Pop and rock from Taiwan -183 Club and Dong Cheng Wei

183 Club is a Taiwanese boy band. Originally, the band was called ”183 Yu Le Bu” which means ”183 entertainment group” but this name was later changed to the current version. The manager of 183 Club claims that the name was chosen because the band members' average height is 183 cm. However, in reality only one band member is 183 cm tall; the former lead singer, Johnny Yan.

Today's boy band version consists of Ming Dao, Sam Wang and Ehlo Huang. The earlier version of the band used to have two more members: Jacky Zhu and Johnny Yan. The previous two members left the band because of different reasons. It is said that Yan chose to focus on his basketball career and that Zhu was kicked out because he was partying and drinking too much.

Ming Dao is not only a singer in the band, but he also works at a model and an actor. He had his breakthrough in the TV-show King of Adventure 2004 and since then he's been very successful. He had the leading role in the popular drama series The Prince That Turns Into a Frog and also had a big role in the drama Magicians of Love. Ming has been referred to as “The Jewel of TV Ratings” as his appearances on the TV screen always generate huge ratings.

Like Minh, Sam Wang is not only a singer, but also a model and an actor. Wang has also played football since he was a kid and for a while he played for the Taiwan National team. Before his boy band debut in 2002, every soccer match in Taiwan both big and small, featured Wang Shao Wei on its players list.

Wang started his boy band career with the band 5566 and was later asked to join the 183 Club. He nowadays sings in both groups. He's also written a book called 100 Ways to Become a Star.”

Ehlo Huang used to be a solo artist before he was recruited to 183 Club. He's also been in numerous TV-series and movies.

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Dong Cheng Wei

Fahrenheit with the singer Jiro Wang (Image: Wikipedia)Dong Cheng Wei is a Taiwanese rock band. The band started out as an underground band consisting of six high school students that used to perform at schools. Lead singer Jiro Wang was a front figure already then, and today he's a huge name in the Asian entertainment business.

Wang lost is father while playing with Dong Cheng Wei and has later said that at that time, ”the band was all that mattered [to him].” After graduating from high school, the band split up as band members went separate ways: someone went to another city to study, someone went to do the military service, and so on.

Wang started working as a model and it was at a advertisement film set he bumped into Wi Chun, Calvin Chen and Arron Yan from the boy band Fahrenheit. It didn't take long before Wang was recruited to the band.

In 2007 Dong Cheng Wei was reunited and Chinese media accused Wang for ”backstabbing” Fahrenheit by secretly forming a new band. Few people knew that Dong Cheng Wei was Wang's original band. Wang, however, spoke up in the media, and was quoted saying ”Fahrenheit is my girlfriend but Dong Cheng Wei is my mother. When I play with Fahrenheit I have a feel-good, sunshine feeling, but when I play with Dong Cheng Wei I feel that I am creating music.” He also reminded the media that he wasn't the only Taiwanese singer who had two bands (Sam Wang from 183 Club is also a member of the boy band 5566) and said he had no intention to quit Fahrenheit but that he simply wanted to re-unite his old band.

Dong Cheng Wei soon soared in popularity, much due to the fact that Jiro Wang already was such a big name in the show business. The band appeared on several TV shows and are now signed by a record label.

Click here to listen to Dong Cheng Wei