Can You Feel the Love? A Foreigner Takes China by Song

BEIJING, July 9, 2008 — -- Barry Cox got his start in China like many young foreigners often do: with a plane ticket, a few hundred dollars in his wallet and visions of adventures in the People's Republic.

However, unlike most expatriates who study Chinese or teach English in the People's Republic, the Liverpool, England, native hit the stage with a microphone and a few Cantonese pop songs that took him far beyond the local karaoke bar.

Today, Cox, 30, is one of the region's hottest rising stars, known as the "Egg Man" for crooning classic Cantonese ballads and belting out pop tracks in Cantonese, Mandarin and, once in a while, English.

Cox, who is known as Gok Pak-wing to local Chinese, couldn't always speak Cantonese. And six years ago, he wasn't much of a singer either.

As a young man, "I was never really a fan of singing," Cox said.

Finished with school at the age of 16, Cox was eager to try something new to set himself apart.

"I said to myself, 'Think about what you want to be doing 10 years from now.' I wanted to learn a language to make me stand out. First, I tried Spanish, but it didn't work out," he said.

"There's a Chinatown [in Liverpool]. So I thought, 'That's what I need to do!'"

Instead of signing up for classes, Cox befriended a Chinese family in Liverpool and visited its restaurant with high hopes.

"I went to the take-away [restaurant] a few times and I asked if I could learn Chinese."

As luck would have it, the owner's son was interested in improving his English. Cox and the owner's son became fast friends and language partners.

Unaware at the time that there are several Chinese dialects, Cox began learning Cantonese, slowly mastering its nine tonal variations.

Cantonese, the primary dialect spoken in Hong Kong and southern China, is often considered more difficult to learn than Mandarin, the country's official language, which originates from the north.

Logging time at the family's restaurant wasn't enough for young Cox.

He took jobs stocking shelves in Chinatown supermarkets and helping out at restaurants. He further immersed himself in the local Chinese community by taking Cantonese lessons at a language school and a cultural center in Liverpool.