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Top 10 Amazing Facts about Edison Chen

Edison Chen is a versatile Hong Kong 鈥� Canadian personality born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on 7 October 1980. He is a well-versed actor, musician, singer, producer, fashion designer and entrepreneur.

Chen first came to fame in the early 2000s after his role in the 2002 Japanese film Infernal Affairs Later his role in the 2006 film The Grudge 2  gained international recognition.

As a fashion designer, Chen also launched his fashion label, Clot Inc, which focuses on youth culture and is credited with helping to bring street fashion into the mainstream fashion world. His work fuses traditional Chinese elements with a modern sensibility.

In the entertainment industry, Edison Chen is influential as he has established himself as a successful singer as evidenced by his several hit music albums.

At the mere age of 20, Chen made his musical debut with the Emperor Entertainment Group where he released his first hip-hop album, Please Steal in 2004. Thereafter several back-to-back albums followed.

1. Chen is full of controversies

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Chen publicly informed of his intention to step away from the Hong Kong entertainment industry On February 21, 2008, following his scandalous sex photos circulating on the internet which were allegedly taken 4 years earlier.

He returned in 2010 but has yet to make a comeback in the Hong Kong film industry. Upon surfacing the photos, he disputed their authenticity citing digital manipulation, however, the investigation by Hong Kong police refuted the claims and confirmed the ingenuity of the photos.

Chen publicly apologized in English to the victims and the public at large, expressing remorse and subsequently announcing his indefinite departure from the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

His first major controversy was seen in 2004 in Hong Kong when he was assaulted by two teenagers, who danced and made fun of him publicly. Edison did not press any charges and forgave the perpetrators.

In 2007, he got in a scuffle with a taxi driver who failed to allow him to pass through after a heated argument with one of his guards and got fined for this incident.

Another inappropriate leaked photo on the internet led to a scandal in 2011 portraying his intimacy with a 16-year-old model.

2. A sex scandal made him more famous

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Statistics for Google search engine in 2008 depicted Chen name as being the No. 1 most searched term in China, and No. 3 in Taiwan.

His name was runner-up to U.S. president-elect Barack Obama in the Hong Kong Person of 2008 poll by government-run RTHK radio, with below 30 per cent votes in the Person of the Year category.

3. He was born into an affluent family

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His father Edward Chen is a high-profile Hong Kong entertainment industry mogul. Born with a silver spoon, Edison was accorded a luxurious lifestyle from childhood.

His parents divorced early, which made his childhood somewhat lonely and was given whatever he wants to compensate for the absence of both parents.

4. Chen is multilingual

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English was the first language Chen learned. However, his father ensured that he learnt Cantonese and Mandarin which became vital in his music career in Hong Kong. 

He also speaks conversational Japanese as a result of his early training to be a Hong Kong idol and basic Khmer which he learnt when he played a role portraying a Cambodian assassin in the movie Dog Bite (2006).

5. He was scouted by a talent manager in a nightclub at 19 years old

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Edison took a break after high school before starting his career in the showbiz industry. Fortunately, while at one of the nightclubs, he was spotted by a talent manager.

This was a very happy moment for him since the talent manager didn鈥檛 know about his influential background or his father. He was offered an opportunity to feature in a Tv commercial for Citibank, his maiden on-screen debut. The commercial was the springboard for his musical and acting career.

6. Chen turned down a role in the Fast and Furious movie

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Just like any human being. Chen made regrettable choices in his career. He was offered a role in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, however, he declined to be part of the Hollywood blockbuster movie.

In addition, the numerous controversies that surrounded him made filmmakers stay away from him. This resulted in him not getting good offers and only being offered minor roles.

7. His relationships are full of drama

Edison Chen and Vincy Yeung dated from 2007 and he once stated on a TV show that they were to wed. Three years, later, the couple broke up, with claims from Vincy that Edison was 鈥渁 violent narcissist and he physically abused her on several occasions.鈥�

A few years later, he started dating a model Ann Hong but their plan for marrying failed to materialize on allegations of Chen cheating with another woman.

He had several controversial affairs, reportedly with much younger girls, Chen promised that he was a changed man. Thereafter, he got involved with Shupei Qin who later turned out to be a married woman.

Chen denied the affair but in August 2017, he revealed that he have a daughter named Alaia Chen together.

8. He co-founded CLOT

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CLOT is a lifestyle brand established in 2003 and described as a “lifestyle company鈥� geared toward youth culture, and bringing street fashion to China. The company has a good reputation for selling lifestyle goods and launching its line of products.

CLOT also collaborates with many internationally known and reputable brands including Disney, Converse, and Nike among others. Its founders are Edison Chen and Kevin Poon. Edison’s foray into the fashion industry for over 20 years has seen the company rise to greater heights.

His designs are heavily influenced by hip hop and youth culture. The designs often incorporate bold graphics and bright colours.

9.  Chen is a major contributor to hip-hop culture in Hong Kong

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Many consider Edison Chen to be the first pop singer who brought hip-hop culture to the Hong Kong music industry. However, LMF is credited for the underground hip-hop industry in Hong Kong.

Through his unique style, Edison made it mainstream in Cantopop. This is reflected as many of Edison’s rap songs feature MC Yan from the now disbanded LMF.

His greatest hit Kong Place, featuring MC Yan and Han Jin, about the characters of the people of Hong Kong and calls for the union of Hong Kong was one of the great hits in 2004.

10. He wanted to be an NBA basketball player as a child

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While attending Hong Kong International School and some other high-profile schools in Canada, Chen was a basketball freak and dreamed of being an NBA star someday.

He mentioned that 鈥淲hen I was 13, I was really into hip-hop and basketball, I wanted to be an NBA basketball player, I swear. I was playing in Hong Kong and made the team. Then I went to America and just got my ass kicked and I was like 鈥榓h, shit.鈥�