Top media celebrities in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taipei in 2007
Karen Cheng
The rosters consist of regional rankings of celebrities gaining the most media exposure in the cities of Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taipei, as well as a Pan-Chinese ranking covering celebrities appearing in the Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei rosters. The results are based on accumulative exposure from the bi-weekly rosters compiled throughout 2007.
The Pan-Chinese roster (column A) has accommodated 21 celebrities this year, which is about a 20% drop compared with last year's. Of the 21 identities, political figures have occupied 18. This year's Pan-Chinese roster is most remarkable for its highlighting of changes in global leadership.
The focus on various Chinese-speaking communities also varied considerably. Ma Ying-jeou, Hu Jintao, Chen Shui-bian, and George W. Bush stand high in the Pan-Chinese roster, while Hu, Chen and Bush make it onto all the individual Hong Kong, Beijing, and Taipei regional rosters.
Sports figures are less prominent this year, despite the approaching Beijing Olympics, though the seemingly invincible Yao Ming made it onto the roster for the seventh consecutive year.
Looking at the individual regional rosters (columns B to E), Hong Kong and Taipei apparently share more common topics. The ratio of local and non-local celebrities in the individual rosters varies widely.
The Hong Kong roster comprises just 40% local celebrities. Thanks to the Legco by-election, Anson Chan and Regina Ip have gained as much media exposure, making it to second and third respectively on the regional roster headed by Donald Tsang. Andy Lau and Lydia Shum continue to represent showbiz. Meanwhile, the appearance of Alan Leong, Tsui Po-ko, Paul Morris, and Nina Kung’s on the roster owes much to several newsworthy incidents in Hong Kong last year.
Full details of the Annual Celebrity Rosters can be found at http://www.livac.org/celebrity/.