Jimmy Lin Voluntarily Joined the Military at His Peak; 5566 Hailed as 'Model Group'

51-year-old 'Taiwan's Ageless Male Idol' Jimmy Lin was a popular heartthrob in the 1990s. At the peak of his career, he unexpectedly chose to first enlist in the military, honestly completing his two-year service. To this day, he is still regarded as a model example of military service in the entertainment industry. Recently, Taiwan's entertainment scene has seen its third outbreak of 'short service' incidents, some involving popular boy band members, which has brought Jimmy Lin's deeds back into public discussion.

In 1992, at just 17 years old, Jimmy Lin debuted with the album 'Not Every Love Song Has a Beautiful Memory' and quickly shot to stardom. The following year, he performed at Hong Kong's Hung Hom Coliseum, becoming the youngest performer in its history. In just two short years, Lin released a slew of hit albums, endorsed countless commercials, and starred in movies. His seven albums collectively sold over 10 million copies worldwide. Yet, after graduating, he chose to fulfill his military service, temporarily stepping away from the limelight at the height of his fame to enlist in November 1994.

On the day he joined, the train station was packed with Lin's female fans—some crying, some screaming, and at times collectively singing his songs, turning the scene into a mini fan meeting, making it impossible to move around. In the end, with the help of staff escorts, Lin managed to make his way through the chaos and finally boarded the train, setting off to serve with peace of mind. This scene has become an enduring classic.

In addition, the group '5566' has also been widely praised by netizens for all its members enlisting, being hailed as a 'Model Group.' In fact, except for Xiao Dao (Peng Kangyu), who was discharged early due to a back injury, the other four members—Tony Sun, Renfu Wang, Mengzhe Xu, and Shaowei Wang—all fully completed their service obligations. Not only did they not evade military service, but in the past, Renfu Wang and Shaowei Wang even revealed on shows the painful experience of being dumped by their girlfriends during their service.

Source: China Times News