Laowais on Parade: China's Foreign Celebrities

Nigerian-born Emmanuel Uwechue (a.k.a. Hao Ge) is the latest laowai to get coverage from a major Western media source (in this, case, the New York Times) for his celebrity status in China.

“Mr. Uwechue, 33, has developed quite a fan base, particularly among the children and middle-aged women who watch 'Xin Guang Da Dao,' the 'American Idol' knockoff show, where he first gained notice a few years after his arrival here almost a decade ago. He has performed alongside a host of Chinese superstars — including Sun Nan, Na Ying and Han Hong — and has been enthusiastically embraced by the Chinese media.”

Here’s a quick list of other foreigners who have garnered fame in China, both in the past and present:

Mark Roswell (a.k.a. “Dashan”): The granddaddy of all laowai celebrities in China, Canadian-born Roswell has been a Chinese TV and commercial staple for over 20 years. Older folks seem perpetually impressed by his stage-fluent Chinese and he now hosts TV shows, does sponsorships and appears on elevator ads and the sides of buses across Beijing.

Jonathan Kos-Read (a.k.a. “Cao Cao”): LA native Kos-Read’s Google profile describes himself as an “American living in Beijing who plays White guys in Chinese soap operas.” The LA Times recently ran a profile describing him as the “token White Guy” in Chinese cinema.

Rachel DeWoskin: Like Kos-Read, the author of “Foreign Babes in Beijing” rose to fame playing token White person (in female form) on Chinese soaps. After returning to the States, she put out her book amidst a wave of pre-Olympics hype – there was even word of an ensuing “Lost in Translation”-type film adaptation, though the movie has yet to be released.

Ghaffar Pourazar: Born in the UK to Azerbaijani Iranian, Pourazar has spent almost two decades studying, directing and performing Beijing opera, including an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” he produced for the National Troupe of China. He also heads the “International Monkey King Troupe,” presumably composed of performers who portray the Sun Wukong, a.k.a. “The Monkey King,” from Journey to the West.

Charlotte MacInnis (a.k.a Mu Aihua): Michigan native Charlotte MacInnis moved to Nanjing in 1988 (when she was 7) with her parents and 2-year-old younger sister (Mu Aizhong) and quickly learned to speak and perform in Chinese. The MacInnises moved to Beijing in 1995 where both Charlotte and her father began regularly appearing on CCTV. She has since hosted and acted in a variety of TV shows, stage productions and films, performed crosstalk routines with her sister and performed community work with blind children in Shaanxi and Jiangsu.

Know of a burgeoning star? Tell us about him/her below.