Taiwanese singer and 1980s icon Monique Lin (林慧萍) shocked the entertainment world last week when she and her now ex-husband, Terry Pan (潘博照), announced that they had quietly signed divorce papers last month, ending a decade-long marriage.
The singer, known as a Jade Lady (玉女) for her good looks and elegant demeanor, moved to Los Angeles after she got married but recently returned to Taiwan to revive her pop career. Until this summer, Pan made a point of showing up and cheering his wife at her appearances, and in July the duo hosted a dinner party together.
Lin and Pan cited “personality differences” (個性上的差異) and took pains to state that no one else had been involved in their decision to split. This, of course, did not prevent rampant speculation in the media. The Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported that friends of the couple had long been aware of Pan’s chronic womanizing, but the husband-and-wife team hid their problems to prevent Lin’s golden-girl image becoming tarnished.
Other news reports named Vivian Hsu (徐懷瑛), a former employee of Pan’s (not to be confused with the famous Taiwanese singer/actress with the same English name (徐若)), as the third wheel. The two allegedly embarked on an affair last year, though Pan, Hsu and Lin have all vigorously denied the rumors. Reports about the alleged love triangle focus on Hsu’s good looks, her lively personality, penchant for hot pants and miniskirts and the fact that, at 43, she is three years younger than Lin.
Someone who might have been following the flurry of media reports about Lin’s divorce is pop singer Chao Cheng-ping (趙正平) of JXT BOY (景行廳男孩), who had little else to do while laid up in bed after earning the dubious distinction of being the first Taiwanese entertainer to come down with swine flu.
Zhao was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with the disease last week after coming down with a fever. He was ordered to stay away from people as he recovered, including fellow bandmembers Vincent Liang
(梁赫群) and Lin Chih-hsien (林智賢). Their manager said the 41-year-old bachelor was subsisting on frozen dumplings, but fans need not fear for their idol — his record label will send him more provisions if need be and his mommy is also looking after him.
Angela Chang (張韶涵), on the other hand, won’t be counting on her mother for chicken soup and pats on the back any time soon. The Taiwanese pop singer and her estranged family have been using the media as a battlefield for a volley of angry messages. Chang’s mom told reporters that her daughter is a cold-hearted ingrate, while Chang said her parents had mismanaged her earnings.
The singer, who spent her adolescence in Canada, returned to Taiwan to launch her entertainment career after graduating from high school in 2000. Her mother was her constant companion and advisor until last year, when the two suddenly fell out. Chang reportedly kicked her mom out of their shared home, launching a feud that has dragged other family members into the mire.
Gossip rags say that even though Chang’s mother and father are divorced, the two have united against their daughter, claiming that her luxurious lifestyle is in stark contrast to their own. Chang’s father says he makes a pittance selling noodles in a night market, while her mother sells slippers and works in a store.
During a terse press conference last week, Chang expressed frustration that her family feud had become public and said she hoped to resolve it as quickly as possible. She added that after returning to Taiwan from Canada last year, she discovered her mother had made off with her earnings and was refusing to disclose where the money was.
A Linfair Records (福茂唱片) representative also defended its star, stating that “Angela has been supporting her family for years,” before adding that her newest record would drop on Sept. 25.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
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