Gillian Chung

Chung Yan Tung (born Chung Dik San on 21 January 1981) or Gillian Chung is a Hong Kong singer and actress. She is a member of the Cantopop duo Twins, along with Charlene Choi.


Chung Ka-lai (name change at age 2)
Ethnicity Han Chinese
Born 21 January 1981 (age 35)
Hong Kong
Occupation Singer-songwriter, composer, music arranger, actress

Her father died when she was one year old. She initially grew up in a single parent family until her mother remarried when Chung was in high school, but also has a surname of Chung. Chung graduated from Kowloon True Light Middle School and briefly attended the William Angliss Institute of TAFE in Melbourne, Australia.

In 2006 during a concert in Genting Highlands, Malaysia, a reporter surreptitiously photographed Chung in the changing room. On 22 August, Hong Kong tabloid magazine Easy Finder published the photos as a cover story. Hong Kong celebrities such as Jackie Chan and Andy Lau staged a public protest denouncing the magazine.

The Obscene Articles Tribunal classified the published photographs as "indecent". On 1 November, Easy Finder lost its appeal against the obscenity ruling, with the appeal panel declaring the article as a "calculated act of selling sexuality which is corrupting and revolting". Jimmy Lai, founder of Easy Finder's publisher Next Media, apologized to Chung and offered to return all the negatives.

In January and February 2008, sexually explicit photos of Edison Chen with a number of Hong Kong female celebrities were released online. The scandal involved Chung, as well as Bobo Chan and Cecilia Cheung, amongst others. The pictures tarnished Chung's "squeaky-clean image", and she apologized to the public for being naive and silly. Her subsequent television appearance on Jade Solid Gold triggered over 500 complaints to TVB, while the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority received over 1200. Other promotion events were cancelled.

Chung was dropped from performing in the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony by director Zhang Yimou. She was originally set to appear in Chen Kaige's film Forever Enthralled and Oliver Stone's W., but her scenes were left on the cutting room floor.

After withdrawing from public for more than a year following the incident and later confessed to having contemplated suicide, Chung apologised for hurting those around her, especially her long-time band mate Charlene Choi. During the hiatus, she took classes in many areas, such as kung fu (Wing Chun), gymnastics, singing, dancing and acting, which she hoped would serve her professionally.