This year, Hong Kong actress and singer Andy Lau toppled Jackie Chan to become the top celebrity in China, according to the 2011 China Celebrity 100 list published by Forbes Magazine.
The magazine ranked 100 Chinese celebrities in a wide array of fields, including entertainments, sports and media, based on their income, search engine hits, as well as exposure on newspapers, in magazines and on television.
Andy Lau was followed by Taiwan singer Jay Chou, and music artist and actress Faye Wong.
The 100 celebrities (including 55 males and 55 females) made a total income of 3.97 billion yuan (US$613.79 million) during the surveyed period (March 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011).
An overwhelming majority on the top 100 list are from the show business thanks to the quick expansion of the entertainment industry in China.
Following are the top 10 on the 2011 China Celebrity 100 List:
Zhao Benshan
Zhao Benshan is the most famous Chinese sitcom actor and he has recently turned to a TV director. Zhao gained his fame for regularly appearing on the CCTV New Year's Gala and his performance was well welcomed by the audience. As the CCTV annual gala becomes less popular (and even boring), Zhao has become the most and maybe the only expected performer by the audience. He was involved in a great number of commercial performances and TV shows last year. Some of his students, such as Xiao Shenyang and Wang Xiaoli, have also gained nationwide fame. The total income of Zhao in the assessment period was as high as 104.08 million yuan (US$16.09 million).
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Birthday: October 2, 1957
Place of birth: Tieling, Liaoning, China
Height: 175cm
Weight: 63kg
Blood type: B
Sign of the Zodiac: Libra
Occupation: Actor
Masterpieces (movies): Just Call Me Nobody, The Grandmasters, A Simple Noodle Story, Getting Home, Happy Times, The Emperor and the Assassin Television series: Ma Dashuai, Liu Laogen