She took off her high heels, and danced on stage like an innocent girl, then sat down cross-legged and talked to a full house of fans.

Man Fong [China Daily]

Taiwan singer Man Fong exposed her most private emotions on the first leg of her “Singing in My Room” tour on the mainland, turning theaters into her private sitting room and her audiences into friends.

The performances celebrated the 10th anniversary of the cutting-edge City Pictorial magazine, based in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, which promotes young urban culture.

Man Fong rose to fame in the early 1990s, but faded from mainstream entertainment circles. She has found a niche playing in theaters, TV dramas and films and is widely recognized. She has hosted a radio program for 9 years.

Man was the second invited singer to perform gigs in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou last week. She shared the stage with Japanese guitarist Ken Ohtake and her accordionist Hsieh Chieh-ting.

"The amazing thing about a live show is that there are a lot of uncertainties," says Man. "I don't know who will come to listen, how they will react to the performance and what will spring to mind. My body seems to respond more quickly than my mind, and I often forget what I want to say after a song. Yet those are all fantastic feelings to me."

She discussed women and non-mainstream opinions at her first concert at Beijing's Chaoyang Nine Theaters. She asked why women always have to sacrifice for the relationship and family. She wondered why love between women faces public contempt. Being left-handed, she wondered why being right-handed was so dominant.

"What I talk about with my audiences is what I talk about every day with my friends, when we listen to radio or watch TV. My point is that people often change between being mainstream and alternative, so it's important that both sides are understood," she says.

"In most people's minds, I used to sing a lot of sad love songs. Now I try to empower people who think they are disadvantaged and underprivileged."

(China Daily August 12, 2009)