A decade ago, Edison Chen (a.k.a. EDC)—a Canadian-born Hong Kong pop star and streetwear entrepreneur who introduced hip-hop and street culture to the Chinese mainstream—was a cult icon for many of the country’s young people.
But in February 2008, he became known for something entirely different when a series of his intimate photos with various female celebrities hit the internet after a computer technician leaked them online. As the photos made the rounds online through email and on forums, the scandal inspired the very first moral debate over celebrity privacy in China’s pre-social media era.
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Chen stepped away from Hong Kong entertainment industry due to overwhelming public pressure and started focusing on his streetwear brand and, more recently, art collections. Almost eight years later, VICE China followed EDC on a 19-day shoot, revealing his business routines, reminiscing about his influences from hip-hop music, and discussing the irony of stardom in Chinese show business.
