Edison Chen

Edison Chen

Edison was born on October 7th, 1980, and he was raised in Richmond, which is found in Vancouver (Chen). He attended high school at Robert Cecilia Palmer Secondary school, and his reputation in school was not so good since he was not hardworking, but he graduated. He presently lives in Hong Kong and works in the music, fashion and cinema sectors (Chen). Further, he owns a lifestyle firm known as CLOT and the company works with labels and artists from all over the globe and gathers them all together in the Greater Asian region. In his official online blog, Edison states that he is just a regular everyday guy just like any other person, but his only job is to entertain (Chen). Edison failed to find a way of becoming successful in Canada or the United States because of his Chinese ancestry, and that is why he returned to Hong Kong. With the help of his father and networks, he was able to make it big in the entertainment industry.

Edison Chen glowing profile

Arguably, Edison Chen is one of the world entertainers of Asian origin who have one of the most glowing profiles. For instance, he has exceptional talents in various areas. In music, he is one of the best pop singers in Asia (Chen). He is also a businessman and works in the fashion and arts sectors. Further, he dances and plays basketball for fun. His many talents have earned him respect and also made him a popular and likeable person in Asia. Additionally, his ability to speak many languages fluently makes it easy for him to work in various regions across the world. The languages he speaks are English, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese and Chinese (Chen). Moreover, because of Edison uniqueness, he was approached by a talent scout when he was in Hong Kong, and this was the beginning of his career in the entertainment industry. He began off by shooting his first advertisement show on television, and the first movie he shot was a Japanese film known as Dead or Alive 2. The film showed his extraordinary filming talents, and from then on, he started his filming career (Chen). Likewise, it is the film that made him a celebrity in Hong Kong entertainment and enabled him to act in other movies. Persons in the movie industry attributed his success and popularity to his extraordinary talents. However, Edison, who didn’t have any professional training in acting, wondered why he did so well.

Edison signed a contract with Emperor Entertainment Group when he was 20 so that he could begin his career in the music industry (Chang). After the agreement, he began releasing Mandarin, and Cantonese pop songs and his albums became so successful. However, just like in movies, he had no idea what he was singing and even didn’t understand the meaning of his lyrics. At one point in his life, he felt that he was a bird in a cage which was being manipulated by his landlord (Chang). But instead of giving up on music, he asked the landlord for an opportunity to produce his albums. After various successful albums, he was able to create his hip-hop album which topped the local music charts (Chang). Further, he went viral on the local hip-hop fields and demonstrated that he had great potential to produce hip-hop music. Similarly, after venturing into hip-hop music, he realized that he could not fit in the present Hong-Kong controlling pop culture.

Moreover, many creative or talented persons have given up on their careers after major scandal such as sexual scandals (“Edison Chen Turns 38 – We Recall Birthday Boy’S Successes And Scandal”). However, after the 2008 sex scandal, Edison began his transition from entertainment to the fashion industry. He didn’t let the criticism of people stop him from pursuing his goals and passion. During the moment that he was afraid to be in front of the camera and fell into depression, he travelled to japan instead of lazing around (“Edison Chen Turns 38 – We Recall Birthday Boy’S Successes And Scandal”). In Japan, he influenced various famous fashion designers and created his primary Hong Kong-based fashion store known as CLOT. CLOT soon became a successful fashion company which is famous worldwide. The primary company focus was on youth culture, and it was dedicated to bringing the Chinese culture to the globe.

Initially, the well-established fashion companies disregarded and unrecognized CLOT, and it took years for Edison to prove the quality of the firm’s products and the spirit that the firm could bring to the globe (Yinan Che). Currently, CLOT has various collaborations with well-established firms such as Adidas, Nike and Bape. Further, Edison proved himself when he was invited to the New York Fashion Week, and he brought the Chinese culture to the world stage. He likewise wasn’t selfish and brought western culture to Chinese through holding the Chinese most magnificent multicultural fashion exhibition that occurs in Shanghai yearly. He was not just interested in making money but also in the enlightenment of the youth and in ensuring cross-cultural communication (Yinan Che). In 2017, Edison did a speech at the New York University and stressed on the significance of the world, realizing that the standard of a product needs not to be lowered because it is made in china. Creating a product in china does not mean it is of poor quality but instead because the youth in China and Asia are pursuing what they are passionate about. Therefore, the youth need to seek the things that they are passionate about, and it should not be about just the money.

Apart from being ambitious, successful, aggressive and dedicated in his quest to pursue his passion and bring the Chinese culture to the world, Edison has also been able to change the way people view him when it comes to personal relationships, previously, he was known as a playboy. Still, currently, he is the father of a three-year-old and has a beautiful family (Zheng). Additionally, what stands out most for Edison is his ability to pursue what he likes without any fear. For instance, he changed from pop culture to hip-hop culture without any doubt and became very successful. Finally, Edison was a cultural person who despite living and working with persons from other cultures, appreciated his culture very much. He even influenced other youths to be proud of Chinese culture. Regardless of being a person of Canadian nationality, he had Chinese design elements in his fashion industry that demonstrated his pride for his culture and the urge to bring the culture to the world stage (Zheng). This was important as it helped enlighten the youth and boost the efforts of changing the stereotype that products made in China are of low quality. Finally, Edison was a visionary man who had great insight. For instance, after the sex scandal, he apologized publicly, involuntarily quit his entertainment career and started participating in charity events to show the world that he was willing to change and that he is a responsible man (Zheng). Therefore, instead of his mistakes being his downfall, they became his stepping stone to a better and bigger career.

The other side of Edison Chen

Without a doubt, Edison is very successful in the entertainment industry and has contributed positively to the society (“Edison Chen Shares A Photo Of His Daughter At Play – And Kicks Up A Storm”). However, severally, his shortcomings have tended to overshadow his success and at one point, even threatened his career. Because of his flaws, he has destroyed meaningful relationships, lost money, damaged his reputation and also. For instance, in 2019, Chen posted a picture of his daughter on Instagram that stirred up controversy. The image of his daughter known as Alaia was in an uber-glam ‘toy chest’ which reportedly costs 68, 500 dollars (“Edison Chen Shares A Photo Of His Daughter At Play – And Kicks Up A Storm”). The limited edition of the Supreme X Louis Vuitton collaboration trunk was introduced to the globe in 2017 and is one of the most expensive pieces in the auction. In 2018, it was sold at an auction for 100,000 united states dollars. The price tag caught the attention of social media trolled who questioned how such a child would be given something so expensive. The trolls saw it as a waste of money and that he could have spent his money on something more substantial. The picture painted him as an extravagant person who didn’t care about how he spent his money.

Additionally, one major event that threatened to destroy the career of Chen is when his X-rated photos were leaked in 2008 (“Edison Chen Loses Financial Backing”). The images were with actresses such as Gillian Ching and Cecilia Cheung. The scandal which damaged his reputation and drew a lot of criticism forced him to call for a press conference and apologize to the public and victims. Years later, he made a documentary and stated that it was an accident which he does not regret (“Edison Chen Loses Financial Backing”). His lack of remorse years later made some people doubt him since they thought that his comeback in the fashion industry had made him arrogant then. Also, even though the public and the victims have forgiven him, Edison image is forever tainted with this scandal. There is no way his legacy will be mentioned without mentioning the Hong Kong photo scandal.

Also, Edison is known for having a quick temper. For instance, he once argued with a taxi driver who had blocked his way in front of his house gate (“Edison Kicks Taxi In Anger, Gets Fined (Lmao)”). The argument led him to get out of the car and kicked the taxi driver several times. His inability to control his anger drew a lot of adverse reactions. The court gave Edison a one-year ethical conduct bond after it found him guilty of kicking and denting a taxi when angry. The magistrate also judged that he had to compensate for the taxi company. Another case of his inability to control his anger was when Chen lost his cool and assaulted a Chinese vlogger after being shot on camera in japan (“Edison Chen Harassed By Vlogger In Japan”). Chen said that the vlogger had harassed him, but because of his known hot temper that has been shown through numerous online and offline rants, a significant number of persons thought that it was just because of his fiery temper. In a video uploaded by the vlogger on Weibo, it shows that the vlogger ran into Chen on the streets of Japan and the vlogger approached him and asked him if they could take a photo together. However, Chen declined because he was with his child. The vlogger continued to film despite his refusal, and that is when Edison got angry and yelled at him. Even after yelling at the vlogger, he continued to film, and Edison yelled again at him until he walked away. The vlogger was widely criticized for failing to respect the privacy of his daughter and Edison hence angering him.

The last known scandal that Chen has been involved in is in 2011 with a Hong Kong model Cammi Tse (“Edison Chen Loses Financial Backing”). His relationship with the sixteen-year-old was revealed after the photos of them hugging and kissing were leaked online. The images were leaked after the phone of the model got lost (“Edison Chen Loses Financial Backing”). The text messages Chen sent Tse asking her to pose for him in school uniforms and swimsuits were also leaked, but there were no nude photos. The model further confirmed that she had lost her virginity to Chen and that he had bought her sexy lingerie and even filmed a video of her in the bedroom. The scandal was massive since the model was young, and it threatened to destroy his career further.

The neutral Edison Chen

Edison Chen was not always the one setting either a good record or a bad one. In some instances, he was a victim or a neutral party (“HK Pop Star Edison Chen Punched By Youngsters”). An example is when he was insulted and punched by two boys in the downtown district of Hong Kong. Despite the boys later being arrested and taken to the police station, Edison had to make the tough decision of pursuing charges or not. Any action h took had consequences which would affect him adversely. He later decided not to press charges, and the boys were freed. The action put his safety at risk since it showed the public that they could get away with committing a crime against Edison (“HK Pop Star Edison Chen Punched By Youngsters”). The incident also demonstrated that despite having power and fame, Edison was vulnerable. Vulnerable to the opinion of the society, criticisms he got, attacks from people and to the government. Thus, despite all the mistakes he had made, the community needed to forgive him and see him as one of their won.

Conclusion

In summary, the whole world has seen the transformation of Edison Chen from a playboy to a responsible father. Currently, the singer, fashion designer, entrepreneur, actor and rapper is making moves in the fashion, music and acting industry and working hard to put the Chinese culture on the global map. H is also focused on his family, and in particular, his daughter, whom he believes is one of his greatest blessings. Even, Edison Chen has already begun to make plans about his retirement. His daughter has promoted his decision to retire since he wants to focus more on parenting. Finally, the transformation of Edison Chen teaches many people to never give up on their dreams and passion despite the mistakes they make along the way. He is a man of many successes and many mistakes. More importantly, he acknowledges the mistakes he makes in life and works hard to rectify them despite the criticism he gets.