May 21st, 2009, Shanghai – The already glittering Madame Tussauds Shanghai will soon welcome the presence of another native superstar, Chris Lee, ainland’s Super Idol singer. And just recently, Chris Lee secretly visited Shanghai to have the sitting for her wax replica. Till now, Chris is the first and the only female singer in the mainland invited for a wax replica after Madame Tussauds Shanghai opens in 2006, and also as the first talent show winner there. After completion of her wax sitting, Chris will unveil “herself” in the side by side event, ready to kick off a local frenzy among her fans.
An extensive investigation and market research is always required before Madame Tussauds introduces new celebrities into its wax museum, aiming to pinpoint the best of the best only. That means the very celebrity to appear should not only boast outstanding achievements in his or her field of work, but also be respected and admired by the local public. No wonder, Chris Lee fits such shoes perfectly. She has also been given high comments by Ken Livingstone, former London mayor: “The public don’t like politicians and mayors. They just want to see icons of the new Chinese culture and the younger generation, and Chris Lee is just the best example.” Since winning the 2005 Super Girl singing contest, Chris has achieved instant fame throughout China, securing one milestone after another. In 2006, her debut album, titled The Queen and the Dreams, sold more than 430,000 copies in the first month, and eventually more than 1.37 million at the end of the year, a never-seen-before record among mainland artists. In 2009, she saw another starting point of her career by joining her virgin movie, Bodyguards and Assassins, supported by her agent company EE-Media. In terms of charity, Chris’s contribution is nothing inferior compared with her artistic achievements. The “LIYUCHUN Fans Charity Fund” is the first charity program named after fans in mainland, and immediately triggered a donation craze for children with leukemia. And shortly after the May 12th Earthquake, the Sichuan-born Chris took no time in donating blood for quake victims, and together with her fans, she led a donation of more than 5 million RMB for the quake hit areas, all greatly appreciated and praised by the public.
On learning the invitation from Madame Tussauds Shanghai, Chris Lee took on an obvious excitement: “I am just surprised when I was invited to have the sitting. It’s such a wonderful affirmation and encouragement for me and my work, having my own wax figure standing alongside those world famous superstars.” But Chris is not the only one happy about her addition to Madame Tussauds Shanghai. Museum Manager Bret Pidgeon says: “Chris Lee’s charm is highly welcomed and adored by fans. We are happy to have her here in our museum, as the first female singer from the mainland. We hope her presence can make every visitor happy.”
Chris Lee has recently completed her sitting before the wax replica is eventually sculpted. The creation of each wax replica is far more complicated than any mind can think of, or put it in another way, a labor of love. To achieve high fidelity, over 200 items of measuring goes into making each figure, and all such procedures are undertaken by a small army of highly trained wax sculpting expert from Britain. During her sitting for measurement, imaginative photographers didn’t stop for a single moment to capture every detail of the superstar. “They didn’t just measure me. They also took many pictures of me from many different angles, front, side, back, even for the curve of my mouth.” Like every celebrity figure ever created, only the truest reflection of Chris’s youthful feats and character can only assure the maximum fidelity to her nature. Although she has been constantly updating her images during her four year career, she and her EE-Media Styling Team thought carefully before deciding to adopt her most original stage image, which can offer her fans their truest idol. Chris will also donate her favorite stage costume, aiming to impress the museum visitors with the most eye-opening charms.
From an innocent girl next-door, to today’s super idol, Chris Lee endured sweat and hard work for the current success. The measurement this time will help us remember her growth, and we’re inviting everyone to anticipate Chris’s wax figure to be unveiled in Madame Tussauds Shanghai, very soon.