Talented celebrity Rene Liu: spokesperson of the left-over women (Sheng Nu)

In the highly developed culture and entertainment market of China, the idolization of celebrities fulfils an obvious social function in terms of constructing contemporary forms of identity and community. Serving as models of persona, celebrities exert enormous influence over their fan groups. This chapter examines the classic left-over women icon created by the Taiwanese actress, singer, writer and director, Rene Liu (Liu Ruoying) —an icon created via her songs, film and television drama roles, concerts, prose writing, interviews and microblog entries. This chapter seeks to clarify how, through these many entertainment activities, Liu builds her public image and acts as a spokesperson for professional single metropolitan females. Further, this chapter discusses the controversial left-over women social phenomenon—a huge social issue involving government interference and campaign, public concern and debate in current China, which mirrors the vicissitudes and evolutions of love and marriage issues in China.