Taiwan's “Diamond King” Lin Chong celebrated his 92nd birthday in a wheelchair this January. He once miraculously recovered after facing a life-and-death battle with cancer, enduring multiple tests from illness and major surgeries. It has been reported that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on the night of the 7th, a fact confirmed by his family member Wu Taisheng.
Born in Tainan in 1933, Lin Chong did not start his showbiz career as a singer but first made his mark in the field of dance. In 1955, he entered the film industry by taking on the supporting male role in the Taiwanese-language movie Descendants of the Yellow Emperor, directed by Bai Ke and aimed at promoting the beauty of Taiwan. After being discharged from the military in 1957, he fully committed himself to a film career, going on to star in many popular Taiwanese-language films such as Ghost Lake, Black Cat and Black Dog, After Five Years of Marriage, First Prize, and The Tiger Auntie, becoming a familiar face in the early Taiwanese film scene.
In 1961, Lin Chong experienced a major turning point in his life when he traveled to Japan to study performing arts at Nihon University's College of Art to deepen his artistic foundation. With the huge success of the film Night in Hong Kong in Japan, cross-border collaborations between China and Japan were on the rise. Thanks to his fluent Chinese and Japanese, Lin Chong had the opportunity to serve as the Japanese interpreter for lead actress Li Mei in the musical Hong Kong. This experience led him to be discovered by Toho playwright Kazuo Kikuta, who had an eye for talent and recommended him for the official performance of the play at Tokyo's Takarazuka Theater. Lin Chong's portrayal of the wealthy young master from Hong Kong was widely acclaimed, launching his brilliant career in Japan. He was subsequently invited to star in a series of large-scale musicals such as Spring Dance and Woman Under the Southern Cross.
In 1968, Lin Chong was invited to perform at Hong Kong's Ocean Terminal Nightclub. His performance style, which blended the essence of dance with avant-garde and glamorous stage costumes, created a sensation in Hong Kong, earning him the nickname “Elvis Presley of the East.” This wave of popularity caught the attention of Shaw Brothers Studio, who soon signed him to a two-year film contract. He starred in the Zhang Che-directed movie The Great Robber Song King, which was a box office hit. The movie's theme song “Diamond” became widely popular and is still considered his signature work, which earned him the moniker “Diamond King.”
News Source: Apple Online News