英语文摘:Faye Wong returning to the stage

BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhuanet) -- After putting her career on hold for seven years, Faye Wong is coming back on stage as her main sponsor issued a poster yesterday for her upcoming solo concerts.

Wong plans to hold 10 concerts in Beijing and Shanghai in late October and November. One of her managers said, “Wong misses the stage and she wants to sing again. That is the reason why she is arranging the concerts.”

In the exquisite published poster, Faye Wong wore scarlet cloak and decorated with an emerald feather topknot. The fashionable design of the poster may seem to have been inspired by Indian style, but Wong’s Chief Designer, Titi Kwan, said that the inspiration for the design came from the Chinese painting called “morning glory” by renowned master of traditional Chinese painting, Qi Baishi. Kwan said, “I have always thought that Qi Baishi’s paintings are very punk.”

The poster for Faye Wong's upcoming concert.

Faye Wong rose to fame in the early 1990s, as her angelic voice and unique songs made her into an icon of pop music. According to the Guinness World Records, as of March 2000 her albums had sold 9.7 million copies in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. Wong is also known for her distinctive personal style, and her exaggerated makeup also caused a fashion craze.

One notable outfit she wore during a concert in Hong Kong in 2003 included a white stiletto shoe worn as headwear. Preparing for her comeback, late last month, Wong reportedly flew to France to take a new series of fashion photos.

Wong is expected to earn 6.5 million yuan ($959,664) for the series of concerts and will donate 500,000 yuan ($73,818) to the Smile Angel Foundation which she founded together with her husband, Li Yapeng, a famous actor in China. Fans are excited about her comeback, and the most expensive tickets, costing 2000 yuan ($295), and the cheapest ones, at 300 yuan ($44), all sold out only five minutes after they went on sale.