AS we look back at 2007, there are some faces we cannot forget. In the Chinese cultural scene, they are those who were embroiled in controversies, those who shot to fame overnight and those who passed away unexpectedly. Here we profile nine such people as we wave goodbye to a hectic 2007.

Hou Yaowen

crosstalker becomes silent too early

Hou Yaowen, China’s renowned crosstalk master, died of sudden heart failure June 23, at the age of 59. The news not only saddened crosstalk lovers around the country, but also raised concerns about the future of crosstalk, a traditional Chinese art.

Yu Qiuyu

scholar in controversy

Yu Qiuyu, a famous writer and former president of the Shanghai Academy of Drama, has his share of supporters as well as critics after blog postings.

In his blog in March, Yu’s reaction to a proposal to institute a “National Reading Day,” made during the national legislative session, received flak. Yu opposed the proposal for three reasons: There was already an International Reading Day, which falls April 23; second, if online reading was included, many people were already reading; and third, compared with reading, investigation, travel, experience and creativity were more important than reading for cultural insight.

Yu’s claim that reading was a waste of time seemed to have put him at odds against a nation that ranks reading as an unquestionable method of self-improvement.

Wang Baoqiang

playing China’s “Forrest Gump”

The lead actor of the 28-episode TV drama “Soldiers’ Sortie,” Wang Baoqiang is the TV star with the highest profile in newspapers and magazines. Portraying Xu Sanduo, a simple-minde country boy who wins the respect and confidence of his comrades, Wang moved the audience with his tenacity, a rare quality in our times. Incidentally, Wang has a similar background to that of Xu: A country boy, he once struggled to make ends meet in Beijing. Now Wang is discussed in almost all major newspapers, and his signature smile is seen on numerous magazine covers. He is also planning to release his first song.

Yu Dan

defender of traditional culture

Studying ancient texts suddenly became fashionable in modern-day China following the publication of “Yu Dan’s Reflections on The Analects,” by Yu Dan, a professor of media studies at Beijing Normal University, in December 2006. Since then, it has sold 6 million legal copies.

In “The Analects,” a key text of Confucian philosophy first written two millenia ago, Yu finds advice for stress reduction, forgiveness, simple living, friendship and achieving one’s dreams.

Yu is pursued by journalists and mobbed at appearances around the nation — 60,000 people showed up for one Beijing book signing in March. In July, she was selected as one of China’s three most beautiful women. But she also has been accused by some of dumbing down the intellectual legacy of China’s greatest philosophical school, and creating a kind of Confucian chicken soup for the modern Chinese soul.

Tie Ning

chairperson of writers’ association embarrassed by wrong character

The newly elected chairperson of the China Writers’ Association, Tie Ning, was in an embarrassing situation after a letter of congratulations sent by her to a magazine for high school students in September was found to contain a wrong Chinese character.

Her stature gave critics enough ammunition to bombard her careless mistake.

Jia Ping’ao, another famous writer, defended Tie, claiming that “an extra stoke was not a mistake in calligraphy.”

Tie has kept quiet about the issue, causing critics to slam her for being indifferent to mistakes.

Guo Degang

celebrity caught in fake product scandal

Crosstalk star Guo Degang was in the limelight again, not for his popular comedic dialogue, but for being the spokesman for a brand of fake diet tea.

In Beijing on March 15, World Consumer Rights Day, broadcaster China Central Television revealed that the so-called “magic” diet tea was a fake product. Not only did the tea have nothing to do with Tibetan tea, the research institute which was said to have evidence to back up the claim was actually a one-man company registered by the advertising firm.

Guo reportedly received 2 million yuan (US$260,000) for the advertisement, which set off another round of debates over whether celebrities should speak for commercial products, and if yes, who would supervise them.

Chen Xiaoxu

“Sister Lin” dies

Chen Xiaoxu, the actress who played Lin Daiyu in the 1986 television production of “A Dream of Red Mansions,” passed away on May 13 from terminal cancer.

Chen reportedly became a Buddhist nun two months before her death; her husband became a monk at the same time. Having gained immense wealth and fame for her portrayal of “Sister Lin,” Chen left a void to the hearts of many fans of the TV show.

Tang Wei

Cinderella on the red carpet

Chinese actress Tang Wei finally achieved fame at the age of 27, fame justly deserved after stripping and engaging in rough sex with Hong Kong actor Tony Leung in Ang Lee’s latest film “Lust ,Caution.”

For many Chinese actresses, being cast by Lee is a ticket to Hollywood. Zhang Ziyi is a notable example, having starred in Ang’s “Crouching tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

Tang Wei had waited a long time for her chance and, when it came, she grabbed it. 2007 was meaningful for her.