Fei Yu-ching--Square Peg in Taiwan's Show Biz Circle"

Fei Yu-ching is indeed an oddity among Taiwan's performers. He doesn't drink, smoke, look for romance, or wear designer clothing, and he prefers not to socialize.

Yet he's polite, modest, and humorous. Young people think he's great, and Grandma and Grandpa get a laugh out of him, too.Fei Yu-ching is a natural on stage, singing, dancing, and acting. But once off stage, his efforts to escape the media limelight have pegged him as a "recluse" in the minds of Taiwan's entertainment writers. What performing artist doesn't have a taste for fame? In this respect, Fei Yu-ching is truly an oddity.

Impersonations, Fei's forte, add to his popularity. Even the target of h is antics, "Frog King" Kao Ling-feng, can't help but laugh at Fei's sharp wit. （photo by Ai Chia）

All in the family:

Fei Yu-ching comes from a typical mainlander family. His father, an outgoing man who has spent his life as a civil servant, was always strict with his children and encouraged them to be independent and self-reliant from an early age.

With a father skilled at playing musical instruments and a mother who loved to sing, Fei Yu-ching, older sister Fei Chen-ling, and older brother Chang Fei would often sing and dance to the strains of Dad's harmonica.

Perhaps it is in their blood, or maybe it was osmosis, for older sister loved to dance, older brother was an accomplished instrumentalist, and little brother had a knack for singing. Whatever the source, the three siblings have always shared a tremendous amount of talent between them.

During his high school days, Fei Yu-ching studied auto mechanics by day, then sang at restaurants at night, still wearing his school uniform. On occasion he would also take part in singing competitions. Before he even graduated, the young fellow (whose real name is Chang Yan-ting) qualified as a level-one singer in the China Television Company's stable of performers.

Back when Fei Yu-ching was just breaking into the entertainment business, sister Fei Chen-ling had already made a name for herself as a dynamic singing star. Unbeknownst to the management at CTC, this fine-featured youngster with the distinctive phoenix eyes was the little brother of none other than "Mama Fei."

Sporting no flashy moves and relying on nothing but his natural voice, Fei Yu-ching could turn any tune, old or new, into a rousing number. And as a member of an elite corps of singers with the talent to perform live on camera, he became a favorite guest on Taiwan's musical variety programs.

In the litmus test of live singing, Fei Yu-ching's voice comes out positively popular. （photo by Huang Ming-wei）

The skylark and the mockingbird:

In his twenty or more years as a performer, Fei Yu-ching's soaring, mellifluous voice and uncanny gift for impersonation have won him equal recognition. Not only does he imitate male singers, but he can capture even the essence of such charismatic female performers as Tsui Tai-ching, Billie, and Chen Hsiao-yun. How is it that the skylark with his own distinctive singing voice is also a mockingbird?

Fei Yu-ching explains, "Chalk it up to a dash of perception and a whole lot more imagination. That, and a naturally broad range, gives me the edge."

Fei Yu-ching's good friend Chen Ying-chieh says, "Ting Ting' (Fei's nickname) is so smart, he has an especially keen sense for a song." Once, as Chen rode along with him in a taxi, Chen Hsiao-yun's breakthrough Taiwanese language song, "Dancing Girl," came on over the radio. "That was the first time he had heard the tune, and that evening he was able to sing it at his show!" Chen Ying-chieh exclaims.

Oddly enough, Fei has been unable to read music all these years, yet whenever he comes across a new melody in the recording studio he is able to sing it after just one listening. Such quickness with a song has surely saved record company executives a pretty penny over the years.

While waiting for his turn on stage at performances, Fei Yu-ching likes to sit with the audience and take in his fellow performers' acts. In time, their various peculiarities form an imprint in his mind. As a result, "Mockingbird Fei" is able imitate the voice, expressions, and hallmark moves of any given performer without having to screen videos or listen to tapes.

"Twins," a variety show hosted by the singing duo of brothers Chang Fei and Fei Yu-ching, packs a lot of entertainment into each minute. （photo courtesy of TTV）

A musical illiterate with a knack for observation:

Close observation of Fei Yu-ching's everyday comportment shows a careful attention to details far superior to most. It is such thoroughness when applied to observation of others that makes impersonations seem so easy for him.

For instance, while driving his car he noticed flowers blooming in vivid technicolor by the roadside. Telling of it, he cradles his arms before him, then makes a great big gesture to show how large the little flowers bloomed. Child-like and endearing he is at such times.

Once, in a basket of cockscomb flowers sent to him as a gift, he spotted a little bug nibbling on a leaf. When it heard someone approaching, the bug rolled into a ball and froze in place. Recounting the story, Fei imitates the bug's nibbling and its ducking away, and a look of fear passes through his eyes.

Evidently, the singer derives unique pleasure from his observations, while for those who listen to his vivid descriptions it is like taking in a show.

On stage, Fei dresses neatly, gestures humorously, and laughs with genuine glee and enjoyment. A picture of goodness, he is little different off the stage either.

As a boy, Fei Yu-ching liked to be alone. At home with nothing to do, he loved to read, draw, and ponder on his own, unlike older brother Chang Fei, whose constant romping around with a crowd of friends like wild horses often incurred the wrath of their father.

Making it big as an adult as the "king of the club circuit," Fei Yu-ching has never lost his considerate touch with others. Off stage, he likes to talk with company dancers or workers, never putting on the air of a big star. Easy-going and gracious, he never takes advantage of his friends. Fei sold [popular Taiwanese-language singer] Li Mao-shan's current residence on Tunhua S. Rd. in Taipei for a song to his good friend Li. At home, he treats his domestic helper as a respected elder, with genuine care. The old caretaker reciprocates, too, saving goodies for Fei. On the set he accords even greater empathy to the audience, treating them to a set of his patented dirty jokes.

The pairing of brothers Chang Fei and Fei Yu-ching has taken the two to the top of the entertainment world.

A collection of contradictions:

Fei Yu-ching is known in Chinese as the "Yellow Emperor of the Club Circuit" ("yellow" being the Chinese word for all things naughty). Everyone agrees that he tells a good dirty joke because, with his cherubic looks and cool-as-a-cucumber delivery, his jokes are never lewd or disgusting. And when he's through telling his jokes his face remains just as angelic, so listeners are never made to feel uncomfortable.

When the going gets slow on the set, Fei Yu-ching worries the audience might get restless. All smiles, he mimes his apology for the delay, then tells a few jokes to lift their spirits. When he's through, he always says to them politely, "I must convey my special thanks to the older members of the audience for bearing with me if some of what I said was inappropriate." And in such circumstances, the audience feels the full extent of his genuine nature.

Then again, when good-guy Fei Yu-ching really lets fly, he's a hard one to handle.

Once back when Fei Yu-ching was in elementary school, older brother Chang Fei and buddy Ho Yi-hang [like Chang Fei, also now a famous variety show host] went out riding on their bicycles. As soon as he got word of their plans, little brother Fei Yu-ching set his mind on following them. Finding him a nuisance at his young age, Ho Yi-hang and the boys refused to take him with them, yet Fei Yu-ching clenched his teeth and held onto Chang Fei's rear wheel all afternoon. No matter how his big brother threatened or tempted him, the "little master" wouldn't hear any of it.

Away from home, Fei Yu-ching keeps his composure whenever things don't go his way, but once home he takes it out on his family. Chang Fei has seen enough of his little brother's outward softness and inner fire to steer clear whenever Fei Yu-ching has had a bad day.

"Outside he gives the impression of Mr. Right, but back on the home front he nags without end. If it weren't for my straightening things out for him we'd never hear the end of his yapping. He could go on like that for years," Chang Fei says, visibly annoyed.

On the set, the Brothers Chang （Chang Fei, Fei Yu-ching） pull out all t he stops to entertain the audience.

Not the loving type?:

If there is one thing in particular that marks Fei Yu-ching's personality, it is surely his prudence and hesitancy. These characteristics become clearest when seen through his treatment of love and money.

The veteran singer has been in love twice, but remains a bachelor to this day.

His first romance occurred shortly after his arrival on the entertainment scene. The house singer at a Taipei hotel, he fell for a Japanese resident of the hotel who came to Taiwan to study Chinese literature. After agreeing on marriage, the girl returned to Japan, but after two years had passed Fei Yu-ching broke off their wedding plans. Now she is a wife and mother in Japan.

Why did he break off his engagement with the Japanese girl? "Marriage calls for compulsion and some impulsiveness. With her in Japan and me in Taiwan, I slowly discovered that there are a number of differences in thinking and lifestyle between people from different countries. The more time passed, the more I thought, and the farther away we drifted apart. We ended up parting in a rational and civil way."

This international romance is also the only romance Fei Yu-ching will own up to. "Once I went to visit her in Japan in the autumn. The persimmon fruits growing on two trees outside their door were so ripe they glowed red. And they were oh, so sweet. Each day she would pick a few for me. On the day I left I insisted that she not accompany me, and to my surprise as I waited at the station I spotted her ambling my way, a large sack of persimmons in each hand. She must have picked every last fruit off those two persimmon trees!" Thinking back on that scene, the singer's heart is stirred again.

Not in the market for love:

The second time around was six or seven years ago with the stylish singer, Chiang Hui. The two, whose love blossomed out of friendship, once took a vacation together to the US, where they stayed at the home of Taiwan television personality Fang Fang. But it was during that trip to the States when Fei Yu-ching got cold feet about the relationship and apologized to Chiang Hui, saying "Maybe it'd be better if we're just friends."

Apart from calling Chiang Hui a fine woman and a good friend, Fei Yu-ching stops short of ever talking about the romance they shared. Fei Yu- ching's friends report of his genuine affection for Chiang Hui, but that his mother's opposition to the relationship came between them. Apparently, she felt that back then her son was still young and should concentrate on making money for a few more years before settling down. Fei wavered and stalled, eventually losing out on the happiness he and Chiang could have shared together.

Seeing his friends constantly falling in and out of love, Fei Yu-ching comments, "Because they're in the market for love, they're more likely to find someone." These last few years, Fei Yu-ching may let his glance linger when he comes across a pretty girl, or go as far as to say a few words to her, but that is the full extent of his relations with the opposite sex. Why? Because he isn't in the market for love.

For over a decade now Fei Yu-ching has been the biggest breadwinner on the club circuit. Always moderate with money, he has only about a half dozen suits made for him each year, which makes him no more indulgent than the average businessman. In this fashion, the more money he earns the more he saves.

What is one to do with all this money? Fei Yu-ching, always one to play it safe, decided to preserve the value of his money by purchasing real estate. Whenever he has the money he buys a house, and when he gets more he buys another. Or maybe he'll sell a smaller one and buy a bigger one, or a remote one for a better located one. As he buys more and more houses, and trades up for better and better property, he has become the largest property holder in show business, accumulating hundreds of millions of NT dollars in wealth.

Longing for a simple life of ease:

Eight years ago, set on living a life of ease close to nature, Fei Yu-ching bought a nearly 10,000 square-meter piece of land designated for agricultural use in the Taipei suburb of Linkou. He planned to turn the land into a farm for his own recreation, but before he could build his farm the land was re-zoned as residential land and subsequently skyrocketed in value.

His caution and discretion may have lost him love, but it's sure helped him build a fortune!

Sometimes when someone is too cautious it could be because they are too timid.

One of the singer's old cronies relates that once, when walking alone on the street, Fei s someone tap him on his back. Frightened out of his wits, he took off like a bat out of hell, never even looking back.

Another of his good friends diagnoses Fei's reluctance to get involved in relationships as shaky faith in marriage caused by his parents' unhappy marriage. On top of that, he has an aversion to pressure and cannot be tied down. He's the "nomadic" type.

Fei Yu-ching's parents divorced early on, but for the sake of their children they continued to live together under the same roof. They stayed under that roof until Chang Fei got married, when their father went to live with Chang Fei and their mother moved in with Fei Yu-ching. Chang Fei and his wife were divorced five years ago, and Fei Chen-ling decided last year to try the life of a Buddhist nun after experiencing more than her share of the bitter side of life. Taking it all in as these events have occurred, Fei Yu-ching has grown progressively pessimistic about love.

Averse to pressure:

Fei Yu-ching's aversion to pressure can be traced a long way back. Years ago he represented CTC three years running as a candidate for the best male singer in the Golden Bell Award competition. The first two years hg lost out to Liu Wen-cheng, finally taking top honors in the third year, but after that he was unable to take the torture of anticipating the nominees and winners of the competition any longer. The next time he renegotiated his contract with CTC he insisted on adding the stipulation that he would "never again represent CTC in any form of competition."

This June, Fei Yu-ching and brother Chang Fei teamed up as hosts of the "Twins" variety show, the first television program Fei Yu-ching has ever hosted. The ratings remain strong, yet each day before filming Fei Yu-ching is still unable to overcome his jitters. He still loses sleep over it, and during filming he's too distracted with nerves to take even a sip of water. All this tension has caused him to drop a full five kg from his already lean frame in the short time since he began hosting the show.

In order to keep the pressure at bay, Fei Yu-ching can only perform with people who are free spirits, or at least who don't push him or intimidate him. This is also why he has never worked for the major record companies who are interested in speed and profit. As long as the vibes are right and the atmosphere is relaxed, he doesn't mind working with lesser-known people.

On the eve of the release of his latest album not long ago, Fei Yu-ching told the owner of the record company that he was unwilling to promote his record on television because the time constraints on variety shows make it difficult to express himself fully. Instead, he said he would be amenable to going on the radio. As the first singer who would rather go on radio than TV to promote his music, he has come off looking quite unorthodox.

Actually, there's more to his unorthodoxy than that. He only wears solid-colored suits, preferably black or blue. As for the loud reds, greens, and patterns worn by the likes of brother Chang Fei and good friend Hu Kua, Fei Yu-ching doesn't consider them "real" colors. Off stage, he changes quickly into an old khaki blazer and jeans because he is most at ease when he is not attracting attention. When others play mahjong, he looks on because while others can only look at their own hand, he gets the excitement of looking at four hands at the same time.

Friends and family matter most:

Away from the demands of performing, Fei Yu-ching usually prefers to spend time alone, listening to music, taking in art exhibits, or getting away to the mountains or the shore. Once in a while, though, he likes a little excitement. Although he is normal ly thrifty, when it comes to his friends, anything goes. Word has it that whenever he discovers a good place to eat he enthusiastically invites his friends along to share in his discovery. Singing stars Li Mao-shan and Chen Fan often get calls from him late at night saying, "Get the wife and kids and join me for some late-night munchies."

What is the most important thing to someone who lives such a simple life? Fei Yu-ching ponders a long moment before finally answering: "Family. Especially parents. Sometimes when I see my parents ageing I get scared. One day, God forbid one of them goes, I might not be able to stand up."

[Picture Caption]

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Fei Yu-ching's lifestyle--he doesn't drink or smoke--sets him apart from his show business brethren.

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Impersonations, Fei's forte, add to his popularity. Even the target of h is antics, "Frog King" Kao Ling-feng, can't help but laugh at Fei's sharp wit. (photo by Ai Chia)

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In the litmus test of live singing, Fei Yu-ching's voice comes out positively popular. (photo by Huang Ming-wei)

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"Twins," a variety show hosted by the singing duo of brothers Chang Fei and Fei Yu-ching, packs a lot of entertainment into each minute. (photo courtesy of TTV)

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The pairing of brothers Chang Fei and Fei Yu-ching has taken the two to the top of the entertainment world.

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On the set, the Brothers Chang (Chang Fei, Fei Yu-ching) pull out all t he stops to entertain the audience.

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For Fei Yu-ching, staying away from reporters is an important part of keeping pressure out of his life.