title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: Advance voting began on 3 October at 450 polling locations, increasing to 2,600 locations on election day, 17 October. The Electoral Commission estimated that 60% of votes would occur during the advance voting period, up from 47% in 2017. On 12 October, the number of advance votes cast passed the 1,240,740 advance votes cast overall at the 2017 election.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: Overall, 1,976,996 advance votes were cast, 66.7% of all votes cast. The polling booth at North City Shopping Centre in Porirua was the busiest advance polling booth with 13,371 votes cast, while the polling booth at the Selwyn District Council headquarters in Rolleston was the busiest election-day polling booth with 1,601 votes cast.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: Voters on the Māori roll faced issues with receiving Māori electorate ballots due to high demand during advance voting, leading to some people having to cast special votes instead.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: On 5 October, an error was discovered on Port Waikato electorate ballot papers, where there was no circle to tick next to Vision NZ on the party vote ballot. The Electoral Commission subsequently reprinted the ballot papers. Provided the voter's intention is clear, a tick or other mark placed outside the circle will still be counted as a valid vote.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: The Electoral Commission referred two people to Police after they claimed to have voted multiple times, one on 5 October and another on 14 October.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: Preliminary results were gradually released after polling booths close at 19:00 (NZDT) on 17 October. The preliminary count only includes advance ordinary and election day ordinary votes; it does not include any special votes, which have a deadline ten days later (27 October). Special votes include votes from those who enrolled after the deadline of 13 September, those who voted outside their electorate (including all overseas votes), voters in hospital or prison, and those voters enrolled on the unpublished roll. Official results, including all recounted ordinary votes and special votes, were released by the Electoral Commission on 6 November 2020.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: On the official results, the Labour Party won 65 seats, a majority of four–the party's biggest victory in 50 years. The Labour Party's 50.0% vote share in this election is the third highest throughout its 104-year history, only surpassed by its election victories in 1938 (55.8%) and 1946 (51.3%). It is the first time under the current mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) electoral system that a party has won a majority of parliamentary seats. The National Party obtained 25.6% of the popular vote and 33 seats in Parliament, which represented its worst result since 2002 (where it obtained 20.9% of the popular vote), its second worst historical result and one of the worst ever election defeats in its party's history since the party's founding in 1936. National's leader Collins conceded the election just after 10pm on election night, but said in her concession speech that "[National] will be back".


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: The results of the "COVID-19 election" led to the flipping of many traditionally "blue" National-voting provincial seats, with often more than comfortable margins. Examples were Wairarapa, East Coast, Ōtaki, and Rangitata, the latter having never previously voted for Labour. In another devastating blow to National's heartlands, every city except Auckland (including the Hibiscus Coast), Tauranga, Rotorua and Invercargill gave their seats entirely to Labour. Victims of National seat losses were National deputy leader Gerry Brownlee, who had held Ilam for its entire existence; Chris Bishop, considered a rising star, who unexpectedly flipped Hutt South for National in 2017; and Father of the House Nick Smith, member for Nelson since 1990. Three electorates flipped to Labour following the inclusion of special votes: Northland, Whangārei and Maungakiekie. Labour also flipped Hamilton West, the country's bellwether; in 15 of the 17 general elections since the electorate's formation in 1969, the candidate winning the electorate vote in Hamilton West has been from the party that would form the government, the two exceptions being 1993 and 2017.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: In a surprise victory, list MP Chlöe Swarbrick won the Auckland Central electoral seat vacated by National's retiring Nikki Kaye, with a margin of 1,068 votes over Labour's Helen White, thus winning for the Green Party an electorate seat for the first time since 1999. Swarbrick's victory was notable as she garnered 3,923 more votes within the same electorate than her own Green Party, a prime example of voters being engaged in split-ticket voting; however, it was highly unusual as numerous voters who supported a major party also voted for an electorate MP from a minor party. The Māori Party also returned to Parliament due to the election of Rawiri Waititi in the seat of Waiariki, a seat which the party had lost three years prior. This makes Tāmati Coffey the only Labour electorate MP to lose their electorate, however due to his list placing, Coffey returned to parliament through the list.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: The 2020 general election saw the election of New Zealand's first African MP (Ibrahim Omer), first Sri Lankan-born MP (Vanushi Walters) and first Latin American MP (Ricardo Menéndez March). Six new LGBT+ MPs were elected (Menéndez March, Glen Bennett, Ayesha Verrall, Shanan Halbert, Elizabeth Kerekere, Tangi Utikere), making the New Zealand House of Representatives the national parliament with the highest percentage of LGBT+ members in the world.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: Parties and candidates have three working days after the release of the official results to apply for a judicial recount. These recounts take place under the auspices of a District Court judge (the Chief District Court Judge in case of a nationwide recount). National MP Matt King announced he would seek a recount in the Northland electorate, after he lost the electorate to Labour's Willow-Jean Prime by 163 votes, but later changed his mind and conceded.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: On 31 October, Ardern announced that despite the Labour Party having won enough seats to continue the Sixth Labour Government on their own, they had invited the Greens to participate in a "cooperation agreement", seeking their input on matters such as the environment, climate change and child wellbeing, and that the Greens had accepted the offer. Under the deal (which is not a coalition agreement), the two co-leaders of the Greens will receive ministerial portfolios outside the cabinet. James Shaw will continue in his previous role as climate change minister, as well as associate environment minister (biodiversity). Marama Davidson will be appointed to the new position of minister for the prevention of family and sexual violence, and will also take on the role of associate minister of housing (homelessness). The Green Party also agreed to abstain on motions of Confidence and Supply during the term.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: Following the election, Gerry Brownlee stepped down as deputy leader of the National Party. On 10 November 2020, Shane Reti was elected unopposed as his replacement. Leader Judith Collins was also unopposed to retain her position.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: On 3 November, Geoff Simmons stepped down as leader of The Opportunities Party. Shai Navot, former deputy leader, took over from Simmons.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: On 19 November, the board of the New Conservative Party removed the party's leader, Leighton Baker, and replaced him with his deputy, Elliot Ikilei. The party's third-ranked list candidate at the election, Victoria O'Brien, became deputy leader. O'Brien however resigned after less than a week in the role, on 25 November, amid apparent division in the party over Baker's removal and his subsequent role within its organisation. Ikilei announced his resignation on New Year's Eve and the party has been leaderless since.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: A number of local by-elections are required due to the resignation of an incumbent local body politician following their election to Parliament:


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: On 11 November, the Māori Party co-leader John Tamihere requested a vote recount in the Māori electorates of Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Tai Hauāuru, alleging there had been voter discrimination against Māori during the 2020 election. Tamihere claimed that the recount was intended to expose discriminatory laws such as the five-yearly Māori Electoral Option (which limited the ability of Māori to switch between the general and Māori rolls for a period five years), longer wait times for Māori voters at election booths, and some Māori not being allowed to vote on the Māori roll. The altered official results for the two electorates following the recounts were released on 20 November. Tamihere's margin of defeat in Tāmaki Makaurau decreased from 956 to 927, while Debbie Ngarewa-Packer's margin of defeat in Te Tai Hauāuru increased from 1,035 to 1,053.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: On 12 April 2021, the Electoral Commission referred the Māori Party to the Police for failing to disclose about NZ$320,000 worth of donations within the required timeframe. These donations came from former party co-leader John Tamihere (NZ$158,223.72), the Urban Māori Authority (NZ$48,879.85), and the Aotearoa Te Kahu Limited Partnership (NZ$120,000). Party President Che Wilson attributed the late disclosure to the fact that the party was staffed by volunteers and rookies who were unfamiliar with electoral finance laws. In late April, the Police referred the investigation into the Māori Party's undeclared donations to the Serious Fraud Office. By late September 2022, the Serious Fraud Office had closed the investigation and declined to prosecute the individuals and parties involved.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: In late September 2022, Charities Services general manager Natasha Weight confirmed that the agency was investigating two charities headed by Tamihere, the Te Whānau Waipareira Trust and the National Urban Māori Authority, for financing his 2020 election campaign. Existing charities legislation bans charities from donating or endorsing political parties and candidates. Political parties and candidates are not allowed to use charities' resources. According to the Charities Register, Te Whānau o Waipareira Trust Group had provided NZ$385,307 in interest free loans to support Tamihere's 2020 election campaign while the National Urban Māori Authority had paid Tamihere NZ$82,695 to support his 2020 election campaign and Māori Party aspirations. In response, Tamihere accused the Charities Services of racism and confirmed that he and the Māori Party would challenge the Charities Service if the agency ruled against them.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: In late April 2021, the Electoral Commission issued the National Party with a warning for failing to declare a NZ$35,000 donation from real estate mogul Garth Barfoot but declined to refer the matter to the Police.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: Several Advance New Zealand candidates also faced fines for not filing campaign donations and expense returns. In late May 2021, Rangitīkei candidate Ricky Cribb pleaded guilty to two charges of violating the Electoral Act 1993 and was fined $300 plus court costs. Mana candidate Edward James Ngatai Ponder pleaded guilty to violating the Electoral Act 1993 in mid June 2021 for failing to file an election expenses return to show that would have shown he had no expenses. In early July, Advance NZ Invercargill candidate Kurt Rohloff had his Electoral Act charge for failing to declare election and donation returns dismissed after completing a diversion.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: Early July also saw another Invercargill candidate, independent Basil Walker, be charged with failing to file his return on time. Walker was offered a discharge without conviction if he completed 40 hours of community service, but he failed to do so, which he attributed to his workload. In September he agreed to plead guilty to the charge, received a conviction, and was fined $500.


title: 2020 New Zealand general election

text: In September 2021, former Public Party leader and Advance NZ co-leader Billy Te Kahika was charged with filing a false electoral donation and obtaining $15,000 by deception. Name suppression lapsed and he was identified in October 2021. Te Kahika has contested the charges and opted for a jury trial.


title: Nikita Dutta

text: Nikita Dutta (born 13 November 1993) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi films and Hindi television. As a finalist of Femina Miss India 2012, she made her acting and film debut with "Lekar Hum Deewana Dil" where she played a supporting role. Dutta then made her television debut with the show "Dream Girl" and is best known for her portrayal of Suman Tiwari in "Ek Duje Ke Vaaste".


title: Nikita Dutta

text: She returned to films in 2018 with "Gold", and after a supporting appearance in "Kabir Singh" (2019), has since headlined the financial thriller "The Big Bull" (2021) and the horror drama "Dybbuk" (2021).


title: Nikita Dutta

text: Nikita Dutta was born on 13 November 1993. As her father is a naval officer in the Indian Navy, she has spent most of her life living in Visakhapatnam and Mumbai. She completed her schooling from Mumbai. She is a graduate of Economics from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.


title: Nikita Dutta

text: Dutta participated in the 2012 edition of Femina Miss India and landed up as one of the finalists. Later, she made her silverscreen debut with a brief role in the romantic comedy "Lekar Hum Deewana Dil" (2014). Produced by Saif Ali Khan, the film failed to perform well at the box office.


title: Nikita Dutta

text: Dutta made her television debut in 2015 with Life OK's drama series "Dream Girl – Ek Ladki Deewani Si". She starred alongside Shraddha Arya and Mohsin Khan, portraying Lakshmi Mathur, an aspiring actress who falls in love with Khan's character. She quit the show in November 2015.


title: Nikita Dutta

text: In 2016, Dutta was cast in Sony Entertainment Television's "Ek Duje Ke Vaaste" opposite Namik Paul. The show culminated in October the same year.


title: Nikita Dutta

text: Dutta's next television show the romantic thriller "Haasil"–which aired for 4 months (October 2017 to February 2018). Cast opposite Zayed Khan and Vatsal Sheth, she played Aanchal Srivastava, a lawyer who dares up against a rich family, the Raichands, and engages in a love triangle with the family's two step-brothers.


title: Nikita Dutta

text: Dutta returned to films in 2018 with "Gold", a sports film written and directed by Reema Kagti and based upon the national hockey team's title at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Co-starring with Akshay Kumar, Mouni Roy, and Sunny Kaushal, she played the supporting role of Kaushal's girlfriend. With a worldwide gross of over , "Gold" emerged as a critical and commercial success. She also appeared in Netflix's "Lust Stories" as the male protagonist's fiancé in a segment written and directed by Kagti's friend Zoya Akhtar.


title: Nikita Dutta

text: In 2019, Dutta made her web debut with MX Player's original series "Aafat", playing the role of Titli, a divorcee. The same year, she starred as a film actress Jia Sharma in Sandeep Vanga's action romantic drama "Kabir Singh", an adaptation of Vanga's Telugu romance "Arjun Reddy" (2017) and co-starring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani. "Kabir Singh" received mixed reviews from critics but proved one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time, grossing more than worldwide. Dutta received praise for her chemistry with Kapoor in the second half, and followed up the success of "Kabir Singh" with a central role in Neeraj Udhwani's "Maska", a drama about an aspiring actor who is caught between his own dream and his mother's ambitions of seeing him take over the family Irani cafe.


title: Nikita Dutta

text: In 2021, Dutta starred opposite Abhishek Bachchan in Kookie V. Gulati's "The Big Bull", a fictionalized biographical film about 1992 stock market scam accused broker Harshad Mehta, playing Priya Patel Shah. Her next film, "Dybbuk", was released the same year on Amazon Prime Video, starring her opposite Emraan Hashmi in a remake of writer-director Jay Krishnan's own debut film, the 2017 Malayalam horror drama "Ezra".


title: Nikita Dutta

text: Dutta is slated to star opposite Aditya Seal in the Zee Studios dance musical drama "Rocket Gang", which is to mark the directorial debut of choreographer Bosco Martis.


title: Acetylene

text: Acetylene (systematic name: ethyne) is the chemical compound with the formula and structure . It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in its pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution. Pure acetylene is odorless, but commercial grades usually have a marked odor due to impurities such as divinyl sulfide and phosphine.


title: Acetylene

text: As an alkyne, acetylene is unsaturated because its two carbon atoms are bonded together in a triple bond. The carbon–carbon triple bond places all four atoms in the same straight line, with CCH bond angles of 180°.


title: Acetylene

text: Acetylene was discovered in 1836 by Edmund Davy, who identified it as a "new carburet of hydrogen". It was an accidental discovery while attempting to isolate potassium metal. By heating potassium carbonate with carbon at very high temperatures, he produced a residue of what is now known as potassium carbide, (KC), which reacted with water to release the new gas. It was rediscovered in 1860 by French chemist Marcellin Berthelot, who coined the name "acétylène". Berthelot's empirical formula for acetylene (CH), as well as the alternative name ""quadricarbure d'hydrogène"" (hydrogen quadricarbide), were incorrect because many chemists at that time used the wrong atomic mass for carbon (6 instead of 12). Berthelot was able to prepare this gas by passing vapours of organic compounds (methanol, ethanol, etc.) through a red hot tube and collecting the effluent. He also found that acetylene was formed by sparking electricity through mixed cyanogen and hydrogen gases. Berthelot later obtained acetylene directly by passing hydrogen between the poles of a carbon arc.


title: Acetylene

text: Since the 1950s, acetylene has mainly been manufactured by the partial combustion of methane. It is a recovered side product in production of ethylene by cracking of hydrocarbons. Approximately 400,000 tonnes were produced by this method in 1983. Its presence in ethylene is usually undesirable because of its explosive character and its ability to poison Ziegler–Natta catalysts. It is selectively hydrogenated into ethylene, usually using Pd–Ag catalysts.


title: Acetylene

text: Until the 1950s, when oil supplanted coal as the chief source of reduced carbon, acetylene (and the aromatic fraction from coal tar) was the main source of organic chemicals in the chemical industry. It was prepared by the hydrolysis of calcium carbide, a reaction discovered by Friedrich Wöhler in 1862 and still familiar to students:


title: Acetylene

text: Calcium carbide production requires extremely high temperatures, ~2000 °C, necessitating the use of an electric arc furnace. In the US, this process was an important part of the late-19th century revolution in chemistry enabled by the massive hydroelectric power project at Niagara Falls.


title: Acetylene

text: In terms of valence bond theory, in each carbon atom the 2s orbital hybridizes with one 2p orbital thus forming an sp hybrid. The other two 2p orbitals remain unhybridized. The two ends of the two sp hybrid orbital overlap to form a strong σ valence bond between the carbons, while on each of the other two ends hydrogen atoms attach also by σ bonds. The two unchanged 2p orbitals form a pair of weaker π bonds.


title: Acetylene

text: At atmospheric pressure, acetylene cannot exist as a liquid and does not have a melting point. The triple point on the phase diagram corresponds to the melting point (−80.8 °C) at the minimal pressure at which liquid acetylene can exist (1.27 atm). At temperatures below the triple point, solid acetylene can change directly to the vapour (gas) by sublimation. The sublimation point at atmospheric pressure is −84.0 °C.


title: Acetylene

text: At room temperature, the solubility of acetylene in acetone is 27.9 g per kg. For the same amount of dimethylformamide (DMF), the solubility is 51 g. At


title: Acetylene

text: 20.26 bar, the solubility increases to 689.0 and 628.0 g for acetone and DMF, respectively. These solvents are used in pressurized gas cylinders.


title: Acetylene

text: Approximately 20% of acetylene is supplied by the industrial gases industry for oxyacetylene gas welding and cutting due to the high temperature of the flame. Combustion of acetylene with oxygen produces a flame of over , releasing 11.8 kJ/g. Oxyacetylene is the hottest burning common fuel gas. Acetylene is the third-hottest natural chemical flame after dicyanoacetylene's and cyanogen at . Oxy-acetylene welding was a popular welding process in previous decades. The development and advantages of arc-based welding processes have made oxy-fuel welding nearly extinct for many applications. Acetylene usage for welding has dropped significantly. On the other hand, oxy-acetylene welding "equipment" is quite versatile – not only because the torch is preferred for some sorts of iron or steel welding (as in certain artistic applications), but also because it lends itself easily to brazing, braze-welding, metal heating (for annealing or tempering, bending or forming), the loosening of corroded nuts and bolts, and other applications. Bell Canada cable-repair technicians still use portable acetylene-fuelled torch kits as a soldering tool for sealing lead sleeve splices in manholes and in some aerial locations. Oxyacetylene welding may also be used in areas where electricity is not readily accessible. Oxyacetylene cutting is used in many metal fabrication shops. For use in welding and cutting, the working pressures must be controlled by a regulator, since above , if subjected to a shockwave (caused, for example, by a flashback), acetylene decomposes explosively into hydrogen and carbon.


title: Acetylene

text: Acetylene combustion produces a strong, bright light and the ubiquity of carbide lamps drove much acetylene commercialization in the early 20th century. Common applications included coastal lighthouses, street lights, and automobile and mining headlamps. In most of these applications, direct combustion is a fire hazard, and so acetylene has been replaced, first by incandescent lighting and many years later by low-power/high-lumen LEDs. Nevertheless, acetylene lamps remain in limited use in remote or otherwise inaccessible areas and in countries with a weak or unreliable central electric grid.


title: Acetylene

text: Acetylene can be semihydrogenated to ethylene, providing a feedstock for a variety of polyethylene plastics. Another major application of acetylene, especially in China is its conversion to acrylic acid derivatives. These derivatives form products such as acrylic fibers, glasses, paints, resins, and polymers.


title: Acetylene

text: Except in China, use of acetylene as a chemical feedstock has declined by 70% from 1965 to 2007 owing to cost and environmental considerations.


title: Acetylene

text: In 1881, the Russian chemist Mikhail Kucherov described the hydration of acetylene to acetaldehyde using catalysts such as mercury(II) bromide. Before the advent of the Wacker process, this reaction was conducted on an industrial scale.


title: Acetylene

text: The polymerization of acetylene with Ziegler–Natta catalysts produces polyacetylene films. Polyacetylene, a chain of CH centres with alternating single and double bonds, was one of the first discovered organic semiconductors. Its reaction with iodine produces a highly electrically conducting material. Although such materials are not useful, these discoveries led to the developments of organic semiconductors, as recognized by the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 to Alan J. Heeger, Alan G MacDiarmid, and Hideki Shirakawa.


title: Acetylene

text: Acetylene is sometimes used for carburization (that is, hardening) of steel when the object is too large to fit into a furnace.


title: Acetylene

text: Acetylene is used to volatilize carbon in radiocarbon dating. The carbonaceous material in an archeological sample is treated with lithium metal in a small specialized research furnace to form lithium carbide (also known as lithium acetylide). The carbide can then be reacted with water, as usual, to form acetylene gas to feed into a mass spectrometer to measure the isotopic ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12.


title: Acetylene

text: The energy richness of the C≡C triple bond and the rather high solubility of acetylene in water make it a suitable substrate for bacteria, provided an adequate source is available. A number of bacteria living on acetylene have been identified. The enzyme acetylene hydratase catalyzes the hydration of acetylene to give acetaldehyde:


title: Acetylene

text: Acetylene is a moderately common chemical in the universe, often associated with the atmospheres of gas giants. One curious discovery of acetylene is on Enceladus, a moon of Saturn. Natural acetylene is believed to form from catalytic decomposition of long-chain hydrocarbons at temperatures of and above. Since such temperatures are highly unlikely on such a small distant body, this discovery is potentially suggestive of catalytic reactions within that moon, making it a promising site to search for prebiotic chemistry.


title: Acetylene

text: In vinylation reactions, H−X compounds add across the triple bond. Alcohols and phenols add to acetylene to give vinyl ethers. Thiols give vinyl thioethers. Similarly, vinylpyrrolidone and vinylcarbazole are produced industrially by vinylation of 2-pyrrolidone and carbazole.


title: Acetylene

text: The hydration of acetylene is a vinylation reaction, but the resulting vinyl alcohol isomerizes to acetaldehyde. The reaction is catalyzed by mercury salts. This reaction once was the dominant technology for acetaldehyde production, but it has been displaced by the Wacker process, which affords acetaldehyde by oxidation of ethylene, a cheaper feedstock. A similar situation applies to the conversion of acetylene to the valuable vinyl chloride by hydrochlorination vs the oxychlorination of ethylene.


title: Acetylene

text: The reaction with formaldehyde is used industrially in the production of butynediol, forming propargyl alcohol as the by-product. Copper acetylide is used as the catalyst.


title: Acetylene

text: Because halogens add across the triple bond, the substituted acetylenes difluoroacetylene, dichloroacetylene, dibromoacetylene, and diiodoacetylene cannot be made directly from acetylene. A common workaround is to dehydrate vinyl dihaloethenols.


title: Acetylene

text: Walter Reppe discovered that in the presence of catalysts, acetylene reacts to give a wide range of industrially significant chemicals.


title: Acetylene

text: With carbon monoxide, acetylene reacts to give acrylic acid, or acrylic esters, which can be used to produce acrylic glass.


title: Acetylene

text: Acetylene and its derivatives (2-butyne, diphenylacetylene, etc.) form complexes with transition metals. Its bonding to the metal is somewhat similar to that of ethylene complexes. These complexes are intermediates in many catalytic reactions such as alkyne trimerisation to benzene, tetramerization to cyclooctatetraene, and carbonylation to hydroquinone:


title: Acetylene

text: Metal acetylides, species of the formula , are also common. Copper(I) acetylide and silver acetylide can be formed in aqueous solutions with ease due to a poor solubility equilibrium.


title: Acetylene

text: Acetylene is not especially toxic, but when generated from calcium carbide, it can contain toxic impurities such as traces of phosphine and arsine, which give it a distinct garlic-like smell. It is also highly flammable, as are most light hydrocarbons, hence its use in welding. Its most singular hazard is associated with its intrinsic instability, especially when it is pressurized: under certain conditions acetylene can react in an exothermic addition-type reaction to form a number of products, typically benzene and/or vinylacetylene, possibly in addition to carbon and hydrogen. Consequently, acetylene, if initiated by intense heat or a shockwave, can decompose explosively if the absolute pressure of the gas exceeds about . Most regulators and pressure gauges on equipment report gauge pressure, and the safe limit for acetylene therefore is 101 kPa, or 15 psig. It is therefore supplied and stored dissolved in acetone or dimethylformamide (DMF), contained in a gas cylinder with a porous filling (Agamassan), which renders it safe to transport and use, given proper handling. Acetylene cylinders should be used in the upright position to avoid withdrawing acetone during use.


title: Acetylene

text: Information on safe storage of acetylene in upright cylinders is provided by the OSHA, Compressed Gas Association, United States Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), EIGA, and other agencies.


title: Acetylene

text: Copper catalyses the decomposition of acetylene, and as a result acetylene should not be transported in copper pipes.


title: Acetylene

text: Cylinders should be stored in an area segregated from oxidizers to avoid exacerbated reaction in case of fire/leakage. Acetylene cylinders should not be stored in confined spaces, enclosed vehicles, garages, and buildings, to avoid unintended leakage leading to explosive atmosphere. In the US, National Electric Code (NEC) requires consideration for hazardous areas including those where acetylene may be released during accidents or leaks. Consideration may include electrical classification and use of listed Group A electrical components in USA. Further information on determining the areas requiring special consideration is in NFPA 497. In Europe, ATEX also requires consideration for hazardous areas where flammable gases may be released during accidents or leaks.


title: United States Department of the Treasury

text: The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the U.S. Mint. These two agencies are responsible for printing all paper currency and coins, while the treasury executes its circulation in the domestic fiscal system. The USDT collects all federal taxes through the Internal Revenue Service; manages U.S. government debt instruments; licenses and supervises banks and thrift institutions; and advises the legislative and executive branches on matters of fiscal policy. The department is administered by the secretary of the treasury, who is a member of the Cabinet. The treasurer of the United States has limited statutory duties, but advises the Secretary on various matters such as coinage and currency production. Signatures of both officials appear on all Federal Reserve notes.


text: The department was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue. The first secretary of the treasury was Alexander Hamilton, who was sworn into office on September 11, 1789. Hamilton was appointed by President George Washington on the recommendation of Robert Morris, Washington's first choice for the position, who had declined the appointment. Hamilton established the nation's early financial system and for several years was a major presence in Washington's administration. The department is customarily referred to as "Treasury", solely, without any preceding article, as a remnant of the country's transition from British to American English during the late 18th century. Hamilton's portrait appears on the obverse of the ten-dollar bill, while the Treasury Department building is depicted on the reverse.


text: The history of the Department of the Treasury began in the turmoil of the American Revolution, when the Continental Congress at Philadelphia deliberated the crucial issue of financing a war of independence against Great Britain. The Congress had no power to levy and collect taxes, nor was there a tangible basis for securing funds from foreign investors or governments. The delegates resolved to issue paper money in the form of bills of credit, promising redemption in coin on faith in the revolutionary cause. On June 22, 1775—only a few days after the Battle of Bunker Hill—Congress issued $2 million in bills; on July 25, 28 citizens of Philadelphia were employed by Congress to sign and number the currency.


text: On July 29, 1775, the Second Continental Congress assigned the responsibility for the administration of the revolutionary government's finances to joint Continental treasurers George Clymer and Michael Hillegas. Congress stipulated that each of the colonies contribute to the Continental government's funds. To ensure proper and efficient handling of the growing national debt in the face of weak economic and political ties between the colonies, the Congress, on February 17, 1776, designated a committee of five to superintend the treasury, settle accounts, and report periodically to the Congress. On April 1, a Treasury Office of Accounts, consisting of an auditor general and clerks, was established to facilitate the settlement of claims and to keep the public accounts for the government of the United Colonies. With the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the newborn republic as a sovereign nation was able to secure loans from abroad.


text: Despite the infusion of foreign and domestic loans, the united colonies were unable to establish a well-organized agency for financial administration. Michael Hillegas was first called Treasurer of the United States on May 14, 1777. The Treasury Office was reorganized three times between 1778 and 1781. The $241.5 million in paper Continental bills devalued rapidly. By May 1781, the dollar collapsed at a rate of from 500 to 1000 to 1 against hard currency. Protests against the worthless money swept the colonies, giving rise to the expression "not worth a Continental". The office has, since the late 18th century, been customarily referred to as the singular “Treasury”, without any preceding article, as a remnant of the country's transition from British to American English. For example, the department notes its guiding purpose as "Treasury's mission" instead of "the Treasury's mission."


text: Robert Morris was designated Superintendent of Finance in 1781 and restored stability to the nation's finances. Morris, a wealthy colonial merchant, was nicknamed "the financier" because of his reputation for procuring funds or goods on a moment's notice. His staff included a comptroller, a treasurer, a register, and auditors, who managed the country's finances through 1784, when Morris resigned because of ill health. The treasury board, consisting of three commissioners, continued to oversee the finances of the confederation of former colonies until September 1789.


text: The First Congress of the United States was called to convene in New York on March 4, 1789, marking the beginning of government under the Constitution. On September 2, 1789, Congress created a permanent institution for the management of government finances:Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there shall be a Department of Treasury, in which shall be the following officers, namely: a Secretary of the Treasury, to be deemed head of the department; a Comptroller, an Auditor, a Treasurer, a Register, and an Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury, which assistant shall be appointed by the said Secretary.Alexander Hamilton took the oath of office as the first secretary of the treasury on September 11, 1789. Hamilton had served as George Washington's "aide-de-camp" during the Revolution and was of great importance in the ratification of the Constitution. Because of his financial and managerial acumen, Hamilton was a logical choice for solving the problem of the new nation's heavy war debt. Hamilton's first official act was to submit a report to Congress in which he laid the foundation for the nation's financial health.


text: To the surprise of many legislators, he insisted upon federal assumption and dollar-for-dollar repayment of the country's $75 million debt in order to revitalize the public credit: "[T]he debt of the United States was the price of liberty. The faith of America has been repeatedly pledged for it, and with solemnities that give peculiar force to the obligation." Hamilton foresaw the development of industry and trade in the United States, suggesting that government revenues be based upon customs duties. His sound financial policies also inspired investment in the Bank of the United States, which acted as the government's fiscal agent.


text: The treasury believes their seal was created by Francis Hopkinson, the treasurer of loans. He submitted bills to Congress in 1780 that authorized the design of department seals, including the seal for the Board of Treasury. While it is it not certain that Hopkinson designed the seal, it is very similar to others he's done.


text: Congress transferred several agencies that had previously been under the aegis of the Treasury Department to other departments as a consequence of the September 11 attacks. Effective January 24, 2003, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), which had been a bureau of the department since 1972, was extensively reorganized under the provisions of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The law enforcement functions of ATF, including the regulation of legitimate traffic in firearms and explosives, were transferred to the Department of Justice as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE). The regulatory and tax collection functions of ATF related to legitimate traffic in alcohol and tobacco remained with the treasury at its new Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).


text: Effective March 1, 2003, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the United States Customs Service, and the United States Secret Service were transferred to the newly created Department of Homeland Security ("DHS").


text: In 2020, the Treasury suffered a data breach following a cyberattack likely conducted by a nation state adversary, possibly Russia. This was in fact the first detected case of the much wider 2020 United States federal government data breach, which involved at least eight federal departments.


text: With respect to the estimation of revenues for the executive branch, Treasury serves a purpose parallel to that of the Office of Management and Budget for the estimation of spending for the executive branch, the Joint Committee on Taxation for the estimation of revenues for Congress, and the Congressional Budget Office for the estimation of spending for Congress.


text: From 1830 until 1901, responsibility for overseeing weights and measures was carried out by the Office of Standard Weights and Measures under the auspices of the Treasury Department. After 1901, responsibility was assigned to the agency that subsequently became known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology.


text: The Department of the Treasury is organized into two major components: the departmental offices and the operating bureaus. The departmental offices are primarily responsible for the formulation of policy and management of the department as a whole, while the operating bureaus carry out the specific operations assigned to the department.


text: The Treasury Department has authorized a budget for Fiscal Year 2015 of $22.6 billion. The budget authorization is broken down as follows:


text: In the latest Center for Effective Government analysis of the fifteen federal agencies that receive the most Freedom of Information Act FOIA requests, published in 2015 (using 2012 and 2013 data, the most recent years available), the treasury failed to earn a satisfactory overall grade.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: Car Seat Headrest (CSH) is an American indie rock band formed in Leesburg, Virginia, and currently located in Seattle, Washington. The band consists of Will Toledo (vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizers), Ethan Ives (guitar, bass, backing vocals), Seth Dalby (bass), and Andrew Katz (drums, percussion, backing vocals).


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: Beginning as a solo recording project by Toledo in 2010, Car Seat Headrest self-released 12 projects on the music platform Bandcamp between 2010 and 2014 before signing to Matador Records in 2015. They would begin touring as a full band the following year.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: Car Seat Headrest began as the solo project of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Will Toledo (born William Barnes) shortly after he graduated high school. Toledo had previously released music under the alias Nervous Young Men in 2008, but after struggling to establish an audience he decided to change tactics, choosing to try and release more experimental songs anonymously. Toledo chose the name "Car Seat Headrest" as he would often record the vocals to his early albums in the back seat of his car for privacy. He had also been a member of bands such as "Mr. Yay Okay" (2008)", Thrice is Nice, Straight Palm Slide & The Reality Store" (2008)"," and "The 63rd Fret."


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: Throughout the summer of 2010, Toledo released his first four albums under the Car Seat Headrest name: "1", "2", "3", and "4". "1" and "2" incorporated less traditional song structures, with stream-of-consciousness lyrics, whereas "3" and "4" would begin to cement his lo-fi indie rock style. Following the numbered albums, Toledo began attending classes at Virginia Commonwealth University, releasing the "Sunburned Shirts" EP during his first semester. The "Sunburned Shirts" EP would later be partially combined with his fifth LP, "5" (now removed from their Bandcamp), to create his first titled album, "My Back Is Killing Me Baby", released in March 2011. Songs culled from "5" would later appear on the B-sides compilation album "Little Pieces of Paper with "No" Written on Them".


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: After a difficult and lonely semester at VCU, Toledo transferred to the College of William & Mary, where he would release his next project, "Twin Fantasy", a concept album centered around a relationship that was happening at the time. "Twin Fantasy" would later be followed up by 2012's "Monomania" and 2013's "Living While Starving" EP.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: Around this time, Toledo began performing live shows with fellow students Katie Wood, Austin Ruhf, and Christian Northover, recording and releasing a short live album in July 2013 entitled "Live at WCWM: Car Seat Headrest" at the university's studio"." Toledo would release his next project the following month, a two-hour-long double album entitled "Nervous Young Man". Three of the songs, and the title of the album, were taken from his original project, Nervous Young Men, but had been heavily reworked and re-recorded. Released alongside "Nervous Young Man," for those who paid $5 or more, was the outtakes compilation album "Disjecta Membra".


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: Toledo's final solo release was 2014's "How to Leave Town", an hour-long EP with heavy electronic instrumentation and more ambitious song structures.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: In September 2015, Car Seat Headrest announced on Facebook that they had signed an album deal with Matador Records. Toledo, who had recently graduated and moved to Seattle, recruited bassist Jacob Bloom and drummer Andrew Katz through Craigslist to record and tour his next album. In October 2015, Car Seat Headrest released the compilation album "Teens of Style", consisting of re-recorded material from Toledo's solo discography and was their first record to not be self-released exclusively via Bandcamp. Shortly after the album's release, Bloom left the group to attend medical school and was replaced by bassist Ethan Ives, who met the band at an open mic.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: Ives played bass throughout most of the recordings for the band's following release, but would later switch to guitar and other instruments, with Seth Dalby taking over on bass. Ives and Dalby were later cemented in these positions during live shows and future releases. The new album, created with traditional studio processes, "Teens of Denial", was released on May 20, 2016. The album received universal acclaim and brought the band a new wave of popularity.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: In 2017, Car Seat Headrest released an alternate mix of their single, "War Is Coming (If You Want It)" through Bandcamp for one day, with profits going to the Transgender Law Center. The original mix of the track was released ten days later.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: On December 13, 2017, the band released a re-recorded version of "Beach Life-In-Death", the second track on "Twin Fantasy," through Spotify without prior announcement. This sparked fan rumours that the album would be re-recorded and released the following year. On December 27, 2017, an Amazon listing detailing a re-recorded version of "Twin Fantasy" was found by fans, and subsequently uploaded to the Car Seat Headrest subreddit. This was followed up by a listing on SRCVinyl.com with the date February 16, 2018.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: On January 9, 2018, Matador Records formally announced the release of the re-recording, entitled "Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)", alongside a re-release of the original album. "Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)" was released via Matador on February 16. The original, which has been re-titled "Twin Fantasy (Mirror to Mirror)", was released on vinyl as a part of Record Store Day on April 21. On February 15, 2018, the band released a cover of "Fallen Horses" by Smash Mouth, who had previously covered "Something Soon" (from 2011's "My Back Is Killing Me Baby"). Around the same time, Car Seat Headrest would begin touring with fellow Seattle-based band, Naked Giants, as a part of the group's expanded live lineup. Toledo would also produce and feature on "Midnight", the sophomore album by Stef Chura.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: In August 2018, when asked about new material, Toledo confirmed that he was “demoing out stuff in Ableton,” adding “there might be some stuff that surprises people who only know us as a rock band, but I don’t think it will come as a surprise to people who are checking out all the deep cuts". In January 2019, Andrew Katz confirmed the band was recording new music through a video uploaded on Instagram.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: Following the tease of new music, the band began experimenting with new material at various live shows in December 2018, debuting the tracks "Weightlifters", "Hollywood", "Stop Lying To Me", and "You Know There's Someone Out There", soon followed by "Can't Cool Me Down" in February and March 2019 performances. All were officially released on the next album except for "Stop Lying To Me" and "You Know There's Someone Out There".


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: On June 12, 2019, Car Seat Headrest announced a new live album titled "Commit Yourself Completely", featuring official recordings of performances from the Twin Fantasy tour from 2018. It was released the following week on June 17.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: On February 26, 2020, Car Seat Headrest announced their first studio album consisting of wholly new material since 2016's "Teens of Denial", "Making a Door Less Open". This announcement coincided with the release of "Can't Cool Me Down", the first single and second track off the album, and a release date of May 1, 2020. It marks a stylistic divergence from previous material, Toledo describing the album as containing elements of EDM, hip hop, futurism, doo-wop, soul and rock and roll. Three more singles were released to promote the album between March and April of that year: "Martin", "Hollywood" and "There Must Be More Than Blood". The release also coincided with the introduction of Trait, an alternative persona of Toledo's, featured prominently wearing a modified gas mask with blinking LED lights for eyes, and floppy, rabbit-like ears. The character had originally been created for the group's "comedic" side project, 1 Trait Danger, featuring Toledo alongside drummer Andrew Katz.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: "Making a Door Less Open" was released with three separate versions across different formats: vinyl, CD and streaming, each with variations in track-list and specific musical elements. The album received a mixed reaction from fans, who pointed out the many divergences from the band's previous works, but received an overall score of 77 on review aggregate site Metacritic. Toledo noted that he and the band were working on a companion album for their latest release, while also looking for ways to improve the Trait mask to incorporate it into live performances. Shortly after the album's release, Ethan Ives would release his debut solo album, "Life for Cowards", under the name Toy Bastard.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: Due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the band's planned North America tour was cancelled, later being rescheduled to the spring of 2022.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: On June 22, 2021, Car Seat Headrest released two EPs: "MADLO: Influences", a collection of four covers, including one of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill," and "MADLO: Remixes", consisting of five remixed versions of tracks from "Making a Door Less Open". In the same year, Toledo produced the album "How to Drive a Bus" by New Jersey-based band I've Made Too Much Pasta. Katz is also credited alongside Toledo for mastering the album.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: AllMusic biographer Mark Deming wrote that Car Seat Headrest created "moody and introspective lo-fi pop tunes that are melodic but structurally ambitious at once". Writing for "Pitchfork", Jeremy Gordon stated that on "Teens of Denial", "Will Toledo reaffirms that he is ahead of the pack as an imaginative singer-songwriter, capable of crafting dynamic indie rock." Ian Cohen of "Pitchfork" also described Toledo's music as "dense, confounding music that most often captures the giddy thrill of having access to recording equipment, of finally put a sound to the voice in your head." "Rolling Stone" described "Making a Door Less Open" as "an immersive and adventurous album that sounds polished, but never slick, a well-executed experiment in cross-genre pollination that heightens Toledo’s best songwriting impulses." Toledo has been open about his musical influences, which include, but are not limited to, Radiohead, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Leonard Cohen, The Monkees, R.E.M., Nirvana, Green Day, The Who, Pavement, Kendrick Lamar, Daniel Johnston, Sufjan Stevens, Destroyer, and They Might Be Giants.


title: Car Seat Headrest

text: Car Seat Headrest has released 12 studio albums, 5 extended plays, 3 live albums, and 2 compilation albums.


title: Kim So-yeon

text: Kim So-yeon (born November 2, 1980) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for starring in a number of well-known television dramas, notably "All About Eve" (2000), "Iris" (2009), "Prosecutor Princess" (2010), "Happy Home" (2016), and "" (2020–2021).


title: Kim So-yeon

text: When she was 14, Kim So-yeon entered the Miss Binggrae beauty pageant without her parents' approval. She had no makeup, so she used a marker pen as her eyeliner and ended up winning the top prize thus launching her entertainment career. She debuted with a role in the SBS Drama "Dinosaur Teacher", and continued to star in popular TV shows such as "Reporting for Duty" (1996) and "Soonpoong Clinic" (1998). She also hosted the music program "Inkigayo" and appeared in numerous commercials, becoming the first Korean teen star to earn more than from commercial modeling. Because of her preternaturally mature looks and poise, she was often cast in older roles notably as a manipulative, villainous, anchorwoman in "All About Eve", which drew a peak viewership rating of 45.2% when it aired in 2000.


title: Kim So-yeon

text: However, being typecast as prim, cold-hearted characters had a negative effect on Kim's career, and her fame went downhill in the mid-2000s. Her attempt to crossover to China via Hong Kong director Tsui Hark's wuxia film "Seven Swords" (in which she played a Joseon noblewoman-turned-slave) and the Chinese dramas "Just Like a Beautiful Flying Butterfly" and "" also proved unsuccessful. Kim took a break for three years, questioning whether she wanted to continue being an actress. She returned to television in 2008 with "Gourmet" (adapted from Huh Young-man's titular manhwa).


title: Kim So-yeon

text: A year later, Kim's career saw a resurgence with the 2009 high-budget series "Iris". She cut her trademark long hair and worked hard on her action scenes in order to look convincing in her role as a North Korean spy, drawing praise for her portrayal of a tough woman conflicted about her loyalty to her country and her love for a South Korean agent.


title: Kim So-yeon

text: Kim was cast in the leading role in romantic comedy "Prosecutor Princess" in 2010 and showcased her versatility by playing a "Legally Blonde"-inspired newbie district attorney who's initially more interested in shopping and dating, yet surprises her colleagues with her intelligence and learns to strive for justice. Kim said that the cheerful, unpredictable character was similar to her own real-life personality. Later in the year, she played a rigid doctor in sports drama "Dr. Champ".


title: Kim So-yeon

text: In 2012, Kim appeared on the big screen as a royal barista embroiled in a plot to assassinate Emperor Gojong in "Gabi", adapted from the historical fiction novel by Kim Takhwan. She spent months studying the Russian language and coffee brewing even before shooting began. "Gabi" was Kim's first Korean feature film in 15 years, since "Change" in 1997. This was followed by another period drama "The Great Seer", where she played a healer in Goryeo.


title: Kim So-yeon

text: Kim reunited with "Prosecutor Princess" screenwriter So Hyun-kyung in "Two Weeks" (2013), in the role of a prosecutor who teams up with a fugitive to bring down a corrupt politician and her gangster henchman.


title: Kim So-yeon

text: In 2014, she played a fashion merchandiser who falls for her much younger childhood friend in "I Need Romance 3". Kim then appeared in the "Female Soldier Special" of military boot camp reality show "Real Men".


title: Kim So-yeon

text: In 2015, she starred in her second cable series "Beating Again", about a businessman who falls for his secretary after he gets a heart transplant. Kim also joined the fourth season of "We Got Married", pairing up with Kwak Si-yang.


title: Kim So-yeon

text: In 2016, Kim starred MBC's weekend drama "Happy Home", playing a mother who has lost her son in an accident.


title: Kim So-yeon

text: In March 2018, Kim left her previous agency Namoo Actors and signed an exclusive contract with J Wide Company on April 3, 2018. She was then cast in SBS weekend drama "Secret Mother".


title: Kim So-yeon

text: In 2020, she starred in the SBS TV series "", playing the role of a wicked but famous soprano and musical school director. Kim compared the role to her famous villain role in "All About Eve" 20 years earlier, commenting "The goal for this drama is that when people think of a female villain, they think of Cheon Seo-jin, just like how Heo Young-mi was remembered." The series drew a peak viewership rating of 28.8% nationwide, and was renewed for 2 more seasons, where Kim reprised her role. Additionally, Kim won the Award for Best Actress – Television at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards and the Grand Prize (Daesang) at 2021 SBS Drama Awards.


title: Kim So-yeon

text: Kim married actor Lee Sang-woo in June 2017. Their romantic relationship started in 2016. The pair met on the set of MBC's weekend drama "Happy Home".


title: Emma Kenney

text: Emma Rose Kenney (born September 14, 1999) is an American actress. She has portrayed Deborah "Debbie" Gallagher on "Shameless", a role she played from 2011 to 2021, and Harris Conner-Healy in the tenth season of the family sitcom "Roseanne", and its spin-off continuation "The Conners".


title: Emma Kenney

text: Kenney was born on September 14, 1999, in New York City. Her parents are Gillian Kenney, a criminal defense lawyer, and Kevin Kenney, a sports writer who formerly wrote for the "New York Post" and now works for Fox Sports.


title: Emma Kenney

text: Kenney made several appearances in short and made-for-television films. In 2009, at nine years old, she was the youngest filmmaker to be a finalist at the New Jersey International Film Festival at Rutgers University.


title: Emma Kenney

text: Kenney appeared as Debbie Gallagher, the on-air daughter of William H. Macy in the comedic drama "Shameless". Kenney won the role at 10 years old, while attending Park Middle School in Scotch Plains, New Jersey.


title: Emma Kenney

text: In September 2017, it was announced that Kenney would appear in the 10th season of "Roseanne", which served as a revival of the series and premiered on ABC on March 27, 2018. She portrays Harris Conner Healy, the granddaughter of the sitcom's titular character. Kenney appeared alongside many of the show's original cast members, including Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, and Sara Gilbert, with Gilbert portraying her TV mother, Darlene Conner Healy. On May 29, 2018, ABC cancelled the revival after one season.


title: Emma Kenney

text: ABC subsequently ordered a "Roseanne" spin-off called "The Conners", which would not include Roseanne Barr, but would retain the remaining main cast, including Kenney. "The Conners" premiered October 16, 2018.


title: Hidden (2015 film)

text: Hidden is a 2015 American psychological thriller film written and directed by the Duffer Brothers in their feature film debut. The film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough, and Emily Alyn Lind. This was producer Richard D. Zanuck's last film; he died before filming began.


title: Hidden (2015 film)

text: An unknown strange outbreak has devastated the area of the United States. A family of three, Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), Claire (Andrea Riseborough) and their daughter Zoe (Emily Alyn Lind), have taken refuge in an abandoned fallout shelter shortly after the catastrophe to hide from the monsters outside. Zoe wakes one night after having a nightmare of the 'Breathers'. The family has difficulty coping in their cramped environment but manage by having a set of rules, such as always keeping calm and never leaving the shelter. The three soon discover at dinner that their already dwindling rations are also being consumed by a rat and try to find and kill it. The family also discovers that the rat managed to sneak into the shelter through an opening other than the main barricaded hatch. They find a small air duct but Ray reassures Zoe that the Breathers wouldn't be able to fit through the duct. They believe they may be the only ones left alive. The Breathers have been actively hunting down the family, and have nearly located them multiple times. Claire and Ray's priority is to keep Zoe alive, regardless of what happens to them.


title: Hidden (2015 film)

text: In a flashback, it is the beginning of the outbreak, 301 days ago. After the start of outbreak, Ray, Claire and Zoe drive along a highway fleeing their town, Kingsville, only to be stopped with many other people by the CDC. Signs all around state that they are under quarantine.


title: Hidden (2015 film)

text: Claire kills the rat but in the process, Ray accidentally knocks over one of their lamps, burning a wooden table. Having put out the fire, the family quickly realizes that the smoke produced from the fire is drifting up the air duct, giving away their position to anyone in the area. Later they discover that the smoke has left ash covered all above their shelter hatch, making their hiding place visible. Claire and Ray go to the surface to cover and hide their shelter but Zoe, using a homemade periscope, spots a humanoid figure in the distance. Disregarding her mother's rules, Zoe climbs through the barricade to the surface to warn her parents of the Breather. She manages to warn them and they all go back into the shelter, but are followed. Claire, Ray and Zoe try to keep quiet but Zoe's doll, Olive, gets caught on a nearby pipe screw and activates, making noises. The Breather attempts to break in. Others join and finally break through the hatch and into the shelter. Claire and Zoe manage to escape through the air duct but Ray is caught and disappears, followed by a spatter of blood. Claire and Zoe run and end up on the highway where they were stopped by the CDC.


title: Hidden (2015 film)

text: In another flashback, two fighter jets fly overhead and bomb the family's town. They rush to a nearby abandoned shelter as the rest of the town's population is decimated by the military. Claire accidentally cuts herself on a rusty piece of iron as she descends into the shelter and notices the flesh around the cut is discolored and her blood black. They deduce that the virus is airborne and they have already been infected.


title: Hidden (2015 film)

text: In the present, on the highway, Claire and Zoe are caught in a net fired from a helicopter. Breathers, actually American soldiers wearing night vision goggles and re-breather packs, surround them with weapons drawn. The soldiers test Claire and Zoe's blood and interrogate them to find out if there are any others in the vicinity. Afterwards, the soldiers prepare to execute them. Ray suddenly appears and kills one of the soldiers. Ray has black arteries and veins and bloodshot eyes. He incapacitates three more soldiers, demonstrating remarkable physical strength and agility, and is shot multiple times before falling. Claire and Zoe escape from their net, and an enraged Claire transforms like Ray, killing all but one soldier, who injures her. Before he is able to kill Claire, a transformed Zoe appears and exposes the soldier to the air by removing his re-breather, infecting him. Zoe, in her enraged state, almost attacks and kills Claire, but Claire reminds her of their rule to always keep calm. Claire and Zoe sit with Ray during his final moments. Claire notices the helicopter coming back and the two flee.


title: Hidden (2015 film)

text: The two find a sewer system nearby and hide there. They hear someone approaching, who turns out to be Joe, Zoe's friend and next door neighbor. He has survived and leads them to others just like them within the underground sewers. Before Zoe and Claire join the group of infected survivors, Zoe notes how they managed to survive to day 302 while looking at the sun rising through a nearby window. Claire says "Not days," implying that their days are really "miracles", something Ray called each day at the beginning of the film. Claire looks up into the window before climbing through the sewer hole, revealing her blood shot eyes.


title: Hidden (2015 film)

text: "Hidden" had a limited release and has received few reviews. Daniel Kurland calls it "a very promising, controlled debut feature from Matt and Ross Duffer." It accomplishes what it sets out to do, and does so "in a creative, minimalist manner." Nav Qateel, writing for "Influx Magazine", gives the film a grade of "B", calling it a "polished thriller-horror" and "an accomplished film with a satisfying conclusion. It's also very much a grown-up, mature movie that's a far cry from the typical low-budget offerings we're more accustomed to."


title: Faye Wong

text: Faye Wong (born Xia Lin on 8 August 1969) is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter. Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong. Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and came to public attention in the early 1990s by singing in Cantonese, often combining alternative music with mainstream Chinese pop. Since 1994, she has recorded mostly in her native Mandarin. In 2000, she was recognised by Guinness World Records as the "Best Selling Canto-Pop Female". Following her second marriage in 2005, she withdrew from the limelight, but returned to the stage in 2010.


title: Faye Wong

text: Hugely popular in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and Singapore, she has also gained a large following in Japan. In the West she is perhaps best known for starring in Wong Kar-wai's films "Chungking Express" and "2046". While she has collaborated with international artists such as Cocteau Twins, Wong recorded only a few songs in English, including "Eyes on Me"—the theme song of the video game "Final Fantasy VIII". Wong is known to be a "diva with few words" in public, and has gained a reputation for her "cool" personality. In "Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture", Jeroen de Kloet characterised her as "singer, actress, mother, celebrity, royalty, sex symbol and diva all at the same time". Wong is considered by some as one of East Asia's biggest popstars with a career of over 30 years.


title: Faye Wong

text: The daughter of a mining engineer and a revolutionary music soprano, Wang Fei was born at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Dongcheng District, Beijing in the midst of China's Cultural Revolution. She has an elder brother named Wang Yi (王弋). As a student, Wong already was involved in singing and attracted interest from several publishers . On occasions, the school had to hide her artistic activities from her strict mother, who as a professional saw singing as a dead-end career. Despite her mother's opposition, Wong released 6 low-cost cover albums from 1985 to 1987 while still in high school, all in the form of cassettes, mostly consisting of songs by her personal idol, iconic Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng. For the last of these early recordings, the producer Wei Yuanqiang chose the title "Wong Fei Collection", intending to show that he recognised a distinctive talent in the teenager.


title: Faye Wong

text: In 1987, after being accepted to Xiamen University for college, she migrated to Hong Kong to join her father, who had been working there for a few years. The plan was for her to stay there for a year to fulfill the permanent residency requirement, and go to a university abroad thereafter. However, since Wong did not know a word of Cantonese, the language spoken in the British colony, she experienced great loneliness. Following a brief modeling stint, she began singing lessons with Tai See-Chung (戴思聰), who was also from Mainland China and had previously tutored Hong Kong superstars Anita Mui, Andy Lau, Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok. Under Tai's tutelage, the 19-year-old signed with Cinepoly Records after winning third place in an ABU singing contest in 1988. It was a risky move on the part of Chan Siu-Bo, Cinepoly's general manager, since Mainlanders were stereotyped as "backwards" in Hong Kong.


title: Faye Wong

text: As a result, Cinepoly asked Wong to change her "Mainland-sounding" name to a "sophisticated" stage name Wong Jing Man. (Her English name was to be "Shirley".) In 1989, her debut album "Shirley Wong" sold over 30,000 copies and helped her win bronze at the "Chik Chak New Artist Award". Two more albums ("Everything" and "You're the Only One") followed, similarly featuring many cover songs by artists from the US and Japan. However, they sold worse than her debut album, despite relentless promotions by the company. Many in Hong Kong perceived her to be "backwards", lacking personality.


title: Faye Wong

text: Frustrated with her career decision, in 1991 she travelled to New York City for vocal studies and cultural exchange. Because it was a hurried decision, she also ended up missing the registration deadline for her classes in New York. Faye Wong explained in 1996,


title: Faye Wong

text: Wong returned to Hong Kong and found a new agent in Katie Chan, who would remain her agent for the next two decades. The next album, "Coming Home", would prominently feature on the cover the English name "Faye", a homophone to her given Chinese name, and the word "Jing", a reference to her hometown Beijing.


title: Faye Wong

text: The 1992 album "Coming Home" incorporated R&B influences and was a change in musical direction from the more traditional Cantopop fare of her earlier albums. One song by her of this time was "Fragile Woman", a cover of a Japanese song "Rouge" originally composed by Miyuki Nakajima and sung by Naomi Chiaki. (Thanks to Wong's cover, this 1972 song—in different language versions—would in the early 1990s become a huge regional hit in Thailand, Vietnam and the rest of Southeast Asia and even Turkey; the most popular English version was titled "Broken-Hearted Woman".) "Coming Home" also included her first English-language number, "Kisses in the Wind". Wong stated in a 1994 concert that she very much liked this song, after which various websites listed it as her personal favourite; however, in a 1998 CNN interview she declined to name one favourite song, saying that there were too many, and in 2003 she stated that she no longer liked her old songs.


title: Faye Wong

text: The cover for "Coming Home" prominently shows the name "Faye", and from then on she changed her stage name back to "Wang Fei" (). In 1992–93 she also starred in TVB shows such as "File of Justice II" (壹號皇庭II) and "Legendary Ranger" (原振俠).


title: Faye Wong

text: In 1993, she wrote the Mandarin lyrics for her ballad "No Regrets" (執迷不悔) which led many to praise her as a gifted lyricist. In February, it became the title track to her album "No Regrets". "No Regrets" features soft contemporary numbers, a few dance tracks and two versions of the title ballad: Wong's Mandarin version, and a Cantonese version (lyrics by Chen Shao Qi).


title: Faye Wong

text: Her next album "100,000 Whys" (September 1993) showed considerable alternative music influences from the West, including the popular song "Cold War" (冷戰), a cover of "Silent All These Years" by Tori Amos.


title: Faye Wong

text: Faye has named the Scottish post-punk group Cocteau Twins among her favourite bands, and their influence was clear on her next Cantonese album, "Random Thoughts" (胡思亂想). Her Cantonese version of The Cranberries' "Dreams" was featured in Wong Kar-wai's film "Chungking Express", and gained lasting popularity. Besides covering songs and learning distinctive vocal techniques, Wong recorded her own compositions "Pledge" (誓言), co-written with ex-husband Dou Wei, and her first and only spoken-word song "Exit" (出路), which expresses some of her pessimism about the future.


title: Faye Wong

text: Besides two Cantonese albums in 1994, Wong released two other albums in Mandarin in Taiwan, "Mystery" (迷) and "Sky" (天空). The runaway hit "I'm Willing" (我願意) in "Mystery" became her trademark hit in the Mandarin-speaking communities for years, and has been covered by other singers such as Gigi Leung, Sammi Cheng and Jay Chou. "Sky" was seen by fans as a successful amalgam of artistic experimentation and commercialism.


title: Faye Wong

text: While her hits in Hong Kong were noticeably alternative, her two Mandarin albums were more lyrical and traditional. Critics generally credit Taiwanese producer Yang Ming-huang for their success.


title: Faye Wong

text: Four best-selling albums in Cantonese and Mandarin, a record-breaking 18 consecutive concerts in Hong Kong, and a widely acclaimed film ("Chungking Express") made Faye Wong the most eminent female Hong Kong singer in the mid-1990s. Meanwhile, her distaste for the profit-oriented HK entertainment industry became more and more apparent. She was frequently in touch with the rock circle in Beijing. Given her somewhat reticent and nonchalant personality, she would sometimes give terse, direct, and somewhat unexpected answers when asked personal questions by the HK media.


title: Faye Wong

text: In 1995, she released "Decadent Sounds of Faye" (菲靡靡之音), a cover album of songs originally recorded by her idol Teresa Teng, one of the most revered Chinese singers of the 20th century. A duet with Teng was planned for the album, but unfortunately she died before this could be recorded. "Decadent Sounds" sold well despite initial negative criticism, and has come to be recognised as an example of imaginative covering by recent critics.


title: Faye Wong

text: Faye Wong along with her then yet-to-be husband and rock music icon Dou Wei, were the winner and the runner-up to the 1995 MTV International Viewer's Choice Award; claiming first and second-place respectively with the music videos ""Chess"" and ""Black Dream"".


title: Faye Wong

text: In December, she released her Cantonese album "Di-Dar" which mixes an alternative yodelling style with a touch of Indian and Middle Eastern flavour. This album was a success, partly because it was so different from the mainstream Cantopop music, but—ironically—a couple of very traditional romantic songs topped the charts.


title: Faye Wong

text: 1996 saw the release of what many would consider her boldest and most artistically coherent effort to date, "Fuzao" (浮躁), usually translated as "Restless" or "Impatience". This was her last album with Cinepoly, and Wong felt she could take more artistic risks. The album contains mainly her own compositions, with an aesthetic inspired by the Cocteau Twins, who penned two original songs for the album, "Fracture" (分裂) and "Repressing Happiness" (掃興). As Wong had covered their work in 1994, she had established a remote working relationship with them—even laying down vocals for a special duet version of "Serpentskirt" on the Asian release of the group's 1996 album, "Milk And Kisses".


title: Faye Wong

text: Although the album was Wong's personal favourite, the response from Hong Kong and Taiwan was less supportive. Many fans who enjoyed her previous three Mandarin albums turned their back on "Restless", which they considered to be too alternative and self-absorbed. There were few ballads which were radio-friendly and some became disenchanted with Faye's experimental style of recording. However, hardcore fans, known as Fayenatics, adored the album and it became a cult hit. Wong has not released another fully artistic album since. After the release, Wong became the second Chinese artist (after Gong Li)—and the first Chinese singer—to be featured on the cover of "Time" magazine.


title: Faye Wong

text: From 1993 to 1995, Cinepoly released an EP of Wong's songs each year: "Like Wind" (如風), "Faye Disc" (菲碟), and "One Person, Two Roles" (一人分飾兩角). Then in 1996–97, she recorded ten original songs in Cantonese all written by lyricist Lin Xi (林夕) and various composers, such as Wong Ka Keung, Adrian Chan, and Chan Xiao Xia, before her departure from Cinepoly. After her contract with Cinepoly expired, the company released eight of these songs in the two subsequent EPs entitled "Toy" (玩具) and "Helping Yourself" (自便). Although the EPs contained new songs—ballad hits like "Undercurrent" (暗湧), "Date" (約定), and "On Time" (守時)—and were welcomed by fans, they received lukewarm critical responses. The other two songs were included in later compilations; the last to be released was "Scary" (心驚膽顫) in 2002.


title: Faye Wong

text: Wong signed for the recording giant EMI in 1997 after her first daughter was born, in a contract worth HK$60 million (approx. US$7.7 million), to release 55 songs in five albums. While most of her earlier albums were sung in Cantonese, Wong has since sung almost exclusively in Mandarin, her mother tongue, although she recorded Cantonese versions of a couple of songs in each of her last four albums with EMI to please her Hong Kong audience. Having gone through a period of experimentation, Wong stated that she wished to make "music that I like. I do not care if others don't, though I would be delighted if they do".


title: Faye Wong

text: Her first album with EMI was "Faye Wong" (王菲), released in autumn 1997. Critics expecting another artistic breakthrough after 1996's "Restlessness" found—much to their dismay—a much more inoffensive and commercially oriented musical album. Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins wrote two original compositions for the album, but only one, "The Amusement Park" (娛樂場), was used. This release included an acoustic cover of the Cocteau Twins' "Rilkean Heart", renamed "Nostalgia" (懷念).


title: Faye Wong

text: This album is filled with feelings of lethargy, languor and disengagement, yet most of the tracks sound warm and sweet, as opposed to those piquant self-centered ones before her motherhood. Reporters noticed that she began to smile more often in public and was not as icy or aloof as before. However, the album was released during the Asian financial crisis which swept East and Southeast Asia. Wong's old company Cinepoly, which retains the copyright on her previous records, released a Mandarin compilation at the same time in 1997 to counteract her new EMI album (and indeed outperformed it). Later, Cinepoly would release two compilations each year to compete with Faye's new releases, a tactic which has come under fire from her international fans. "Faye Wong" did not sell well in Hong Kong, but did quite well in Taiwan and mainland China. Although Wong had garnered some popularity with her 4 previous Mandarin albums, it was really this sweet yet slightly alternative album which had the Mainland Chinese audience listening. Her profile began to rise sharply in Asia.


title: Faye Wong

text: In 1997 singer Na Ying signed with EMI and struck a lasting friendship with Wong. Na had been a regular at the annual "CCTV New Year's Gala", the highest-watched TV show in Mainland China, and she invited Wong to do a duet with her on the upcoming show in 1998. The collaboration by the "Mainland Diva" and "Hong Kong Diva", titled "Let's Meet in 1998", became an instant hit and arguably the most played song in Mainland China that year. Thanks to this exposure, in late 1998 Wong finally held her first concert in her native Mainland China, and continued her tour in 9 cities.


title: Faye Wong

text: "Sing and Play" (唱遊) was released in October, and contained four songs composed by Faye: the opening track "Emotional Life", "Face", "A Little Clever" and "Tong" (both written for her daughter, the latter produced by Dou Wei). Amongst other songs were "Give Up Halfway" (sung both in Mandarin and Cantonese), which was one of the more commercially successful tracks from the album, along with the successful ballad "Red Bean" (紅豆).


title: Faye Wong

text: It was the best selling Chinese album in Singapore in 1999. Together with "Lovers & Strangers" and the compilation album "Wishing We Last Forever", it gave Faye Wong 3 albums in the Singapore top 10 selling Chinese albums of 1999, making her one of the best selling artists in Singapore in 1999.


title: Faye Wong

text: The video game "Final Fantasy VIII" was released in Japan in February 1999, for which Faye Wong recorded the ballad "Eyes on Me" in English. It was the first time that a Japanese video game featured a Chinese singer for its theme. The "Eyes on Me" single sold over 335,620 copies in Japan and 500,000 worldwide, making it the best-selling video game music disc to that date, and winning "Song of the Year (Western Music)" at the 14th Annual Japan Gold Disc Awards. When the game was released in North America later that year, the theme song became very popular among gamers in the West; while it was not a mainstream hit there (as Wong had no desire to explore these markets), she gained many fans who were not previously familiar with her music.


title: Faye Wong

text: In March, she held two concerts in Nippon Budokan, with tickets for the first show on 11 March being sold out in one day and an extra show added on 12 March; she was the first Chinese singer to perform in that venue. Earlier in the year, Pepsi-Cola had made Wong a spokesperson, and after these concerts she shot the promotional music video for "Spectacular" (精彩), which Pepsi used in commercials.


title: Faye Wong

text: The album "Lovers & Strangers" (只愛陌生人) was released in late September, and sold over 800,000 copies, topping the charts in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. This was her first album after she parted from her husband Dou Wei, and her first without any musical collaborations with him since their relationship began. The title track was featured in Sylvester Stallone's remake of "Get Carter". Wong also became a spokesperson for JPhone in October, performing in several commercials which aired in Japan.


title: Faye Wong

text: In addition, she began filming for "2046" in August, a project she would pursue on and off over the next few years when her schedule permitted.


title: Faye Wong

text: The new millennium saw a shift in Wong's musical career with the album "Fable" (寓言). The prominent feature of this album is its segregated and distinguishable halves—songs in the first half of the album running in an almost continuous manner and in a format that is akin to a song-cycle, and the second half of discrete, chart-friendly numbers. The album itself derives its artistic merits from the first half, notable for its unique thematic and continuous sequencing of songs unprecedented in the Chinese music industry. The theme itself is ambiguous and the lyrics subject to multiple interpretations, though it is quite certain that the theme of "Fable" forms the main thematic reference, derived from the motivic elements of the prince and princess in fables and fairytales of European origins. Elements of spirituality, metaphysics and Buddhism hold an important place in the lyrics as well, penned by Lin Xi who has by then, been unanimously identified as Faye's lyricist "par excellence". Musically the arrangements display influences of drum and bass, electronica, east-west collage and lush string orchestral infusions.


title: Faye Wong

text: Her other activities during this year included the Pepsi promotional duet and music video of "Galaxy Unlimited" with Aaron Kwok, the filming of "Okinawa Rendezvous", as well as several concerts in China and Taiwan.


title: Faye Wong

text: By this time, Faye had forged a famous alliance with producer/musician Zhang Yadong (張亞東) and lyricist Lin Xi (林夕), often referred to by the HK public as the 'iron triangle'. However, due to Zhang Yadong's unavailability during this period (he was engaged on other projects), Faye decided to treat this last album with EMI as an experiment whereby she would collaborate with new producers/musicians/lyricists and 'see what their vision of her will be'.


title: Faye Wong

text: Nevertheless, the response from the public and critics alike were lukewarm at best. Faye herself admitted that she was not totally satisfied with some tracks, namely those produced by Taiwan 'father of rock' Wu Bai, which had an industrial electronica flavour reminiscent of Karen Mok's 'Golden Flower' album. She cited the two folk-style songs written by Singaporean singer-songwriter Tanya Chua as her favourite picks on her album. The song that generated most noise from the press turned out to be "Vertigo" (迷魂記), a ballad penned by former love Nicholas Tse. "Faye Wong" (王菲) reached number 14 on the Japan Oricon charts.


title: Faye Wong

text: While she was under contract with EMI and later Sony, she performed in the ensemble movie "2046" which had been in production since 1999 and finally wrapped in 2004. She performed at fund-raising concerts to benefit various charities, including ones that helped those who suffered from AIDS and SARS. She sang on tracks with other celebrities such as Tony Leung, Anita Mui, and Aaron Kwok. She also starred in a Japanese TV serial, "Usokoi", and the film "Leaving Me Loving You" with Leon Lai.


title: Faye Wong

text: The theme song for "Usokoi", titled "Separate Ways", was released as a single; it was one of her few Japanese songs (another being "Valentine's Radio"). She recorded several other solo non-album tracks, such as the eponymous hit theme song to "Hero" and a Buddhist song containing similar sounds to some of her work on her album "Fu Zao". In addition, she recorded a recitation of the Heart Sutra. Meanwhile, her former record companies released several more compilations and boxed sets of her records.


title: Faye Wong

text: For her Sony album "To Love" (將愛), released in November 2003, she recorded 13 tracks, 10 in Mandarin and 3 in Cantonese. She wrote the music and lyrics for 3 songs, the title track "To Love", "Leave Nothing" (不留), "Sunshine Dearest" (陽寶), as well as the music for "April Snow" (四月雪). Before the album's release, her Cantonese song "The Name of Love" (假愛之名), with lyrics by Lin Xi, was banned in some areas such as mainland China because the lyrics mentioned opium. According to interviews, she said that she preferred the Mandarin version of the song (the title track); she had penned these lyrics herself, and they made no reference to drugs. She also recorded "Passenger" (乘客), a cover of Sophie Zelmani's "Going Home". The album became more successful than her previous self-titled album, both financially and critically. Afterwards, she held numerous successful concerts for over a year.


title: Faye Wong

text: Faye Wong was awarded pan-Asian female artist of the year at the sixth CCTV-MTV Music Honors. At the 2004 Golden Melody Awards, she was awarded Best Female Artist after being nominated many times. Her acceptance speech, in which she quipped "I've known that I can sing, therefore I will also confirm this panel's decision", was controversial to the local Taiwanese media.


title: Faye Wong

text: In January 2005, during the last concert of her tour, the usually reticent Faye Wong left a quote that left her fans wondering: "If I ever retire from showbiz, I hope you all forget about me." In May 2005 her agent Katie Chan (陳家瑛) confirmed to press that Wong was "resting indefinitely". Two months later she wed actor Li Yapeng, and their daughter was born in the following year.


title: Faye Wong

text: In the four years that followed, Faye Wong would not return, ignoring Live Nation's offer of 100m-HKD, and even rejecting the 3m-yuan offer for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sing at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony on her birthday—the Beijing native was the unanimous choice of netizens, receiving over 63% of the tens of millions of votes cast in a CCTV online poll. The honour eventually went to Liu Huan.) She did, however, voluntarily perform for causes she truly cared about: she sang "Wishing We Last Forever" in May 2008 at a CCTV fundraising event for Sichuan earthquake victims, and "Heart Sutra" in May 2009 for a Buddhist ceremony at the Famen Temple.


title: Faye Wong

text: In May 2009, Wong appeared in an ad for "Royal Wind" shampoo, sparking speculation that it would be the first step in her comeback.


title: Faye Wong

text: In June 2009, a compilation of 3 CDs and 1 DVD was released by Universal Music and sold very well in the public.


title: Faye Wong

text: In recent years, Faye Wong completed an extensive concert tour, but is otherwise relatively inactive in the music industry. She has not announced any intention to produce further studio albums, although she has made occasional releases of a few singles. She does not attend music awards, nor was she involved in the promotion of her comeback concert tour, which was held in many different cities across Asia from October 2010 to June 2012.


title: Faye Wong

text: Her return was clearly marked in February 2010, when she performed at the CCTV New Year's Gala watched by over 700 million people, covering Li Jian's ballad "Legend". Later in July 2010, she first announced a series of comeback concerts starting from 29 October 2010 onwards, namely 5 in Beijing and another 5 in Shanghai. To satisfy huge overseas market demand, she declared to have more concerts in other cities of Mainland China, Taipei in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and also Singapore. The tour began in October 2010 and concluded in June 2012.


title: Faye Wong

text: Despite her lengthy absence, interest was overwhelming: in mainland China tickets worth nearly 200 million yuan (US$29 million) were taken up in just 10 days while in Taiwan the computerised ticketing system crashed due to excessive traffic, and 90 percent of the tickets were sold within two hours after it was restored. The story repeated itself in Hong Kong, with 93% of the tickets gone in one morning and 2 ticketing phone lines added to the existing 3, to cope with the huge demand.


title: Faye Wong

text: "Faye’s Moments Live 2016” was a concert which was held in Shanghai’s 8,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Cultural Centre on 30 December 2016. The concert was notable in that fans were able to watch a free live webcast via the Tencent Video website.


title: Faye Wong

text: In the early 1990s, Wong began a relationship with Dou Wei, a Beijing rocker of the band "Black Panther" who was much more famous in Mainland China. In June 1996, the couple married. Their daughter, Dou Jingtong (竇靖童, meaning "child of Dou and Jing" [from Wong's given name Jingwen]) was born on 3 January 1997. The baby's voice appears in the song "Tong" on the 1998 album "Sing and Play" (唱遊), as well as the title track of the album "Lovers & Strangers" (只愛陌生人) released in 1999. They divorced in late 1999 with Wong claiming the rights to the daughter and waiving child support.


title: Faye Wong

text: Wong began dating Mainland television actor Li Yapeng in 2004 in Beijing; their wedding took place in July 2005. Around the time of her wedding, her manager confirmed that she might take an indefinite break from the entertainment business. In January 2011, appearing for the first time with her husband on a talk show, Wong told host Yang Lan that the past 5 years of her married life has been "very steady, very satisfying". On 13 September 2013, Wong and Li announced that they had divorced.


title: Faye Wong

text: In 2014, rumours surfaced that Wong was back together with Nicholas Tse, whom she had dated in a high-profile relationship in 2000. The duo were photographed in Wong's apartment in Beijing in September 2014. They were seen doing housework, watching television and kissing.


title: Faye Wong

text: Faye Wong is a vegetarian. In 2008, Wong was voted "Asia's sexiest vegetarian woman" in the poll conducted among members of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and was again nominated for the award in 2010.


title: Faye Wong

text: In August 2006, Li Yapeng published a thousand-word public online letter, "Gratitude (感謝)", on his Sina.com blog. The letter served as an outlet for their gratitude towards all concerned parties, and confirmed rumours their daughter was born with a congenital cleft lip. He expressed their reason for seeking medical treatment in California: due to the severity of Li Yan's cleft, the special reconstructive surgeries she needed were not available in China. Citing a South American folk tale, Li described his daughter as a special child and her cleft as a mark of an angel. The couple has since established the Smile Angel Foundation to assist children with clefts.


title: Faye Wong

text: On 26 December 2006 Wong made her first public appearance since 2005 at the foundation's inaugural fundraising ball. She opted not to speak or sing, but her new composition "Cheerful Angel" (愛笑的天使) debuted at the event as the official theme song of the charity. At the second fundraising ball on 8 December 2007, Wong mentioned that although she would not return to her music career in 2008, she would consider it afterwards. However, she sang and produced an electronica-infused version of the Diamond Sutra for the event. For the foundation's publicity event on 27–28 November 2008, Wong and her husband visited children in Tibet who are in various stages of recovery after being cured with the help of the charity. To date, the foundation has raised over 35 million renminbi, including over 29.5 million from auctions during the three December fundraisers, and helped more than 2008 children.


title: Faye Wong

text: In May 2008, following the disastrous earthquake in Sichuan, the couple accepted a local girl who lost a leg trying to save her classmates, to their family as she underwent recuperation and treatments in Beijing. The middle school student returned to her hometown a year later but help would not stop; the Lis agreed to continue paying for her medical needs until she turns 22 and visit her at least once a year. In March 2012, the Smile Angel Foundation donated 15 million Japanese yen to ChildFund Japan to help needy children after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.


title: Faye Wong

text: In 2012, Smile Angel Foundation established China's first charity paediatric hospital. The Beijing-based hospital is expected to offer free surgery to 600 children with cleft lips each year and will start operations in June.


title: Faye Wong

text: In April 2010, the China Social Sciences Press recognised Wong as one of the 13 "richest souls" in China. In May 2013, Wong and Li topped the inaugural "China Celebrity Philanthropist List" compiled by the "China Philanthropist" magazine, which used a methodology designed to measure a celebrity's positive influence on charitable donations.


title: Faye Wong

text: On 19 May 2013, Faye sang four songs in a memorial concert celebrating Teresa Teng's 60th birthday, with a portion of the concert proceeds going to the charity. The concert is notable in that Wong's first song in the concert, Li Bai's "清平調", is a duet with Teng planned 18 years prior, using vocals from Teng released posthumously for the first time.


title: Faye Wong

text: In 2010, Sina Weibo users discovered Wong's microblog under the account "veggieg ", and unveiled a Faye Wong who is open, talkative and surprisingly funny with her use of cyberlanguage and puns. As of April 2014, the account had over 23 million followers, but it has not been active since early 2015.


title: Faye Wong

text: The focus of Faye Wong's concerts has always been on her vocal performance. She seldom dances or speaks to the audience, and there are generally no supporting dancers. There were two exceptions to the latter in the 1994–95 live concerts; first, many dancers joined Faye on stage for the lively song "Flow Not Fly". In the second half, Faye and a line of male dancers were menaced by a giant mechanical spider overhead during the song "Tempt Me".


title: Faye Wong

text: Another trademark is her unconventional fashion on stage. Her 1994 concerts were memorable for dreadlocks and extremely long sleeves, as well as for the silver-painted tears. She later said "I wore long sleeves because usually I don't have choreography; I don't know what to do with my hands." Her 1998 concerts saw her sporting the "burnt" cheek makeup, the "Indian chief" look, and the soleless strap-on boots. At the start of her 2003 concerts her headgear was topped by an inverted shoe supporting a very long feather, and her makeup for that concert went through several changes of painted eye-shades.


title: Faye Wong

text: She does not perform encores, and usually exits by sinking below the stage via a platform. After her release of Miyuki Nakajima's "Mortal World" (人間) in 1997, she ended her concerts for the next few years with this song while shaking hands with the audience, then taking a deep bow to a horizontal position before leaving the stage. However, during her recent Comeback Tour from 2010 to 2012, she ended with "Flower of Paradise" (彼岸花), a song from the album "Fable" (2000).


title: Faye Wong

text: She has given concerts in North America and Australia as well as many venues in East and Southeast Asia, including charity concerts. The key features of her four major concert tours are set out below.


title: Faye Wong

text: Dutch scholar Jeroen Groenewegen credits Wong's mass appeal to some of her perceived "cool" traits including autonomy, unique artistry and childishness. The part of Faye Wong's personality that resonated most with her audiences is her independence and her courage to be different. As she wrote for the lyrics of "No Regrets",


title: Faye Wong

text: Katie Chan, Wong's agent, once said "Faye does whatever she wants. ... it's really quite a miracle that she became a success."


title: Faye Wong

text: In addition, Faye Wong is seen and thus idolised by many as a woman willing to sacrifice for love. In 1994, on one of the many trips to Beijing to see Dou Wei, Hong Kong paparazzi from "Next Magazine" followed her and tracked her down. The photographs taken, showing her entering an unhygienic community toilet in a narrow hutong to dump urine—in sharp contrast to the modern and glamorous lives Hong Kong celebrities led—caused quite a stir, with some in Cinepoly fearing that her diva image would be tarnished. But many were impressed. As Taiwanese lyricist Chien Yao, who initially declined to write lyrics for Wong because he never met and knew very little about her, recalled in 2012,


title: Faye Wong

text: In 2004 and 2005, Faye Wong was ranked in the top five on the "Forbes" China Celebrity 100, as well as in 2011 and 2012 after her hiatus. In a 2011 "most popular celebrity in China" marketing study, she was also ranked in the top 5. In 2008, Wong was voted Asia's sexiest vegetarian woman in a poll run by animal rights group PETA. In 2009, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, a government web portal conducted an online poll on "The Most Influential Chinese Cultural Celebrity in the Past 60 Years"; out of 192 candidates, Wong received over 7 million votes, second only to the deceased Teresa Teng from Taiwan, Wong's own personal idol. In 2014, she was named one of the 10 most admired female singers in Asia by RHA media. Chen Tao, a China Radio International DJ, compares Wong's influence in the Sinophone world to Madonna's in America: "She represents a certain era of pop music, a certain trend, and a vision of being unique."


title: Faye Wong

text: In the 2010s, fans have started Faye Wong-themed small businesses in Beijing and Wuhan. Wong probably also has more Western fans than most of her C-pop peers, collectively referred to as "Fayenatics". Songs or albums specifically paying tribute to her include: