Whatever happened to Hong Kong's playboy Edison Chen, 15 years after his scandal streak?

Edison Koon-hei Chen was born on 7 October 1980 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is a Canadian-born Hong Kong entertainer known for his roles as an actor, singer, hip-hip artiste, and for being a fashion entrepreneur.

A talent scout discovered Edison Chen while he was out clubbing with his friends in Hong Kong in 1999. He filmed a commercial and subsequently began to appear in international films spanning across Japan, Hong Kong, and USA.

Edison Chen is known for starring in popular films like ‘Infernal Affairs' I and II, and 'Initial D.'

(Image: Media Asia Distribution)

Edison Chen made his debut in the Hong Kong music industry in 1999 after signing a record deal with Emperor Entertainment Group. He successfully established himself as a hiphop artist with the release of his 2004 Cantonese hip-hop collection ‘Please Steal This Album’.

He further established himself in the Asian hip-hop world with the 2005 Cantonese album ‘Hazy: The 144 Hour Project’ and the 2007 Mandarin album ‘Allow Me To Re-Introduce Myself’.

In 2003, Edison Chen started the fashion label CLOT with his childhood friend Kevin Poon. According to CLOT, the brand aims to be a bridge between the Eastern and Western cultures. Subsequently, he launched JUICE – establishing it as a fashion and lifestyle store. The store is known for its range of curated apparel and goods.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

Edison’s music contract with Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG) ended in 2005. In 2007, he established his own label, CLOT Media Division (CMD), and released his Mandarin album ‘Allow Me To Re-Introduce Myself’ under it.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

In 2004, Edison Chen was publicly assaulted by two teenagers in the downtown district of Hong Kong. According to China Daily, the boys taunted Edison with dance moves before punching him in the face and fleeing. The singer managed to catch up with the boys and handed them over to the police. He eventually decided not to press any charges against them after their mother pleaded with him on her children's behalf.

(Image: Media Asia Distribution)

In 2007, Edison Chen got into a dispute with a taxi driver as the car was blocking the gate to his residence. After a heated exchange, Chen got out of his vehicle and began violently kicking the taxi. The taxi was extensively damaged, suffering multiple dents and having all of its windows broken.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

According to the South China Morning Post, Edison Chen was charged by the police for criminal damage and placed on a one-year good behaviour bond. He was also fined and had to pay HK$4700 in compensation to the taxi company for the damage he had caused.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

In 2008, Edison Chen became the talk of the town when his private photos were leaked by a technician after he's sent in his laptop for repair. The explicit photos involved several prominent female celebrities, including Cecilia Chung, Gillian Chung, Bobo Chan, Candice Chan, Vincy Yeung, Mandy Chen, and Rachel Ngan.

(Image: Universe Entertainment Ltd)

According to China Daily, Edison Chen announced that he would be taking an indefinite break from Hong Kong’s entertainment industry. In his first public appearance after the scandal, he also apologised to those who were affected and called on people who possessed the photos to promptly destroy them or face public prosecution.

After the scandalous leak in 2008, Edison Chen made his comeback in the entertainment industry with the release of his music album ‘Confusion’ in December 2010. The album contains 15 songs detailing his experiences since the scandal broke.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

However, the public responded coldly to Edison Chen’s music comeback. His performances to promote the new album were not successful.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

In 2011, Edison Chen was once again caught in another photo scandal. This time, the woman involved was a 16-year-old model: Cammi Tse. According to AsiaOne, their relationship was exposed after photos of them being intimate spread online. The photos were leaked after Cammi reportedly lost her mobile phone.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

According to AsiaOne, Edison Chen had an alleged affair with the married Chinese supermodel Qin Shupei in 2015. They were linked together because she was reportedly seen sitting on top of his thigh. At the time, Qin Shupei was married to Leigh Gow, general manager of Huayi Brothers Fashion Group.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

A few months later in 2016, AsiaOne reported that Edison was spotted kissing Shupei and leaving a boutique hotel with her. Controversy arose as the model was still assumed to be married at that moment.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

According to AsiaOne, her then-husband Leigh Gow was severely affected by her cheating scandal and condemned Qin Shupei on his social media. He implicitly confirmed rumours that she was cheating on him and found it hard to wish her well in her new relationship before they were officially divorced.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

Qin Shupei then posted a response on her Weibo page addressing the allegations. She said that she had already signed the divorce papers and that she was no longer married at the time she was seen with Edison Chen. Her revelation gave a new twist to the alleged nature of their relationship, because it had been widely assumed to be an illicit affair.

Taiwanese actress and model Chiling Lin allegedly caused Edison Chen's girlfriend Qin Shupei to get dropped from the Chinese reality show 'Hey Muse' in 2016. Edison Chen was not amused and launched a public tirade against Chiling Lin on his Weibo, the Straits Times reports.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

According to The Straits Times, TV producers were quick to shoot down rumours of Qin Shupei even being invited to join the show. After first denying ever inviting the supermodel, they later changed their tune and confirmed that they had indeed considered her for the programme. They then claimed that her relationship with notorious star Edison Chen affected her chances, and that she was eventually dropped for that reason.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

Transcripts of recordings from the show's production, released by Apple Daily, however, suggest that Chiling Lin was a major factor in Shupei being dropped from the show.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

According to The Straits Times, Chiling Lin got tired of Edison Chen’s ‘baseless attacks’ on her. She issued a statement through a Beijing law firm and stated that his actions had "insulted her character, hurt her reputation and caused potential financial losses." The actress threatened legal action against the already battered hiphop star.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

With him going all out to defend Qin Shupei and attacking her alleged ‘haters’ on social media, it was clear to all that Edison Chen was taking his relationship with the supermodel seriously by being protective of her.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

In 2017, Edison Chen’s family portrait was spread on social media after his friend uploaded the photo and congratulated the star on his baby’s “100 days” celebration, The Straits Times reports. The photo confirmed rumours that Edison was settling down to start a family with Qin Shupei.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

According to The Straits Times, Qin Shupei is said to have married Edison Chen in 2017. Both are known to publicly show their affections for one another on their respective social media. On Shupei’s birthday last year, he posted a photo of her together with their daughter and a birthday cake, calling her “my queen” and professing his love for her.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

According to AsiaOne, Edison Chen got embroiled in yet another controversy when he openly dissed Shawn Yue’s fashion label on his Instagram account in 2019 after a commenter said he hoped for a collaboration between Edison’s label CLOT and Shawn’s label MADNESS.

(Image: Focus Films)

According to AsiaOne, Edison Chen’s long-running feud with Shawn Yue allegedly began when both stars expressed their interests in singer Gillian Chung, who was also one of the women involved in the 2008 photo scandal. Initially close friends, they were reported to have fallen out with one another over her.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

Edison Chen went one step further and addressed Shawn Yue’s fashion label as ‘SADNESS’ instead of its name ‘MADNESS’. He also implied that Shawn’s label only produces ugly designs that merely followed fashion trends, unlike his fashion-forward brand CLOT.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

Unfortunately, things got heated again when another comment in an Instagram post incensed Edison Chen. The comment implied that Edison was problematic in many ways, because his friends Miriam Yeung and Eason Chan had shifted their support from his brand CLOT to Shawn Yue’s fashion label MADNESS.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

Edison then responded unfavourably to that comment, calling Miriam and Eason “snakes” while stating outright that they were not his friends.

According to Today Online, Edison Chen’s store JUICE had stocked up on several items from the brand WHO DECIDES WAR. One of the items is a white tee shirt with the numbers ‘666’ depicted in a stop sign. It has gotten netizens wondering if Edison is throwing shade at Shawn Yue with the shirt design, as coincidentally, Shawn’s Instagram handle is @lok666.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

Despite the disgraceful exit from the Hong Kong entertainment industry, Edison Chen still managed to score some features in the Chinese film ‘The Shadow Play.’ He also released a mandarin music album - ‘This Little Monkey: Part 1’ - in 2018.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

According to 8 Days magazine, Edison Chen expressed his intentions to retire in 2020. However, in 2023 he is still active on social media to promote his fashion brand and his other projects.

(Image: edcee3000 on Instagram)

Edison Chen's personal relationships with his fellow celebrities appear to have bettered in 2023! According to 8days, the star was seen chatting amicably with actor Jordan Chan while the latter was in the middle of filming for his new film. Due to their romantic connections with Cecilia Cheung, the two reportedly fell out in 2008 as a result of the scandal.

Image: Weibo

According to Asiaone, the encounter created quite a stir on Weibo. Several people have expressed a desire to see Edison Chen return to the big screen, as the encounter brought back memories for fans of the film 'Initial D,' which Jordan Chan and Edison both worked on together back in 2005.

Image: Media Asia Distribution