Teresa Teng |
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Background information | |||||
Chinese name | 鄧麗君 | ||||
Chinese name | 邓丽君 (simplified) | ||||
Pinyin | Dèng Lìjūn (Mandarin) | ||||
Pe̍h-ōe-jī | Tēng Lē-kun (Hokkien) | ||||
Birth name | Teng Li-yun (鄧麗筠) | ||||
Origin | Taiwan | ||||
Born |
Baojhong, Yunlin, Taiwan |
January 29, 1953||||
Died | May 8, 1995 Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand |
(aged 42)||||
Resting place |
Chin Pao Shan (Jinbaoshan), Taiwan 25°15′04″N 121°36′14″E / 25.251°N 121.604°E |
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Other name(s) | Teresa Tang, Teresa Deng | ||||
Occupation | Singer | ||||
Genre(s) | Mandopop, Cantopop, J-Pop | ||||
Instrument(s) | Singing | ||||
Voice type(s) | Mezzo-soprano | ||||
Label(s) |
Taiwan: Yeu Jow (1967–71) Haishan (1971) Life (1972–76) Kolin (1977–83) PolyGram (1984–92) Hong Kong: EMI (1971) Life (1971–76) PolyGram (1975–92) Japan: Polydor K.K. (1974–81) Taurus (1983–95) |
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Years active | 1967–1995 | ||||
Ancestry | Daming County, Hebei | ||||
Awards
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Teresa Teng, Teng Li-Chun or Deng Lijun (January 29, 1953 – May 8, 1995) was a Taiwanese pop singer. She was known for her folk songs and romantic ballads. Many became standards in her lifetime, such as "When Will You Return?" and "The Moon Represents My Heart". She recorded songs not only in her native Mandarin but also in Taiwanese Hokkien,Cantonese,Japanese,Indonesian and English.
Teng, a lifelong sufferer from asthma, died from a severe respiratory attack while on vacation in Thailand in 1995, at the age of 42.
Teresa Teng was born in Tianyang Village (田洋村), Baozhong Township, Yunlin County, Taiwan on 29 January 1953, to mainland Chinese parents. Her father was a soldier in the Republic of China Armed Forces from Daming, Hebei and her mother was from Dongping, Shandong. She was the only girl, with three older brothers and a younger brother. She was educated at Ginling Girls High School (私立金陵女中) in Sanchong Township, Taipei County.
As a young child, Teng won awards for her singing at talent competitions. Her first major prize was in 1964 when she sang "Visiting Yingtai" from Shaw Brothers' Huangmei opera movie, The Love Eterne, at an event hosted by Broadcasting Corporation of China. She was soon able to support her family with her singing. Taiwan's rising manufacturing economy in the 1960s made the purchase of records easier for more families. With her father's approval, she quit high school to pursue singing professionally.