 Teresa Teng (Deng Li-jun, January 29, 1953 - May 8, 1995)
was one of the most famous singers in Asia, from Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of
China. She was born in Yunlin County, Taiwan to a
mainlander family originating from Hebei province.
She recorded several famous songs, including When Shall You Return? In
addition to her Mandarin repertoire, she also recorded songs in the Taiwanese
language (a variant of Min Nan), Cantonese, Japanese, Indonesian (in 1977) and
English.
In 1983, for the first time in Chinese music history, she released her
most-acclaimed album Light Exquisite Feeling containing 12 poems from Tang and Song dynasties with various composers turning them into songs,
such as Wishing We Last Forever and How Many Worries.
She performed in Paris during the 1989 Tiananmen student uprising, singing for
the students and proclaiming her support for them and for democracy.
She covered many Japanese songs, including her own originals such as Airport
and I Only Care About You; most of which were re-written in Chinese lyrics.
Her songs have been covered by other singers, most notably Faye Wong who released a tribute album (The Decadent Sound of Faye) consisting
entirely of cover songs originally done by Teresa Teng.
Teng enjoyed immense popularity all over Asia and particularly in Japan.
Because her songs were so popular in Chinese Karaoke bars, it was said that by
day, Deng Xiao-ping rules China, but by night, Deng Li-jun rules.
 She died from an asthma attack while on a trip to Thailand at the age of 42 on
May 8, 1995. She was buried at a mountainside tomb on Jinbaoshan, Taipei
County in Taiwan. A memorial was built at the tomb with a white statue of Teng
and her stage clothes on display, with her music
playing in the background. The tomb is well visited by her fans, a notable
departure from traditional Chinese culture shunning visits to burial sites.
A house she bought in 1986 in Hong Kong at No 18 Carmel Street also become a
site of pilgrimage for her fans soon after her death. Plans to sell the home
to finance a museum in Shanghai was made known in 2002, and subsequently sold
for HK$32 million. It closed on what would have been her 51st birthday on
January 29, 2004.
Some Most Popular Song Titles
| When Will You Be Back - This theme song was also
unofficially used in Meteor Garden where Shan Tsai's (Tsukushi) mother
sings the first few stanzas. |
| Wine Added to Coffee - This theme song was unofficially used in Meteor Garden
II when Shan Tsai's father gets drunk after work where a few
stanzas were sung. |
| As Gentle As a Breeze - This was a cover; the song was originally recorded by
Tsai Chin. |
| A Small Wish |
| The Milky Way |
| Fragrance of the Night |
| How Would You Explain |
| Raining on the East Mountain |
| The Moon Represents My Heart - This song has been popularized by other artists
like Leslie Cheung in the Forever Album, Jerry Yan in the F4
concerts and Sammi Cheng with Jerry Yan in a duet. This song was also sung by
Zsa Zsa Padilla translated in Filipino. |
| Stroll on the Road of Life |
| Your Sweet Smiles |
| On the Other Side of the Water |
| Small Town Story |
| Forget Him |
| Do You Know Whom I Love |
| Thank You |
| Goodbye My Love (Indonesian: Selamat Tinggal Kekasih - This is the most
popular Teresa Teng's song in Indonesia. In 1970's Teresa Teng
recorded Indonesian version of this song, translated by Indonesian composer A
Riyanto. This is one and only Teresa Teng album in Bahasa Indonesia). |
| Wishing We Last Forever - Originally a poem, transformed into a song. |
| How Many Worries - An original poem turned into a song. |
| I Only Care About You - This English title is a translation of the Chinese
title. The Japanese title translates to I Leave Myself in the Hands of The
Flow of Time. |
| Fruit |
|
