Profile | How Hong Kong singer and actress Vivian Chow became a beloved Cantopop star

One of the most popular Cantopop singers of the 1990s, Vivian Chow was also famous for her good-girl persona and relationship with Joe Nieh

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Mabel Lui

Published: 7:11am, 30 Aug 2024

This is the 32nd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades.

Known to many in Hong Kong by her nickname “Jade Girl”, Vivian Chow Wai-man was one of the most beloved Cantopop singers of the 1990s.

Famous for her love songs, she was also known for her acting roles and wholesome, good-girl persona, which allowed her to maintain popularity over the years.

Although she declared her retirement from the entertainment industry in 1997, she has made numerous returns to the limelight, and still performs in concerts today.

Chow sings her winning song at the Chinese Gold Songs award presentation ceremony, organised by RTHK, at the Hong Kong Coliseum in January 1989. Photo: SCMP

Born in 1967, Chow was raised in Hong Kong. She made her first formal foray into the city’s entertainment industry in 1985, when she took part in TVB’s New Talent Singing Awards. She competed alongside other budding Cantopop artists including Alex To Tak-wai, Hacken Lee Hak-kan and boy band Grasshopper, and finished as a semi-finalist.

Soon after this, she entered a disc jockey competition organised by RTHK, coming in second place. She began hosting television shows, including TVB’s music programme Jade Solid Gold.

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Hong Kong’s pop culture icons

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