Faye Wong - Artistry and Legacy - Legacy

Legacy

Faye Wong is one of the biggest Chinese celebrities today. In 2004 and 2005 she was ranked in the top 5 on the Forbes China Celebrity 100, as well as in 2011 and 2012 after her hiatus. In a 2011 "most popular celebrity in China" marketing study she was also ranked in the top 5. In 2009, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, a government web portal conducted an online poll on The Most Influential Chinese Cultural Celebrity in the Past 60 Years; out of 192 candidates, Wong received over 7 million votes, second only to the deceased Teresa Teng from Taiwan, Wong's own personal idol. Chen Tao, a China Radio International DJ, compares Wong's influence in the Sinosphere to Madonna's in America: "She represents a certain era of pop music, a certain trend, and a vision of being unique." Beijing-based scholar Wang Dong also believes Wong's popularity reflects a social phenomenon broader than entertainment itself, as people identify themselves through Wong due to her image of being unique.

As a testament of Wong's influence on other artists worldwide, songs or albums that specifically pay tribute to Faye Wong include:

• "(I want to see) Faye Wong" by J-Church, an American punk rock band
• "Faye Wong" by Green Club Riviera, a Norwegian indie band
• "王菲，關於你的眉 (Faye Wong, about your eyebrows)" by my little airport, an indie band from Hong Kong
• "王菲的回眸 (Faye Wong's back glance)" by Yufeimen, an indie band from Mainland China
• 我愛王菲 (I love Faye Wong), debut album of Melody Chiang, a singer from Taiwan

Wong probably has more Western fans than most of her C-pop peers, collectively referred to as "Fayenatics".

According to Japanese director Shunji Iwai, his film All About Lily Chou-Chou was inspired by attending a Faye Wong concert, and the titular character, portrayed by singer Salyu, was based on Wong. In another Japanese film The Blue Light, the protagonist lists "Faye Wong singing in Mandarin" as one of his favorite things in his suicide tape.

China's 2007 spacecraft Chang'e 1 played Faye Wong's version of "Wishing We Last Forever".