ENDURING POPULARITY
In China, Teresa Teng was among the earliest singers people got to know after the reform and opening-up. Her sweet voice, fancy dresses and curly hair seemed novel to those who were used to seeing green and black coats and plaits.
Hao Xinsheng, 49, is a fan of Teng. He was in middle school when he first heard Teng' s songs in the 1980s.
"I was born during the Cultural Revolution," he said, "the songs we heard before were revolutionary and patriotic ones."
Her songs brought him a feeling of peace, he said.
Being from a family that could afford a radio, he listened to her songs ever night.
"I would turn on the radio after 11 p.m. behind my parent's back," he said, "it was from an overseas channel and the signal was not very good. So her voice went up and down."
One his favorites was Wine and Coffee, although at that time, he had no idea what coffee was.
It was a risk to listen to Teng' s songs then, Hao recalls. In 1982, a man selling tapes brought back from Guangdong Province illegally was caught by police. The case was reported by a local newspaper, which denounced Teng' s songs as decadent and pornographic.
In the following years, more and more singers from Taiwan and Hong Kong came to the Chinese mainland, and Hao longed for the day when he could meet Teng, only to be told of her death in 1995.
"It was astonishing," he said. "The report was not long, so I was unable to get more information. I felt really really sad."
In her heyday in the 1970s and 1980s, Teng was one of Asia's biggest singers. She was well-known for her folk songs and romantic ballads, which include The Moon Represents My Heart, I Only Care About You and Tian Mi Mi.
Two decades have passed since her death, but she remains as popular as ever.
Hao is planning for a visit to the Dengtai village on Friday. If not for Teng, he likely would not have heard of this village.
"We would like to know more about her," Hao said, "we would like to see her hometown, which she wanted to go back to but failed."
