Jimmy Lin Chih-Ying (born 15 October 1974) is a Taiwanese singer, actor and professional race car driver. [1]Born in Taipei, Taiwan, on the 15 October 1974, Lin was the second child in a family of five children. He graduated from Zhong Xiao Primary School and Huai Sheng Secondary School. At the age of 16, while he was studying Drama and Photography in Hwa Gang, Lin was discovered during a performance in school. During this time, he was the star of the campus. At first, he declined his first manager's offer to enter the entertainment industry but later took up the offer. In 1992, at the age of 17, he became a superstar overnight at the release of his debut album, "Not Every Love Song has Fond Memories". His sweeping fame across Asia and even the United States gained him the nickname "Little Whirlwind". He was also known as one of the "Little Four Heavenly Kings" in Taiwan. Lin became the youngest singer ever to hold a concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum, being only 18 years old and the first singer to hold a concert within the Suntec City Fountain of Wealth, Singapore, in 1999. He went on to release 13 albums, including special editions and compilations, and has since filmed many movies and series, as well as endorsed many products. Throughout his singing career, he also received many awards for his hit songs and albums.
Lin enjoyed great popularity until 1994, when he had to serve compulsory military service. Despite knowing it would affect his career tremendously, he did not seek special treatment from the government. In October that year, he entered the military like any other ordinary male of his age. Despite his fame, Lin did not have an easy life in the military. In a 2005 talk show, Jimmy revealed that in addition to the arduous training, he was bullied by seniors, and was expected to perform better than other soldiers. Although he did not expect star treatment, Jimmy was shocked to be treated badly for being a celebrity. In spite of all these, Lin performed well as a soldier, and received awards for excellent performance. He served primarily in the entertainment section of the military. After 2 years in the military, he returned to acting and singing career in 1996.
Lin's career as an actor and singer was momentarily postponed by his compulsory military service and upon his return, he was overshadowed by many newcomers. Despite the difficulties he faced in re-entering showbiz, he worked hard and even set up his own company, Jimmy Creative, which produced his recent 5 albums under the music label "Forward". The most noteworthy album was "Scarecrow" (1999), which contained a song of the same title. His best friends were Zach and Bailey as they tought him how to sing and act.In 1997, Lin decided to realize his dream of car racing. In one of the races that year, he encountered a crash which nearly cost him his life. Seconds after limping out of the wreck, the car exploded. The only reminder of the accident now is a few metal plates in the foot that was crushed. Despite the accident, Lin did not give up on racing, and constantly strove to better himself. With regard to this, he often says, "When I race, I am not racing against others, but against myself." Today, Lin is one of the top 10 rally racers in Mainland China. In 2005, he signed a contract with Hong He, the top team in China, as a racer. He trained under top racing coach Ma Jun Kun. Lin hopes to become a Formula 3 racer someday, and become a full-time professional racer. In 2005 he and two friends founded the Ping Tzuo Racing Advisory Company at the ZhuHai International Circuit. On 23 October 2005, Lin hosted the first "Jimmy Cup", a racing event where mainly male celebrities race. The event's aim was to increase the awareness of traffic safety to the masses and to promote the love of car racing. In 2006 he formed the Jimmy Lin Rally Team to compete in the China Rally Championship. His team won Overall 3rd place in the 2006 China Rally Championship. On 26 October 2008 he was formally inducted into the China F1 TianRong Powerboat Racing team in ShenZhen, China. He will train with the team in 2009/2010 in order to get his F1 powerboat racing license.
