Year in review: Top 20 Asian women of 2005

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#5 - Jeon Ji-hyun

Jeon Ji-hyun or Jun Ji-hyun is a Korean actress, model and singer. She is gaining more fame worldwide due to her roles in extremely popular Korean films in recent times.

Starting her career of as a model, Jeon Ji-hyun later took up acting as well. Her film debut was White Valentine (1999), and she later gained fame from the movie Il Mare, owing to its handsomely shot scenes at Ganghwa island. Her biggest breakthrough comes from My Sassy Girl (2001), a hit romance/comedy movie that spawned an American remake which will be released in 2006.

She studied at Dongguk University and made her debut as a model for Echo, and since then has modelled many clothing lines and more recently, mobile phones and iPod. Some of her more popular product endorsements include Giordano, KFC, Samsung. She was voted as having the "Best Butt in Asia", polling 41% of the total votes.

#4 - Shu Qi

(a/k/a: Hsu Chi, Shu Kei, Li-Hui Lin) After establishing herself as a model and soft porn actress, Shu Qi branched out into mainstream film. She is known for starring in Gorgeous with Jackie Chan and the international hit, So Close. Shu Qi is by and large an actress in Chinese films, but she impressed American audiences in her first and only English film, 2002's The Transporter.

With over 50 Chinese titles to her credit, Shu Qi is no amateur thespian. With no other means to earn a living, Shu Qi began doing soft-core porn films in Hong Kong. Movies like Sex & Zen II and Viva Erotica highlighted her finer points (the physical ones at least), but also showed that she was comfortable in front of the camera.

She soon moved to more mainstream films and, with her beauty and grace, quickly won the hearts of Asian filmgoers. Titles like 1996's Street Angels, 1997's L-O-V-E... Love and 1998's Young & Dangerous: The Prequel kept her busy in the late 1990s. After doing an amazing 10 movies in 1998, Shu Qi starred in 1999's Gorgeous (co-starring Jackie Chan), which turned out to be her biggest hit to date.

Since that breakthrough performance, Shu Qi has done 25 more movies, including her lone Hollywood feature, The Transporter, in 2002. A slew of action films, comedies and dramas back in Hong Kong followed, and films like 2002's international hit So Close, 2003's Finding Mr. Perfect and 2005's Tokyo Raiders cemented her status as one of China's most popular actresses.

Known just as famously for her bright smile as for her talents as an actress, Shu Qi could have easily kept up her duties as a model had her foray into acting not worked out. Her ivory skin, tight little body and cute face make her highly desirable, and a true international beauty.

#3 - Lin Chi-ling

Taiwanese supermodel Lin Chi-ling first hit our radar in April this year when a row emerged about compromising photos of her and her lover. At the time, she indicated she might not seek legal action against a university student who allegedly leaked her private photos to the media.

The pictures of Lin and Jerry Yan, a member of the Taiwanese boy band F4, in their bathrobes were allegedly stolen from Lin's mobile phone while she was having it repaired. The images caused an uproar when they were sold to Taiwanese media and published in March.

It was reported that Lin appeared to be backing off earlier threats to file a lawsuit. The photos were released by a university student, the paper quoted her as saying.

"I'm willing to take a softer stance toward the issue and really think about what to do next. " She added, "I don't know if Jerry will pursue the matter further, but I'll just treat it as something that's already in the past."

Lin also said that she's thinking about breaking into the movie business. "I'm looking at a few scripts at the moment," she was quoted as saying.

She is currently the top grossing model in Taiwan.

#2 - Vivian Lin

(a/k/a: Petchara, Wong Sze Ka and Thai nickname Mot) First reported by Asian Sex Gazette as Vivian Lin, this girl has been making waves as a top Internet model and in 2004 was voted Surfers' Choice Model at Asian4You, taking 41% of the final tally of thousands of votes.

But the fledgling adult model has also garnered film roles in Thailand's movie industry, playing a supporting role in She's Ann , which starred none other than Natt Kesarin (a/k/a: Natt Chanapa).

She's Ann tells the story of an ordinary woman who leaves her boyfriend to pursue a relationship with another man in hopes of a better life. But the plan goes awry, and the title character Ann (played by Kesarin), ends up in the sex industry instead.

Asian Sex Gazette's early coverage drew international attention and criticism alike.
Asian Sex Gazette pointed out that Lin had previously worked in Thailand's sex industry, making far less than she does now as a model.

The change of careers happened by accident - literally. While she was still employed in the sex industry, she was badly injured one night by a hit-and-run driver. As she was recovering, she took stock of her life, and when her beauty caught the eye of local pornographer 88Square, which presented her with a modeling opportunity, she gave up sex work.

#1 - Tiara Lestar

Indonesian beauty Tiara's motto is 'Shocking Asia'. She goes all the way, posing completely nude, which in some Asian countries is still not allowed. She also walks the catwalk in fashion shows.

It seems Tiara Lestar and her photographer Adam Yurman this year set about hitting the international men's magazines. After her appearance in the Dutch Penthouse she is also featured in the Spanish edition of Playboy.

She has also previously been featured in the Thai edition on Penthouse Magazine.

This year Tiara also started her weblog website where she discusses her life, work and posts occasional photos sets of herself.

Tiara is honest and forthright, she told Asian Sex Gazette recently that she struggles to balance her career and heritage. Indonesian society, as the world's largest Muslim nation, is extremely traditional and conservative. She has feared a backlash from the society that she calls home, "I just don't want to upset anyone," she said.

Indonesian society is as lurid and untamed as most others in East Asia these days and chastizing 'one of your own' for pursuing a successful career as a model seems counter-productive to us. So our hats are off to Ms Lestar as she pursues her career, represents the sensuality of Indonesian women and builds upon this success in her life.

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Copyright 2005, Asian Sex Gazette. Special thanks to affiliate Asian Sirens who contributed to this article and our work over 2005.