Published : 2024-05-08

On May 8, 1995, 42-year-old famous singer Teresa Teng, also know as Tang Lai Kwan or Teng Li-chun, passed away suddenly in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from an asthma attack leading to a heart attack.

Teresa Teng was a pop music singer from Taiwan and one of the most representative figures in the Chinese pop music industry in the late 20th century.

As one of the pioneers of contemporary Chinese pop music, Teresa Teng was once rated one of the seven major female singers in the world and one of the Top Ten most popular female singers by Time Magazine.

Her representative works include "The Moon Represents My Heart", "Sweet Honey Honey", "Small Town Story" and so on.

Teresa Teng made her debut in the 1960s, and her songs went exceptionally popular among various Chinese communities around the world.

Teresa Teng was well-known across Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. With her songs spreading to Mainland China in the late 1970s, not only did Teng win numerous awards in Taiwan and Hong Kong, she was also voted as "New China's Most Influential Cultural Figure".

However, during that time, openly selling Teresa Teng's song tapes was prohibited in Mainland China. If the public wanted to listen to her songs, they had to get them from friends or relatives in Hong Kong.

With a sweet and clear voice, the songs of Teresa Teng broke through these restrictions.

There was even a popular saying "Listen to Deng Xiaoping's speeches at daytime, and listen to Teresa Teng's songs at night" during those days.