When The Madonna Of Taiwan Had Her First Concert In Hong Kong In 2006

China Daily

Back in the 2000s, I remember listening to F4, and then Myx also introduced Jolin Tsai. It was also in 2003-2004 when I heard of names like Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, and Sammi Cheng. Jolin was called the Britney of Asia. It was also at that time I heard the name of the late Anita Mui in 2003. If Jolin was called Britney of Asia (before becoming the Madonna of Taiwan), then Anita was called Asian Madonna. Jolin also gets called Asian Madonna these days. 

I remember hearing on CNN that she decided to perform a series of concerts shortly after receiving chemotherapy, and she died on December 30, 2006. I heard about Anita's death around early 2004, and my mother just called me, "Anita is a bit younger than me. You don't know her." If my memory serves me right, Phoenix TV actually mentioned Jolin's upcoming album Castle shortly after Anita's death was covered by the news. 

Jolin had a series of concerts. However, she avoided Hong Kong in 2004-2005. If I'm not wrong, Anita's close friend Chan Siu Kei was also one of the people she worked with. Jolin had worked with Aaron and Sammi during the Pepsi Nine Stars era. It was probably because of this detail in her professional life 20 years ago:

Taiwan pop star Jolin Tsai will kick off her world tour at the Hong Kong Coliseum on September 15 and 16.

The 25-year-old singer promoted her first concert stop at a press conference Monday in Hong Kong, saying she's very nervous about her debut performance at the Hong Kong Coliseum, where many very professional concerts have been held.

Many pop singers will also be invited to guest perform on her world tour, including Taiwan actor and singer Alan Luo, Taiwan singer Wang Lee Hom and Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun. Taiwan pop king Jay Chou is not included on the guest star list.

Jolin Tsai said she has meticulously planned her concerts in Hong Kong so as not to repeat the stage designs or special effects that other performers have used.

Jolin's challenge of being the one and only Jolin, not the next Anita

I bet Jolin had the instinct NOT to interrupt Hong Kong's mourning period for Anita. It's possible that critics tried to set Jolin as "The next Anita!" instead of "The only Jolin!" Was it because Anita was compared to Madonna and Jolin was compared to Britney? Was it because she was compared to Britney? What might be stranger is that, based on the collage above, one could see that Anita (left) and Jolin (right) have similar features. I even remember wanting Jolin to be Anita in Anita (2021) until I realized the film had Tam Mei Kam's consultancy, so NO THANKS. Honestly though, Jolin looks more like Anita than Louise Wong and Alice Chan (who played Anita in Mei Yan Fang Fei). I even felt that Jolin was drafted to play Anita but turned down the part. 

What are the hypothetical risks of Jolin performing in Hong Kong in 2004-2005? Anita made her final farewell at the Hong Kong Coliseum. For some, they would remember Anita's first concert in 1985 at the same place. Jolin going there around 2004-2005 and sharing some facial resemblances to Anita may not be a good move. Audiences might only think of Anita's ghost the moment Jolin went on that stage. Audiences might only miss Anita or view Jolin as someone trying to replace the irreplaceable. Instead, Jolin successfully became the first Jolin instead of the next Anita. It was indeed the most amazing transition. 

It is interesting that Jolin's concert in Hong Kong was during her BIRTHDAY on September 15, 2006. It was interesting that Anita announced her cancer diagnosis on September 3, 2003, before she died of cervical cancer on December 30, 2003. Anita's older sister Ann also died of cervical cancer on April 16, 2026, at 40, and could've turned 41 if she hadn't died too soon. 

What's freakier is that Jolin Tsai's older sister, Tsai Min Men (Jo Tsai), also resembles Ann to a certain extent. Jo was married in 2010, while Jolin's currently single. It should be noted that Anita died single at 40 years old, three years after her sister Ann died and left behind a husband and two children. Jo never entered show business but engaged in entrepreneurship instead. That meant Jo and Jolin never got to sing together on stage. Jo entering into show business might mean that she, like Ann, would become nowhere near as popular as the superstar younger sister. 

Jolin's choice for her birthday was probably this message. Jolin wanted to show she was the first Jolin and she had no intention of becoming the next Anita. I find myself enjoying both of their songs at their own merit. It just happens that I prefer Anita's songs better than Jolin's songs. 

Here's Jolin in 2015 -- basically 30 years after Anita's first concert. This is where Jolin's pretty much her own. Sure, she got called Madonna of Taiwan and the Asian Madonna. But Jolin is Jolin and Anita is Anita. I learned to like both their music on their own merits.