Yao Ming tops China's celebrity ranking

Sports/Olympics / NBA

 Yao Ming tops China's celebrity ranking
by AP
Updated: 2006-03-10 14:08

HONG KONG -- NBA star Yao Ming topped Forbes magazine's annual mainland
Chinese celebrity rankings for the second consecutive year, but "Memoirs
of a Geisha" star Zhang Ziyi dropped a spot to No. 3.

NBA star center Yao Ming tops Forbes' 2006 Chinese mainland celebrity
rankings for the second consecutive year. [sina]

She was replaced by actress Zhou Xun, the star of the musical movie
"Perhaps Love."

Director Zhang Yimou and pop diva Faye Wong dropped out of the top 10
after relatively low-profile years in 2005.

Li Yuchun, winner of China's successful "Super Girls" singing contest in
2005 _ the Chinese equivalent of "American Idol" _ cracked the top 10,
landing at No. 6.

Famed art-house director Chen Kaige was a big mover, rocketing from
outside the top 100 to No. 8, thanks to the buildup for his new epic
mythology flick "The Promise."
The Forbes annual ranking, posted on its Web site Friday, is based on
income and media exposure within China.

Rounding out the top 10 are singer-actress Zhao Wei, at No. 4, Olympic
gold medalist hurdler Liu Xiang at No. 5 and actress Fan Bingbing at No.
7. In ninth and tenth place were singer Sun Nan and actress Li Bingbing
respectively.

Actress Zhang's co-star in "Memoirs of a Geisha," Gong Li, was No. 13.
English Premier League soccer player Sun Jihai was ranked No. 23.

Mainland actress Zhou Xun ranked second on the list. [sina]
According to Forbes, Yao raked in 170 million Chinese yuan (US$21.1
million; euro17.7 million) in 2005. He was showed on Chinese TV 228
times, mentioned in newspapers 8,050 times and made four magazine covers.
Yao was searched on the Internet nearly 4 million times.

Yao's consolidation of his No. 1 spot was helped by his new deal with the
Houston Rockets. The center signed a five-year contract worth more than
US$75 million (euro63 million) in September.

Yao is a huge source of national pride after breaking into the upper
echelons of a sport mainly dominated by foreigners.

Super Voice Girl Champion Li Yuchun made the list at No. 6 for the first
time. [sina]
Actress Zhang, who made her name with the Ang Lee-directed kung fu movie
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," out-earned counterpart Zhou and was
reported on in newspapers and searched over the Internet more frequently,
but Zhou scored 69 more TV appearances than Zhang's 101.

Zhou was boosted by the popularity of her new movie "Perhaps Love," in
which she delivered a subtle portrayal of a movie actress caught between
her past and present loves. The film was also a unique pop culture
product, blending a Chinese setting, a Western-style musical and
Bollywood dance choreography.

Pop star Wong's decline can be explained by her decision to stay largely
out of the public eye last year.

Director Zhang's ranking, which fell to No. 26, was likely hurt by the
lack of a movie that generated major buzz. After the kung fu epics "Hero"
and "House of Flying Daggers," Zhang followed up with the low-key "Riding
Alone for Thousands of Miles," a heartwarming story about a Japanese
father who travels to China to fulfill his ailing son's wishes.

Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours

Today's Top News 

� Coal output set to reach record high of 2.5b tons

� EU likely to impose tax on imports of Chinese shoes

� Bankers confident about future growth

� Gov't: China can't pay more for iron ore

� US senators to visit China to talk trade

Top Sport News 

� Yao Ming validates his all-star accolades

� Dementieva stuns Henin to set up Sharapova clash

� Artest returns to Indiana in a defeat

20071125 http://www.hellomandarin.net