He was one of a limited number of doctors informed of the disease from the moment the first few SARS cases. He became a household name and hero No. 1 in 2003 for his brave fight against SARS.
17. Tsien Hsue-shen (Chinese: ???). He is the most famous scientist who is a major figure in the missile and space program of China, also was …in USA before He returned to China in 1950s.
18. Ji Xianlin (Chinese: ???). He is the most famous Chinese linguist and paleographer, also a writer. He is a professor in the Peking University.
19. Franklin Yang Chen-Ning (Chinese: ???). He is actually a Chinese born American. He is a Nobel Prize winner on physics. Recently he mostly lives in China. At the age of 82, He married with 28- year old Fan Wen in 2005. This event successfully turned the couple to celebrity status in the mainland China.
20. Ding zilin (Chinese: ???). A brave mother …Her son was killed in the June 4th of 1989.
21. Yao Ming (Chinese: ??). A basket ball play, currently plays for the Houston Rockets in NBA.
21. Jackie Chen (Chinese: ??). The Hong Kong kung-Fu star.
22. Jet li (Chinese: ???), a Mainland born Kung-Fu star, also a philanthropist.
23. Chow Yun-Fat (Chinese: ???), one of the most famous Asian movie star. He is a household name in China.
24. Zhang ruimin (Chinese: ???). He is the CEO and founder of Haier
25. Tai Lihua (Chinese: ???). She is a hearing-impaired dance performer. She really can dance in silence. Her most famous performance is ‘ Guanyin with a thousand hands’
26. Fang Liu (Chinese: ??). She is one of the most famous living Chinese traditional musicians. You can find lots of her performances on the Youtube.
27. Ang Lee (Chinese: ??). He is a Taiwan born Oscar winning film director. His most products are ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’, ‘Sense and Sensiblity’, and ‘Broken Back Mountain’. His most recent work is ‘Lust, Caution’. Since he thinks himself as Chinese in culture, I list him here.
28. Xiaogang Feng (Chinese: ???). He is a successful film director. Though he can not win major world-know film award, he alway succeeds in both film box and popularity. I think he probably is the only well-known director can compete with Hollywood film directly for the cinema box.
29. You Ge (Chinese: ??). He is a best actor winner of the Cannes. He is considered by many to be one of the most recognizable acting personalities in China. He always works with Xiaogang Feng. The pair is a guarantee of the cinema box.
30. Jian Cui (Chinese: ??). He is a pioneer in Chinese rock music and one of the first Chinese artists to write rock songs. For this distinction, He is often labeled "The Father of Chinese Rock
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Hi I'm a British student studying Chinese and personally top of my 10 living Chinese:
Clearly...
Hu Jintao - premier
Wen JiaBao - prime minister
Yao Ming - basketball player
Jiang Zemin - ex-premier
[Zhou Xing Chi (Stephen Chow)
or
Cheng Long (Jackie Chan)
both actors/directors]
Yang Huiyan - billionaire business heiress
Jiang Jiemin - head of CNPC
Martin Lau - President of QQ Tencent
Charles Chao - President of Sina
Ma Ying-jeou - President of KuoMingTang
Sir Donald Tsang - Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Mine may be very politcally orientated but generally these are the people that will shape the future of China as far as I'm concerned.
(Wee mention for DaShan as a celebrity)
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My 10 most-know-about living Chinese (I think they are great in their specific areas and also have charming personalities - intelligent, persistent and independent thinking):
1. Tsien Hsue Shen and Yuan Longping (scientists)
2. Lang Ping, Deng Yaping and Li Ning (athletes)
3. Yang Liwei (astronaut)
4. Zhu Rongji and Wen Jiabao (politicians)
5. Zhao Benshan (comedian)
6. Song Zuying (soprano, folk music)
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This is a great idea, but a difficult project, as there are so many aspects to consider in order to show the full picture. As much as her long history is concerned, modern China is largely shaped by one person, Mao, whose legacy is still passed on to generations of Chinese today: paranoid, corruption, condemned individual vs. glorified collectivism, etc. He severed cultural roots of China and imposed a German lunatic’s system in China. He passed down the political tradition that state leaders are perfect in their personality; they are not to be questioned and criticized, and their personal life are not to be examined.
My suggestion is to compare mainland China with Taiwan, you will see how different the two peoples are culturally and of course politically. This requests a close examination of the peoples across the Taiwan Strait, based on the knowledge of cultural continuity and political regime.
The second person on the list should be Deng Xiaoping and his followers who opened the door of modern China and tried to give some rights back to the people within the framework of Mao’s legacy. Popular culture booms, if not politically engaged. Speech control looses a little and there is some transparency. These are the signs to welcome and to be encouraged. Surely the humanity side of the government, especially Wen Jiabao shown in this earthquake is genuine and touching, and the efforts of volunteers are impressive. It is said that economic boom in China comes with moral deterioration. Now it seems there is an awakening of citizenship and responsibility. This is a good trend.
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Here are my top ten living Chinese person:
1. Yuan Longping (scientist - his revolutionary ideas in rice crop growing eliminate hunger and feed millions in China and he's my top man)
2. Hu Jintao (President)
3. Wen Jiabao (Prime Minister)
4. Liu Xiang (110m hurdles world and Olympic champion from Shanghai)
5. Yao Ming (basketball star playing in MBA, also hails from Shanghai)
6. Jackie Chan (Hongkong superstar)
7. Zhou Jielun (or more commonly known as Jay Chou) (young handsome and hugely talented Taiwanese singer-songwriter with huge followings in all Chinese speaking communities - my top popstar)
8. Zhang Ziyi (Beijing actress who found fame in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon)
9. Liu Dehua (more commonly known as Andy Lau) (actor/singer/director from Hong Kong, hugely popular among Chinese people all over the world)
10. Yu Dan (university professor, writer and broadcaster) (her refreshing and populist, sometimes controversial, approach to Confuciansim started a new trend in classical studies in China, which is still going strong today. Her books and TV programmes are very popular in China).
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Honestly speaking, such ranking is quite subjective and individual dependant.
Despite that, i want to name some of those who did something for the chinese people but not welcomed by the gvmt.
Jiang Yanyong (doctor, the first one who revealed the SARS situation to the world)
Hu Jia (environment and human right activitist)
Gao Yaojie (doctor)
Chen Guangchen (lawyer)
Zheng Enchong (lawyer)
Guo Feixiong (lawyer)
Huang Wanli (hydrology scientist)
.......
However, James, I think you should have stayed in Sichuan at least until now. Because the quake lake is at its crutial moment. Combined with the hot weather, the coming heavy rain and aftershocks, the situation is rather dangerous. Report from there will be much more concerned than such ranking here~
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This is the first time I have ever really thought about this subject. I can think of only three;
# Hu Jintao
# John Woo
# Lang Lang
I am shocked by my own igronance.
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Another 10:
31. Louis Cha, OBE. (Chinese: ???). He is known with his pen name: Jin Yong (Chinese: ??). ‘He is one of the most influential modern Chinese-language novelists. Co-founder of the Hong Kong daily Ming Pao, which he started in 1959, he was the paper's first editor-in-chief and held this position until 1993, when he retired. Cha's fiction, which are of the wuxia genre, has a widespread following in Chinese-speaking areas, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and United States. His fourteen novels and a short fiction composed between 1955 and 1972 earned him a reputation as one of the finest wuxia ("martial arts and chivalry") writers ever. He is currently the best-selling Chinese author alive; over 100 million copies of his works have been sold worldwide (not including unknown number of bootleg copies)’ [Quote from the Wikipedia]
32. Yuanjie Zheng (Chinese: ???). He is a famous fairy tale writer. He is the founder and sole writer of a children's magazine known as the "King of Fairy Tales". The first issue was published in 1984. His characters (including PiPilu, LuXixi, Shuke, Beita and Luoke) are the best mates of Chinese children born in 1970s and 1980s. Due to his maverick thoughts, he is somehow a celebrity now. He once said: college education tends to make simple things complicated and hard to understand, so he home-school his son.
33. Liyuan Peng (Chinese: ???). She is one of the most famous Chinese folks singers. She is very popular among the elderly people and rural people in China. Actually, if considering the vast fan base of Peng, she probably has more fans than Teresa Teng and Faye Wong. Her husband is Jinping Xi, current vice president of China, who is commonly believed to be the heir of the current Chinese president Jingtao Hu, so she is probably the future First Lady of China.
34. Jinping Xi (Chinese: ???). He is a rising star of Chinese politics, also the current vice president of China. He is commonly believed to be the heir of the current Chinese president Jingtao Hu.
35. Keqiang Li (Chinese: ???). He is the Executive Vice-Premier of China. It is believed he will be the Premier after Jiabao Wen’s retirement.
36. Ping Lang (the Iron Hammer, Chinese: ??). She is Chinese Volleyball player, and currently is the head coach of U.S nation woman’s volleyball team. Lang was the captain of the China women's national volleyball team that won a Olympic gold medal, a World Championship crown and World Cup titles in 1981 and 1985.
37. Ning Li (Chinese: ??). He is a famous Chinese gymnast and entrepreneur. From Wikipedia ‘Ning is most famous for winning 6 medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, including 3 gold medals (in floor exercise, pommel horse, and rings), 2 silver medals, and a bronze medal. In 1982, he won six of the seven medals awarded at the Sixth World Cup Gymnastic Competition, earning him the title "Prince of gymnastics". Li retired from sporting competition in 1988, and in 1990 he founded the Li-Ning Company Limited, which sells footwear and sporting apparel in China. Ning remains chairman of the company's board of directors. Li was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2000.’
38. Jinjin Guo (Chinese: ???). She is a leading diver in the Chinese nation team, and also a Olympics gold medalist. She is a hot target of the paparazzi from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan due to her relationship with another leading diver, Liang Tian, and Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, the grandson of the Hong Kong business tycoon Henry Fok.
39. Mingxia Fu (Chinse: ???). She is a top female diver, multiple Olympic gold medalist and world champion. At age 12, At age 12, she became the youngest world champion ever. She married Antony Leung Kam Chung, former Financial Secretary of Government of Hong Kong. Now she has a daughter.
40. Weiping Nie (Chinese: ???). He is a professional Chinese Go player. ‘He has won many titles, but he became famous winning China-Japan Supermatches. He has beaten Kobayashi Koichi, Kato Masao, Fujisawa Hideyuki, Kataoka Satoshi, Yamashiro Hiroshi, Sakai Takeshi, Takemiya Masaki, Otake Hideo, Yoda Norimoto, and Awaji Shuzo in the process. For doing this, he was widely regarded as one of the strongest players in the world during the 1980s.’ [Wikipedia]. He is called as ‘Qi Sheng’ (??, if translated in English: the holy go player) in China.
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IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:
1.JIMMY CHOO(s): Massive shoe designer, no one gave him a mention and the celebs always big up having a pair of his shoes.
2.YAO MING: He's done well to make it to the NBA.
3.JACKIE CHAN: Everyone knows who he is.
4.JET LI: He's massive, you dont have to be chinese to appreciate his films.
5.ANG LEE: Massive Academy Award-winning film director who had eight Academy Award nominations for Brokeback Mountain including Best Picture and Best Director, which Lee won. He is the first Asian and non-Caucasian director to do so.
6.DALI LAMA: I still cant make my mind up on him , he seems spiritual and peaceful but i've also seen and read articles on him once being funded by the CIA and how Tibet used to be governed by the monks controlling serfs. I cant get honest unbiased information through the media, so I'll have to wait to learn more before I can pass judgement on him.
7.HU JINTAO: The BBC should make a documentary on him and chairman MAO so people all over the world can understand more about the two people because I've heard of them but don't really know the significance of them both.
8.VANESSA MAE: classical musician, especially noted for her violin skills (Half Thai)
9.MICELLE YEOH:best known for her roles in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, playing Wai Lin, and the multiple Academy Award-winning Chinese action film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, at the age of 21 when Yeoh became the winner of the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant in 1983.
10.KEN HOM: notable (probably the most famous) Chinese American chef, cookery book writer and television show presenter.
Thats my 10 from the top of my head, there may be better ones to put down but there you go for now. MINE HAVE TO BE THE MOST FAMILIAR ONES TO PEOPLE FROM THE WEST THOUGH.
DEAD:
SUN TZU: THE ART OF WAR
BRUCE LEE
CONFUSCIOUS
CHAIRMAN MAO
BRANDON LEE
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I’m pleased to see James prone to view China either in depth or width. But I don’t think majority British should be responsible for lack of knowing about modern China. The reason is Chinese culture hasn’t been globally influential since 19th century (I have to admit it as a Chinese) due to centuries disarray and weakness of China. But today, if you agree that China is an indispensable factor in the world, as BBC, it should be obliged to show a modern China in all aspects, either darkness or brightness. As far as I’ve seen during my over 4 years stay in UK, the coverage of China is limited, if any, they are mostly leading the viewers have negative images about this giant state: disasters, mineral accidents, crackdown of demonstrations, pollutions …… well, if BBC Beijing was set to expose the shortcomings of China only, the coverage is understandable. But if BBC means to exhibit an all-sided China in accuracy and bridge the culture diversity between China and UK, I should say those broadcastings are biased. Suppose how a British living in China will reflect when Chinese media only concentrate on dreadful things, i.e. street crimes, Northern Rock, etc. is it the true image of UK?
One recent documentary on BBC4 – Chinese School – is a good example that BBC is capable to produce high-quality programs by overcoming the ideological shock. Despite the main coverage of Chinese school’s day-to-day life, it also touches a wide range of social events – the donated primary school, the polluted lake, migrant worker, deserted boy having grown up in welfare home, etc. This kind of broadcasting can give outsiders like British a rather neutral but accurate picture about what modern China is like, the opportunities and challenges it has to face.
As long as BBC broadcasts China with accuracy and justice, it doesn’t really matter too much that which Chinese VIP is known to British, as it’s quite irrelevant among individuals with various interests. But I still try to make such a list:
Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, president and prime minister of China;
Xi Jinping, very likely the president after Hu Jintao retires;
Yao Ming, basketball player in NBA. Very regretful basketball is so unpopular in UK, Yao’s annual income is even higher than C Ronaldo;
Liu Xiang, hurdler, probably the ever best Asian athlete in ‘track and field’;
Yuan Longping, an agricultural scientist, the inventor of ‘hybrid rice’. Thanks to his achievements, china’s annual rice production is averagely 7.1 ton/hectare, rising from 4.5 ton/hectare in 1970s, comparing to global figure 3.9 ton/hectare today. Actually, the recent figure of his seeds is 12 ton/hectare. Lester Brown asked ‘who will feed china’ in 1995 when foreseeing the food crisis in 21 century. Yuan’s deed is a response;
Li An, Zhang Yimou, directors;
Jacky Chen, action actor.
In my list, there’re no entrepreneurs, authors, critics, as there’re no world class candidates from these sections at the moment. Notice that some recommended Jung Chang and Wei Jingsheng. I strongly oppose the idea. Ms Chang is really contributing nothing constructive but digging a big fortune by selling those anecdotes collections. Her works are filled with too many fascinating but unsubstantial stories. As for Mr. Wei, through years, he repeatedly advocates the ‘Free World’ should topple down China and put him to preside over the country, by then he will let every minority with independence claim depart from China. I don’t think he deserves the title ‘critic’.
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What does it mean to be Chinese? Do you need to be a citizen of the People's Republic? There are many well known people who are of Chinese descent and/or live outside China that may qualify. For example, Michelle Yeoh is ethnically Chinese but is in fact Malaysian.
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Great idea. Please include some true Chinese patriots in your list. Wei jingsheng, author of 'Courage to stand alone' may be the best example, although his most famous writings have dated a little. A more recent candidate might be the poet Shi Tao, who is another great and influential man China should be proud of. Lawyers Hu jia and Gao Zhisheng may also deserve a place alongside apparent shoo-ins Yao Ming and Jackie Chan. Although they are not household names, these people and what they stand for are a dominant theme in both internal Chinese affairs and China-West relations.
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1.Hu Jintao: President, most powerful man in China
2.Wen Jiabao: Premier, hailed as the Premier of the People
3.Xi Jinping: Vice-President, expected to become President in 2013
4.Zhang Ziying: most famous actress
5.Wang Fei (Faye Wong): most famous singer, but not active now
6.Zhang Yimou: most famous film director, and the director of Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony
7.Tony Lueng: most famous actor, from Hong Kong
8.Steven Chow: most famous comedian, from Hong Kong
9.Yao Ming: NBA all-star center forward, play for Houston Rocket
10.Liu Xiang: Athens 2004 110m hurdle champion. First Chinese man to win gold at Track and Field
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For People in history
1. Confucius. (551-478 BC)
Most important philosopher, deeply influenced Chinese thoughts, teachings recorded in Analects.
2. Emperor Qin Shi Huang(259-210 BC)
First emperor to unify and control China
3. General Guan Yu (160-219)
Most famous and populous general, deified and worshiped by some Chinese
4. Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty
(599-649)
Greatest emperor overseeing the golden age of Chinese history
5. Empress Wu of Tang Dynasty
(625-705)
The only emperess in China history, first as Emperor Taizong's concubine. A very controversial figure.
6. General Yue Fei (1103-1142)
Famous patriot and general who fought for Song Dynasty against northern barbarian invaders.
7. Emperor Hongwu (1328-1398)
Founder of Ming Dynasty, expelled the Mongol, restored Han Chinese reign.
8. Sun Yat-Sen (1866-1925)
Founder of modern China, ends the last imperial dynasty-Qing, established Republic of China
9. Mao Zedong (1893-1976)
Founder of People's Republic of China, most important figure in 20th century China
10. Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997 AD)
China leader and reformist of post-Mao era. He opened up and modernised China
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Let me just repeat it once again: Tibet is part of China, even Dalai Lama agrees to that. So those who seem to have an issue with it, I really don't know what is your problem.
And yes I grant that Dalai Lama may be one of the very few Chinese that you have ever heard of. So what? It does nothing but reinforcing the point that James is making here - you know too little about China.
Another person that I would like to add to the list is Zhang Ziyi, the actress, a young, beautiful and hardworking Beijing girl. I am truly proud of what she has achieved and her never-give-up attitude.
Maybe also the Liu brothers who are the founders of the Hope Group, the first large enterprise set up by peasants in China. A son of them drove to Sichuan to join the rescue efforts in person at the risk of his life.
Maybe Li Ning as well, the former prince of gymnastics who won 6 gold medals in 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, now a successful entrepreneur owning a brand of sportswear named after himself.
Really, 10 is too short a list for a country of 1.3 billion people. It is almost impossible if we take the 5000 years of history also into account.
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Here's my list:
Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao - the two most important mainland politicians at present.
Ma Ying-jeou and Donald Tsang - Taiwan and Hong Kong's respective political leaders. It would be interesting to compare and contrast the political situation each faces, and their attitudes towards the mainland.
Zhang Yimou, Hou Hsiao-Hsian and Wong Kar Wai - three of the most famous Chinese film directors. Jia Zhangke would also be worth profiling, as a more recent director who has dealt with a lot of contemporary issues.
Wang Shuo - the 'bad boy' of contemporary Chinese literature.
Cui Jian - China's first rock star, who recently supported the Rolling Stones in Shanghai.
Hu Jia - one of China's most prominent human rights campaigners.
Da Shan - China's most well-known 'laowai', a Canadian broadcaster with irritatingly fluent Chinese. He's not ethnically Chinese of course, but I think this raises an important point in modern China - will there ever be a point where foreigners who have made China their home are considered to be 'Chinese' and not expats? What about the growing number of laowai kids who were born and have spent their whole lives in China?
I also think that a couple of people from China's recent history would be worth a mention as well; Mao and Chiang Kai-Shek would be obvious choices, but Sun Yat-sen and Lu Xun are just as important.
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Zheng He must be among the most important person in Chinese history. His impressive voyages to the southern seas have have spread Chinese influence to the furthest reaches of the known world and resulted in China becoming the arbitrator in world affairs. As a reflection of the extreme diversity of Chinese culture, which many Westerners tend see as static and monolithic, he was a Mongol, a Muslim, and an eunuch who held high position within the Ming establishment.
Confucius is to the East what Socrates is to the West. His thinking became the central doctrine to all things Chinese, and through its spreading influence, Korean and Japanese.
Emperor Qin Shi Huang, although remembered as a tyrannical ruler, waged wars against various nation states and formed the first unified Chinese state. His legacy has lasted up to this day.
Sun Yat-Sen holds a unique position as being the only modern Chinese person to be revered on both sides of the Taiwanese strait as the Father of the Nation. His ideal of a secular democratic nation upheld by all ethnic groups is passionately defended by both mainland China and Taiwan, although under differing interpretations.
Other notable figures in Chinese history that I could think of are:
Chang Kai Shek - for rescuing China from the cancer of warlordism.
Mao Zedong - for "liberating" millions of Chinese, including Tibetans, peasants from the unjustice of feudalism. He is also remembered for the impacts of his other infamous policies. Eg, Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution.
Deng Xiaopeng - the architect of the current Chinese rennaissance.
Bruce Lee - first non-politician on the list - arguably the first and most revered Chinese individual on a global scale. He has for the first time opened up the art of Chinese kung fu to the world.
Huo Yuanjia - portrayed by Jet Li in the movie Fearless - was a martial artist who used his fighting skills to symbolically uphold the nation's hope and dignity in the face of western imperial conquests.
Dalai Lama - I placed him on the list not because of what he has achieved for the benefit of the Tibetans (which in itself is far from convincing), but for his squandered potential of being an influential religious figure for 1.3 billion Chinese - most of whom are Buddhist. I hope his next incarnation will do better. Watch this space in the decades to come.
But what makes China what it is today is the combined contributions and sacrifices of countless nameless ordinary individuals who lived through their lives without being noticed or given credits. Collectively they form the soul of a nation. So I agree with the very first comment that the best way for a westerner to start learning about China and its culture is to speak to the Chinese shopkeeper down the road.
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The same question if you are going to ask a) Mainland Chinese, b) Hong Kong Chinese + Overseas (Those you can find in China town, whom originally immigrated from Hong Kong decades ago), you will definately find a difference in the answers provided. But i'm trying to give something combinded
1. Sir Li Ka-shing - (How can the richest 11th men in the world been left out?!);
2. Bruce Lee (Movie Star) (I can understand that mainland Chinese would not acknowledge this, because he is from hk, too) But without doubt his influence over hundreds of thousands in the west towards Chinese can not be neglected.
3. Deng Xiapeng - China Communist Party 2nd generation leader ; Without him you wouldn't find all the discos and pubs around the streets in China's cities today.
4. Stephen Chow Sing-Chi ( Hong Kong Movie Star) - Don't ask me why but if you are going to ask anyone (both mainland , Taiwan and HK), I do not think there is no one who does not know him as his movies has brought so much laughing and happineses for the past 2 decades. I am sure the majority of the Chinese would choose him over Jacky Chan.
5. Chiang Kai-shek - Present of the Repblic of China - Taiwan 1st leader ( I CANNOT believe that his name is not much mentioned??!) It was the civil war between him and Mao Zedong, which has splitted China and taiwan today.
6. Sun Yat-sen - Father of Modern China ; And how can he be neglected? I am sure everytime when there is news about Taiwanese Government, his picture will be also screened on the media. But how many of the west audience know who he is? Well , he was the one who ended the thousands years of imperial China , and overthrowned the last emperor- Puyi.
7. Li Xiang (Athlete)? Well, this answer will definately from the mainland. But in Hong Kong, we know him, we do feel proud of him, that's it and footstop.
I want to stop here because it is really difficult to choose and I do not think that the famous names that are mostly known by the west - Jet Li, Jacky Chan, Maggie Cheung, zhang Ziyi - all movie stars should be fit on the list, which is ironic, because you will realize that is the only way the west will know about us! And this proves again how less the media in the west has teached the west about us for decades. But if you are going to ask a graduate on the street in Hong Kong, i don't think it is difficult to name three UK premier - Brown, Major, Thatcher , Blair.... this shows the difference again that we know a lot more about you than you know about us.
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And now for an un-nerdish addition to the top Chinese we've ever heard of: Yao Ming, the exported basketball player.
Hugely popular in the West - well, he featured on this life-sized cut-out ad in the local Adidas shop in Cape Town...
And then, yes of course:
Hu Jintao
and...erm...and...living (!) chinese people?
Good point. I don't know all that many.
And a list of the top-10 of them would be interesting and telling, seeing as they're competing with millions and millions of Chinese people.
Good luck Reynolds! I look forward to reading about that.
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It's not a easy job to know 1.3 billion Chinese peaple. Confusian culture is wide and comprehensive, of cource shining. The other point is Maoist. Mao is a one of the great men in 20th century. He constructed a new China, and switched Chinese people from the lowest status to now high-spirited Chinese.
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well i suppose the four most important individuals in PRC right now is Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, Xi Jinping and Yang Jiechi.
if you count Tibet as part of china (which the Chinese certainly do) then the Dalai Lama would be a very important addition to the list.
if you then count Taiwan as being the same (they are still chinese even if they are not officially recognised as part of PRC) Ma Yingjiu is a very important person.
Another important person for China, I would say, is Liu Xiang. China's biggest hope for a medal in the upcoming Beijing summer olympics.
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Hello there -
comments 4 / 7 is a striking example of british inwardness or arrogance - if one can use that word.
It is rather diasppointing to note that citizens of a great nation have minimum awareness of rest of the world. Is it a form of xenophobia? If this is the case - british education dept should take steps to ensure that their future generation does not grow up alienated and all that they are aware of is the wherabouts of the royal family and the tattoo on beckham's body.
It is impossible to know-all of all the various countries/regions/people who habit this wonderful world of ours. However modern civilization should equip us with the general knowledge, acceptance,tolerance and above all teach us to respect others as much as we do ourself.
When one says that we dont know where india is or who chinese are - it only shows a failed internal education system, aloof parents and narrow minded society. And its not just India or China it applies to any other nation / field / people.
For example if you say you do not know what/ where is serbia then you really need to take your eyes off those stupid reality shows and read the news paper - for example do we accept and realize serbians - against such odds of life - are posing to take the tennis world by a storm.
Alas - every passing day is leading the human civilization to vanity ridden intellectual backwardation.
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7. At 12:13 pm on 05 Jun 2008, steve5312 wrote:
You could apply to same logic to most countries though. I mean, how many Indians, Americans or Russians does anyone know personally?
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Agree this. i'm a chinese guy. i don't think there are someone important enough to be konwn in this country. Gandhi is a good guy,but he isn't a chinese......
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I have been refraining from posting any comments in the last three weeks, but this is really a good question to comment on.
First, the most famous one to me is a classmate of mine, who cried on the eve of June 3, 1989, saying that "I do not want to have a war". This was after we heard VOA radio reporting (with much excitement?) that two groups of troops are fighting in Beijing. His cry totally changed the way I think what we had been doing.
Then, let me answer your question by listing top people that, I think, the west have drawn general conclusions about china and its people in the past, together with my comments. In no particular order.
1. Dalai Lama
This gentle man is a chinese (do not yell at me, please), and has been the most successful person to fool the west about china and its people.
2. Cai Ling (and the like)
Remember her infamous telephone interview speech on the eve of June 3, 1989. You may want to do a survey on all those people who have participated in the 1989-thing to see how wrong the west have been about the chinese people's feeling/thinking.
3. Yan jiaqi and Liu xiaobo.
These guys are perhaps more western than the west. But as more and more chinese are traveling to America and Europe, they two perhaps have little to sell to the chinese and to offer to the west.
4. Hu Jintao
He is well-educated just like all of us, but nobody in the west cares to realize this.
5. Yao Ming
The most successful guy from mainland china who has been accepted by the west media. Do not, please, think the chinese are all that
tall :)
6. Jackie Chan and Jet Li
If you want to know how a typical chinese looks like and behaves, they are the best candidate except for the Kongfu he showed the west in their movies. Don't you think thier smile looks much more comfortable than that of the Number one in my list?
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hi there,
I have roughly eighteen months experience of being in China as a foreigner (British).
I put forward the following names;
1. Gong Li
2. Ge You
3. another actor bloke in a Zhang Yimou film called 'Happy Times' that I can't remember his name!!
4. Fay Wang
5. Ma Jian (author 'Red Dust')
thanks.
d.
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I think it is really a good idea for westners to have a quick lesson about China. But as a native Chinese it is difficult to give a list of living people, which is a major cultural difference between China and the rest of the world. Chinese people have a long and strong tradition of ancestor worship, and we think and talk about history more than reality when we deal with problems because we believe history is a exemplariness to make us to build a better future. Similarly there are two conditions for being a great and important man which are that firstly she/he was really great and she/he has been died, and the history has given him/her a judgement that shows he/she was great.
Anyway my answer for living people is:
1.Yuan Longping
He is an agriculturist and have a great achievement on hybrid rice which made at least 0.3 billion Chinese to shake off poverty during last decades. As a very rich man he is still living in a rural area as a normal peasant.
2.Yang zhenning
He is a Nobelist and has a controversial life.
3.Liu Xiang
A famous athlete and his achievement tell us that Chinese can be competitive in field and track.
4.Liu dehua
A evergreen movie star and singer, and also a fine example of patriotism
5.Ma yingjiu
the leader of Taiwan.Chinese people always desire a peaceful reunification of mainland and Taiwan, so people all know the leader of Taiwan and want know more about his policies.
6.Li jiacheng
the richest man of China
7.Wen Jiabao
the prime minister
8.Zhang Yimou
A famous film director
9.Li Yuchun
A winner of a controversial reality TV show and a singer
10.Wang Shi
He is a rich land-agent and became to be famous just after the earthquake because of his controversial explanation of his stingy donation.But I think people will forget him soon.
I think different Chinese people would give totally different answers. The reason is just because China is huge.
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58. At 08:16 am on 06 Jun 2008, tigersblog wrote:
You totally misunderstand China and Mao. Actually I dont think people really have been effected by Maoist. Now normally Mao is not a topic that people are interested in and sometimes when we talk about Mao we always think he did a great job to unify China and he also destroyed the traditional culture,so it is complicated.
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RE: "psaffrey wrote: ...'top 10 Chinese' to their counterpart in the UK, if they have one. If they don't have one, perhaps you could explain why."
Examples:
Industrialist/entrepreneur (Wang Jianlin, Wang shi)
Political leaders (Wan Jia Bao, Hu Jin Tao, Jiang Ze Min, Deng Xiao Ping,Zhou En Lai, )
Political up-and-comings (...)
Notable sportsmen and women (Liu Xiang, Guo Jing Jing)
Entertainers/TV personalities (Zeng Zhi Wei, Ge You, Fang Jing)
Scientists/thinkers (Yang Zhen Ning, Wang Zhong Lin)
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
If there is a democratic voting worldwide, most people in the world, adults or children, play basketball or snookers or not, know something about politics or economics or not, will recognize one single most famous living Chinese, without any doubt:
Jacky Chen !
Although somewhat childish his most moveis are, Jacky Chen definitely represents typical Chinese: always a funny good guy!
P.S. Dalai Lama should not be in the list, because it is FAMOUS top 10, not a NOTORIOUS one.
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Can you make sense of a country by memorizing 10 people’s name? Wouldn’t that actually have the opposite effect? Who are British top-10-must-know people? Would I have a better understanding of Britain by knowing their names and brief Bios?
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I don't remember many names:
I vote
#1 Dailai-Lama
#2 Yao Ming
#3 The Committee the runs China (no need for figure head names)
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It's not nerdish - it's brilliant. Go for it; and make a short film about them too. This is the "inform" part of the BBC Charter.
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Among the living ones? Hard to choose from so many.
1. Hu Jintao
2. Wen Jiabao
3. Yao Ming
4. Li Ka Shing
5. Zhu Rongji
6. Gong Li
7. Stanley Ho
8. Zhang Ziyi
9. Donald Tsang
10. Panchen Lama
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James, I have to admire what you're trying to do which is a step further for a journalist. To build a bridge to make British understand a bit more of the Chinese is huge assignment. I can't help myself to do a bit of contribution. Hoping you won't mind with a twist from what you have asked - same by name, same by group and may put a name side by side British know well.
1. Liu Xiang/Yao Ming; most influence persons to the Chinese youth. The Liu's story even carry more weight. He's coming out of wood, and lead the youth believe everbody have a fair chance as long as you play it hard and sweat a lot.
2. Wen JiaBao; A Chinese Roosevelt II.
3. Wu Yi; the Chinese M.T. The Iron Lady who she show the lady influence and a no nonsense communist.
4. Yuan Longping; A scientist who may solve the hunger problem for China and developing countries.
5. Hu jintao; As the Churchill who play a role to make it out from two grants.
6. Jackir Chan/Jet Li.
7. CCTV; a Chinese BBC-twenty years ago.
8. Alibaba ; A Chinese Google or/and e Bay.
9.Farmer ; assort of a bit of British soccur fan when their team's in uphand.
10. Confucianism; as Chiritian, a fading influence, but you still can see and feel it everywhere.
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To know more about Chinese and their values, I'd introduce some books.
They are
1. The romance of three Kingdom
2. Confucius Teaching
3. Lao Zi's Teaching
4. The Dream of the Red Chamber
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1.3 billion people is not enough!!!
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Dalai Lama (ACTOR)
Oh yes I forgot to add him on my list. In Hong Kong I would say 99% of the population would never ever care about what he says because we all know he is a joke. We all know that Tibet is a part of China for over a thousand years it is only him who like to be used as a tool by the west and making all the trouble.
But he is indeed the most successful Chinese to have fooled the West with his stories. Professional actor and should get the Oscar!
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You have struck an important note in your blog. It will be very surprising if many Westerners can answer your questions. Permit me not to answer your question. I am of Chinese descent and one of the Chinese diaspora in SouthEast Asia. I'd like to make some hopefully sensible comments.
The shape of the modern world was established in may respects by your Country --- as described in the book Empire by Niall Ferguson. As one who was educated in UK before our independence in 1957, I entirely agree with Ferguson's book.
For some two centuries during the decay of the Qing dynasty, China was lost. Japan saw the need to adopt Western styles in almost everything, even the imperial mission! China in the decaying process as ususal for a large country was torn aprt by raging local interests and political conflicts. It is easy for you to verify there were distinguished intellectuals who knew what should be done but as usual politicians with strong power bases turbied everthing upside down. This happend at a time when your country started intruding in a big commercial ways supported by arms in China. Imagine what chaos resulted.
Since 1949 after some 150 years of incessant trouble China managed to have a strong central government. Power stuggles again brought havoc until 1979 when Den Xiao Ping announced to be rich was not contraray to the socialist idel. The result is what you in your posting can see for yourself.
However while Westyern leaders are aware of how China is changing and apprehensive of how these developments will impinge on the rest of the world, the general Western public remain at best ignorant, at worst as I ahve found in my personal experience --- all chinese are viewed with a Fu Manchu complex. I am well travelled in UK, Western Europe, and also the USA and Canada.
My opinion is education can lead to the necessary corrections. But is there any will to do this? Globalisation is well appreciated in terms of economics, in fact especially in the economis field. But what is needed too is cultural globalisation by which I mean understanding differences and yet interacting successfully by crossing boundaries. I like to quote Geoff Dyer, Financial Time "Comment" of June 5, 2008 on how the Australiam PM Rudd who is extermely fluent in Pudonghua is approaching his dialogues with China.
Anyway you are doing a good job!
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Hu Jintao, politician, president of PRC
Qian Xuesen, scientist, rocketery
Zhang Yimou, director
Liu Chuanzhi, businessman, founder of Lenovo
Yao Ming, sportsman, basketball
Li Yuchun, pop icon
Jackie Chan, actor
Li Yinhe, sociologist
Justin Yifu Lin, economist, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank
Yuan Longping, scientist, hybrid rice
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As a Chinese I think I can't give you any top 10 guys who can give you the right impression of China. All I can tell you is complex, far too complex in China even for me who is a native Chinese. I can easily point out many many bad things and bad people as well as many many good things and great people. No matter any field such as low level, poor people or high rank, rich people. As a Chinese, I had trusted, loved, doubted, disblieved, opposed, Hated, moved, been cheated, been helped... I had turned to western ideology but eventually rejected that and understood our own way. I think many people in China had been in the same thinking as me. You can see even in many small countries there are too many issues then how China can avoid the problems and issues. In such a country like China I think it is really not easy for government to control the society. Also it is not easy to any governors to manage this kind of society. So many many times we have no better choice.
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To 74: Oh, yeah, they are really good books and worth reading.
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to 79: as also a Chinese, I feel quite the same.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
If you want to learn more about China, you have to know the following:
- Tibet is a part of China; it has been for hundreds of years.
- Dalai Lama was a position created by an Emperor in the Chin dynasty.
- The Emperor installed the first Dalai Lama.
- Dalai Lama was working with the Chinese Communist Party to reform Tibet until the mid 1950’s when his brother and sister convinced him to exile.
China is a huge country with more than 1 billion people and thousands of years of civilization (evidenced by large quantity of Chinese ancient artifacts in British Museums). You would learn more about China from history than from the media and Internet.
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