After a two-year absence, Canto-pop star Aaron Kwok Fu-shing returns to the stage on December 7 for a daunting 16-night run. Kwok is Hong Kong's answer to Michael Jackson, famed for his dance moves and chameleon-like costume changes as much as his singing.
A decade after hitting the big time, Kwok remains a teenage heartthrob and fans have been eagerly awaiting his return. 'Hi Aaron! My wish is to see you in person and that I can go on a date with you,' a teenager named Kelly wrote on a fans' Web site. 'I wish to see him just once in my life,' a teenage girl named Cindy Yeung pined. But while a date may be out of the question, Kwok's run at the Hong Kong Coliseum from December 7 at least gives them a chance to see their idol in person.
Kwok, was born in 1965 - the year of the snake. The youngest child in the family, he loved dancing at an early age. In 1984, his hobby led him into the entertainment business when he joined TVB as a background dancer and, later, broke into drama. But for years Kwok was only able to play small roles. In 1989, he appeared in a motorcycle commercial in Taiwan and his life changed.
The commercial featured him gazing at a woman while saying 'You are my chocolate!' and his charm attracted thousands of Taiwanese women.
Kwok returned to Hong Kong, began to star in movies, and developed a career as a singer, becoming one of Hong Kong's four top pop singers, dubbed 'The Four Big Heaven Kings'. Kwok was first criticised as the worst of the four. 'He can't sing,' people often said.
But Kwok improved his vocal abilities and, to differentiate himself from the other three, several years ago he began to dress glamourously. His stage outfits and ostentatious hats made him look more like Michael Jackson. The change worked. His last show was in October 1998 when he donned everything from a colonial Governor style feather hat to a spaceman's silver suit, after which critics praised him as a wonderful entertainer.