Uwechue Emmanuel - an African face on Chinese stages

As a rising international superpower, China has established its own forces in almost every major commercial industry one can think of. This of course includes the entertainment and showbiz sectors. In fact, the Chinese film and media market is rapidly approaching the standard and magnitude of Hollywood. The industry is no doubt highly competitive; therefore, it is hard to imagine that an average African man from Nigeria can rise above the competition and achieve superstardom.

Uwechue Emmanuel [File Photo: sina.com]

Uwechue Emmanuel, who goes by his stage name Hao Ge, is a Nigerian singer who won the second prize on a Chinese television singing show in 2006. He has since been invited to numerous large-scale national performances, with the most notable one being the 2007 CCTV New Year's Gala. This marked a turning point for Emmanuel's career in the Chinese entertainment industry. 

As a young man, Emmanuel studied engineering and was an astrophysicist by profession. However, singing has always been his passion, and the rigid laws of physics could not hood his creative mind. His father disowned him when he expressed the longing for a music career. 

During his first few years in China, he performed at bars and hotels in hopes of being discovered, which eventually did happen. He was discovered by one of China's most famous music producers, Liu Huan, during a performance. And the rest is history.

Hao Ge is now a nationally recognized name in China with frequent appearances on the Chinese small screen. With his fluent Mandarin and quirky African charm, Emmanuel is now one of the most popular foreign celebrities in China.