Singer Jay Chou shares photos with Initial D co-star Edison Chen
Jay Chou (right) shared on Instagram photos of him and Edison Chen posing in front of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara's pictures in London.
Taiwanese singer Jay Chou bumped into his former co-star, Canadian actor Edison Chen, while both of them were recently in London. And their rare joint appearance together took fans down memory lane.
The two are best known for starring together in Hong Kong street racing film Initial D (2005). Chou, 46, played the lead Takumi Fujiwara, while Chen, 44, took on the role of Ryosuke Takahashi, leader of racing team Red Suns.
The film, based on the Japanese manga series of the same name, also starred Japanese actress Anne Suzuki as well as Hong Kong actors Anthony Wong and Shawn Yue.
Edison Chen (left) and Jay Chou in Hong Kong street racing film Initial D (2005).
PHOTO: SHAW ORGANISATION
Chou shared on Instagram on July 4 two photos of him and Chen posing in front of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara's pictures. They were attending an exhibition of Nara's artworks in London.
The Mandopop star also shared two movie stills of him and Chen in Initial D, and a fictional conversation between their two characters in the film.
Ryosuke Takahashi: Would you like to join my team?
Takumi Fujiwara: Sure!
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore First BTO project in Sembawang North to be offered in July launch
Business High Court orders Instagram seller to pay Louis Vuitton $200,000 in damages over counterfeit goods
Singapore MOH studying 18 proposals to integrate TCM into public healthcare
Singapore TTSH to demolish century-old pavilion wards, keeping one as heritage marker
Asia Malaysian commando dies during military diving exercise off Kuantan coast
Singapore Overlooked 'glass child', the sibling of a special-needs kid
Singapore Red Lions and naval divers join forces for Jump of Unity at NDP 2025
Singapore His world crashed when he got F9 in O-level Tamil but PropNex co-founder Ismail Gafoor beat the odds
Ryosuke Takahashi: You transfer 300 yuan via WeChat first!
Takumi Fujiwara: …………
'Transfer 300 yuan via Wechat' was a meme from a video clip which went viral online. A netizen claimed to have received a voice message request from Chen, which turned out to be a prank by someone else.
Chou's post has attracted more than 296,000 'likes' and shared more than 226,000 times as of July 6 afternoon.
The singer completed the Hong Kong leg of his Carnival World Tour on June 29. He then headed to Britain to watch the ongoing 2025 Wimbledon Championships in London with his wife, Taiwanese-Australian model-actress Hannah Quinlivan.
Chen, who is also in London watching the tennis competition, was previously in Taipei in December 2024 to attend Chou's concert at the Taipei Arena.
Chou recently sparked speculation that he could have a role in Hong Kong director Stephen Chow's new movie Women's Soccer, after the singer shared on social media on July 2 a photo of them together. Chou was seen in the picture stepping on a football and mentioning Chow's movie Shaolin Soccer (2001) in the post.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
16 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Rock band My Chemical Romance to perform in Singapore in April 2026
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US band My Chemical Romance last performed in Singapore in 2007. SINGAPORE – American alternative rock band My Chemical Romance will be back in Singapore after almost two decades for a show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on April 28, 2026. Tickets go on sale on July 11 at 10am via Sistic. The emo/pop-punk icons last performed here at Singapore Expo's Max Pavilion in 2007, their first show here. The New Jersey quartet are best known for 2000s emo anthems such as Welcome To The Black Parade (2006), Helena (2004) and I'm Not Okay (I Promise) (2004). According to organiser Midas Promotions, who is co-presenting the show with promoter Akselerasi Entertainment, the gig is part of the band's 2026 South-east Asia tour. Formed in 2001, the band released debut album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love the following year and rose to become one of the most prominent rock bands of the 2000s. At the 2006 MTV Asia Awards in Thailand, the band won Favourite Breakthrough Artist and Favourite Video for Helena. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump says US nears trade deals as tariff effective date delayed Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest Singapore Life After... blazing biomedical research trail in S'pore: Renowned scientist breaks new ground at 59 Singapore More students in Singapore juggle studying and working to support their families Life Star Awards 2025: 11 looks that shocked and charmed on the red carpet Their third album, The Black Parade (2006), is regarded as a watershed release for emo music. The band split up in 2013 and reunited in 2019. In July, they kicked off their global Long Live The Black Parade Tour, in which they will play The Black Parade album in its entirety and includes dates in North and South America. The band are fronted by singer Gerard Way, who is also the author of the award-winning comic book and science fiction Netflix series The Umbrella Academy (2019 to 2024). Book it/My Chemical Romance
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Xiaomi founder's bold EV bet paying off where Apple's failed
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Xiaomi succeeding where Apple failed has burnished Mr Lei Jun's reputation, made his company one of the most valuable in China. Hong Kong – Lei Jun, founder and chairman of Xiaomi, the only tech company to have successfully diversified into carmaking, couldn't resist. Speaking at a triumphant launch event in Beijing in June for Xiaomi's second electric vehicle, a long-anticipated SUV, Mr Lei pointedly mentioned Apple, which spent a decade and US$10 billion (S$12.7 billion) trying to make a car before giving up in 2024. 'Since Apple stopped developing its car, we've given special care to Apple users,' he said, noting that owners of the US giant's iPhones would be able to seamlessly sync their devices to Xiaomi's vehicles. The not-so-subtle dig was followed by a flex: Xiaomi then said it had received more than 289,000 orders for its new sport utility vehicle within an hour of its announcement, more than its first EV, a sedan launched in March 2024. Xiaomi succeeding where Apple failed has burnished Mr Lei's reputation, made his company one of the most valuable in China and shaken up both the tech and automobile industries. The collapse of Apple's moonshot car programme has only underscored the effectiveness of Xiaomi's grounded approach, which took inspiration from proven designs from Tesla and Porsche Automobil Holding while staying true to the affordable ethos that's made it a cult brand for Gen Z consumers. Crucially, it also launched into the most fertile EV ecosystem in the world – China. With state subsidies, existing charging infrastructure and a ready made supply chain, Xiaomi had a structural tailwind Apple lacked. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump says US nears trade deals as tariff effective date delayed Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest Singapore Life After... blazing biomedical research trail in S'pore: Renowned scientist breaks new ground at 59 Business Beyond the 9 to 5: Why side hustles are becoming a way of life for more full-time workers Singapore Smart sensors used in study to detect cognitive decline in seniors who live alone Life Star Awards 2025: 11 looks that shocked and charmed on the red carpet Xiaomi declined to comment for this story. Mr Lei and Xiaomi's 'charisma, brand recognition and ecosystem cannot be underestimated,' Yale Zhang, the managing director of Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight, said. 'It's a big influence on young consumers who have filled their homes with Xiaomi products. When it comes time to buy an EV, they naturally think of Xiaomi.' Recruitment tactics Xiaomi's public narrative is that Mr Lei and his team learned by visiting multiple Chinese automakers, including Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and Great Wall Motor, and talked to more than 200 industry experts in some 80 meetings. The reality is also that he used Xiaomi's reputation as an innovative consumer behemoth to get close to China's large carmakers and pick off their top talent. Geely and its billionaire founder Li Shufu welcomed Mr Lei to the automaker's research institute in Ningbo in the months leading up to Xiaomi's announcement that it would enter the car business to discuss topics, including potential collaboration. It's Geely lore that Mr Lei added the WeChat contacts of many staff at the institute, including then-director Hu Zhengnan. Mr Hu later joined Shunwei Capital Partners, the investment firm co-founded by Mr Lei. Mr Hu, known for his love of the German luxury marque Porsche, was one of the team members credited as being instrumental to developing Xiaomi's EV business, Mr Lei said at the SU7 launch in 2024. He added that Mr Hu left his previous employer after his contract ended. Other executives who joined Xiaomi came from companies including BAIC Motor, BMW, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile – the General Motors joint venture with SAIC Motor and Wuling Motors Holdings – and auto supplier Magna Steyr. Besides assembling top Chinese automaking talent, Mr Lei made a prescient bet on investing in a self-controlled supply chain – insulating Xiaomi's operation from manufacturing vagaries. This came from painful lessons learned in Xiaomi's early smartphone-producing days, when external suppliers would cut off components unpredictably. With the 10 billion yuan (S$1.8 billion) it committed to the first phase of its EV venture, Xiaomi also built its own factory, rather than going down the contract manufacturing route that some Chinese makers, including Nio and Xpeng, did when they started out. 'Among tech companies that now build electric vehicles, those who previously had hardware products seem to be more successful than those who only had software products or information services,' said Paul Gong, UBS Group's head of China autos research. Copycat allegations Despite its early success, there are many who argue Xiaomi's one hit car is copied from elsewhere – and that a sole successful vehicle does not a successful auto producer make. Mr Lei's aggressive approach has also raised hackles in China's car industry. Yu Jingmin, vice president of SAIC's passenger car division, reportedly described Xiaomi's approach as 'shameless' in a critique of the SU7 resembling Porsche. The SU7 has been colloquially dubbed 'Porsche Mi' by netizens. Xiaomi's design team, led by former BMW designer Li Tianyuan, has defended the SU7's aesthetics, emphasizing that the choices were driven by aerodynamic efficiency and performance benchmarks. In late March, there was another setback after a fatal accident involving the SU7. The car had its advanced driver assistance technology turned on before the crash, which afterward led to authorities reining in the promotion and deployment of the technology. The usually vocal Mr Lei kept a low profile on social media for more than a month post the March accident. He returned to more active engagement in May with a missive that said this period of time was the most difficult in his career. Fortunately for Xiaomi, its consumer base is sticky. Known as 'Mi Fans,' the loyal customers have played a pivotal role in the company's rise. Xiaomi cultivated this fandom early on by prioritising user feedback and the grassroots allegiance has helped it build strong brand equity, especially in China. The SU7 has remained a top selling model even after the accident in March. Small scale The EVs are also showing financial promise. Xiaomi posted record revenue for first quarter this year, driven by car and smartphone sales. Its EV division is expected to turn profitable in the second half of 2025, Mr Lei said in an investor meeting in June. But even if the popularity of Xiaomi's EVs can spring beyond the company's devoted base, production is still on a much more boutique scale. China's top car brand, BYD, sold around 4.3 million EVs and hybrids last year, many overseas, while Tesla moved about 1.78 million vehicles globally. Toyota Motor, the world's No. 1 automaker, sold some 10.8 million vehicles and boasts a lineup of approximately 70 different models. Mr Lei doesn't seem to be prioritizing the mass market of below US$20,000 yet, which drives significant volume and is where BYD dominates, Automotive Foresight's Zhang said. Without a lineup in that segment, Xiaomi cars will remain niche purchases for middle to higher-income consumers and Xiaomi may face the same risks as Tesla, which is seeing its sales slump exacerbated by a narrow consumer base and limited models. Nonetheless, Mr Lei seems buoyed by Xiaomi's early wins and is now looking at global expansion. Xiaomi will consider selling cars outside China from 2027, he said last week. Success or otherwise, the European Union, the US and Turkey have all slapped tariffs on Chinese EVs, but Xiaomi wants to set up a R&D centre in Munich and may test sales starting in European markets such as Germany, Spain and France when the time is right, Chinese media 36Kr reported in April. 'Xiaomi is a latecomer to the auto industry,' Mr Lei admitted on Weibo in June. But, he said, in a market driven by technology and innovation and the rising global influence of China's EV culture, 'there are always opportunities for latecomers.' BLOOMBERG
Business Times
3 hours ago
- Business Times
Nissan considers Foxconn EV output to save Oppama from closure: report
[TOKYO] Nissan Motor is in discussions with Taiwan's Foxconn over electric vehicle (EV) collaboration that could save its Oppama plant in Japan from closure, the Nikkei business daily reported on Sunday (Jul 6), citing an unidentified Nissan source. Nissan's Oppama plant, which employs about 3,900 workers, has been a potential consolidation target in the struggling Japanese carmaker's restructuring plans, but the idea of producing Foxconn-brand EVs at its idle assembly lines could preserve jobs and supplier networks, the Nikkei said. A statement from Nissan said the report was not based on information released by the company itself. A Foxconn spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In May, Nissan's junior partner Mitsubishi Motors, signed a memorandum of understanding with a Foxconn subsidiary to supply Mitsubishi with an EV model. REUTERS
