The 9th Annual Forbes China Celebrity 100 was released yesterday, it ranks the most influential entertainment and sports celebrities from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Ranks were decided by income and exposure rate, Forbes China’s annual ranking is considered the de facto list in benchmarking the foremost influential celebrities in the region. For 2012, Jay Chou (周杰伦) was in the top spot, followed by Andy Lau (刘德华) in second place, and Fan Bingbing (范冰冰) in third. Jay Chou Trumps Andy Lau, Ascending to #1 Rank Jay Chou was in the top three rankings in the ranking list since 2009. Throughout the last year, the 32-year-old released a new album, held a concert series, endorsed more than a dozen brands, and starred in The Viral Factor <逆戰>. Jay garnered a whopping $161.3 million Yuan last year, giving him the title of the richest Chinese celebrity of 2012! Andy Lau Ranked #2 In past years, Forbes China had only ranked celebrities in mainland China. Just last year was the very first time that Hong Kong and Taiwanese celebrities were taken into account. This changed resulted in Andy Lau taking the number one position in 2011. Andy’s income continued to be incredible this past year as a result of his concert series. Andy’s investment in award-winning movie, A Simple Life <桃姐> led to box office sales well over $100 million Yuan. Fan Bingbing Inches to Rank #3 Fan Bingbing’s publicity was more than impressive, frequently gracing fashion magazines in mainland China. Her superb style sense and appearances at various red carpet events make her a favorite among advertisers. Fan Bingbing endorsed over 6 global brands and more than 50 mainland China brands. She founded her very own production studio last year and was set on pursuing a career in Hollywood. Faye Wong, Jolin Tsai, and Chiling Lin Thanks to her sold-out concert series, Faye Wong (王菲) climbed to the 4th spot on the 2012 Forbes China Celebrity 100 list, generating $130 million Yuan last year. Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) was in 7th place, whilst Chiling Lin (林志玲) made 10th place. Yang Mi’s Sudden Growth In 2011, Yang Mi (杨幂) was ranked 92nd. This year, she made a huge leap to the 13th place! Yang Mi’s popularity skyrocketed last year, getting on news headlines on a regular basis. Her popularity is beginning to increase in Hong Kong as well, where she's turn into a favorite casting option amongst local directors. Newbies on the Listing First time rankers include Nicky Wu (#43), William Feng (#41) , Haibo Huang (#46) and Yao Chen (#56). In the 2012 list, 43 celebrities came from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Five celebrities from these areas entered the list for the first time. This year was the first year that Myolie Wu (胡杏儿) was also ranked on the list, because of the considerable increase in her income after filming more mainland dramas and accepting more product endorsements last year. Angelababy took rank #100, which is last place. Chinese Athletes Chinese athletes that were ranked include tennis player Li Na (#5) who was the wealthiest of the sports celebrities, with an estimated income of $115.5 million Yuan last year. The second wealthiest athlete was Yao Ming (#8), followed by Liu Xiang (#40) and NBA basketball player, Yi Jianlian (#42). Top ten list of the 2012 Forbes China Celebrity 100 ($ figures quoted in Yuan) 1) Jay Chou ($161.3 million) 2) Andy Lau ($96.5 million) 3) Fan Bingbing ($100.9 million) 4) Faye Wong ($136.1 million) 5) Li Na ($115.5 million) 6) Zhao Bensan ($114.7 million) 7) Jolin Tsai ($83.2 million) 8 ) Yao Ming ($96.9 million) 9) Jackie Chan ($96 million) 10) Chiling Lin ($58.3 million) Creds: Forbeschina
