Han Geng: SM was too harsh, wanted to quit industry and open dance classes


Although his case with SM is still unfinished, former Super Junior member Han Geng has already embarked on is path of going solo: first solo album “Geng Xin”, Beijing solo concert in July, Shanghai Fan Meeting in August etc.

Before starting his interview with this reporter, Han Geng has already sat through several different interviews without a break. His manager and staff were all very tired and started munching on snacks, so the interview happened under a warm tea break environment, a huge contrast from the strict “You can’t ask one more question” environment of the SJ period.

“My current staff members are all my friends, I think it very good this way. It’s very humane.” In the interview Han Geng stated that it’s not that he did not have big companies approaching him hoping to sign him, “but I feel that the current state is very well.”

Decisively: Going solo because SM was too harsh

To an outsider, the news of Han Geng going solo was very sudden, it seemed like that he was just fighting along side with Super Junior just yesterday, and today you flip open the news paper and the headlines states: “Due to Unfair Treatment from his Company, Han Geng Requested Contract Termination form Korea SME Leaving Super Junior”. “Choosing to leave wasn’t because of a single event or several specific events, I think it was built up bit by bit,” Han Geng answered very carefully. However the geng fans out side of the interview room felt complaint on his behalf and said, “Once Han Geng went to the hospital to get an IV drip, but the in order to make the next event, his manager turned the drip to the fastest and when he realized that there’s little time left, he just ripped it out, without caring whether Han Geng’s heart can take it.” “Even when he comes to Beijing to perform, he can’t go home and get together with his mother because his company doesn’t allow it” “In a lot of songs, he doesn’t even get a single full line.” “His salary is not high to start with, but in China, he also gets used as a free translator.” ……

Han Geng did not confirm all the unjust treatment his fans pointed out, but he kept on stressing, “I hope to have a comfortable working environment, a humane staff” somewhat confirming SM’s inhumane strict rules in a different manner.

After firmly decided to return to China, Han Geng experienced a blank period in his career. In that period of not knowing what to next he expressed his confusion for the future, “I felt scared the first few days, how did the incident blow up so big? What will I do next? I calmed down later, even if I have to change careers, I’d rather be a teacher or a backup dancer! In the end I just adjusted my mentality.”

December 21st last year, when the news of him going solo flooded the internet, Han Geng arrived at Li Jiang with his mother. Although it was to relax, he didn’t do just sit around. Whenever he had time, he would go find the local English teacher to learn English. Using Han Geng’s words, “Well, since I’m just sitting around, I’ll learn some things since I have the time! I will enrich myself whenever I can!” Two weeks later, he adjusted his mood and returned to Beijing and immediately started dancing, working out, learning English and acting, waiting for a brand new life. “So how’s the case going?” Han Geng stated lightly, “I let my lawyers handle everything; I only know that it’s supposed to end on August 20th because I asked my manager. I learned dance professionally from a young ager, I was prepared for the worst “worst comes to worst I’ll open a class in Beijing and teach dance, traditional, ballet, any type is ok!”

Free: New Album’s Cover a result of an argument

Han Geng introduced to us that his current team is made up solely of his friends. His manager was an upperclassman from his university, whom he had know for 14 years; his stylist is also a very old friend; the boss of Le Hua Entertainment, which is in charge of his album is also a friend of his… Han Geng feels that in this working environment, everyone will be able to respect each other, and will be able to be more relaxed and more humane. For a lot of the details in work, Han Geng just let these friends take care of theme completely and since everyone has known each other for years, there is a very high degree of unspoken agreement, so he “really trusts them” In face of disagreement, Han laughed and stated, “Then we’ll “argue”! Like with my album cover, I was arguing with my staff, I wanted it to be half black, half white, but she said that pure white looked better. In the end I lost, she even comforted me and said, “I’ll listen to you next time”!

Having just began his solo career, when asked about how different he feels from the SJ period, he sighed, “the pressure’s too high”: “Before, in SJ, the concert would be split between 13 people, we only need to do our own job. Now, opening my solo concert, the pressure is higher, but I can better express myself. Before, in the groups, I needed to consider a lot of different things, now I can add in more of my own ideas.”

When talked about his “geng fans”, Han geng expressed gratitude, “everyone is very mature”. In the Han Geng Baidu Bar, geng fans have rules stating that, “there is no discussion about private relationships, only care for Han Geng’s career.” Han Geng said, “Every time they welcome me at the airport, they would keep a very far distance from me, taking initiative in leaving me a path, and even yell, “Do not touch him! Do not take pictures! Turn off your flashlights!”” all of these make him feel very moved.

Filial: First bucket of gold was given to his mother to open a dumpling store

In those days of struggle in Korea, Han Geng’s parents felt his hard work and pain, and often told him, “If it’s too tiring out there, just come back.” Just recently, Han Geng held his first solo concert, both his parents showed up, in the end both of them cried, “they don’t hope that I earn a lot of money, they don’t hope that become a super star, they only want to live my life happily, work happily and that’s enough,

As a son, Han Geng is very filial, knowing that his mother does not like boredom and likes to work in the kitchen; he gave the first 100,000 he earned to his mother so she could open a tiny dumpling restaurant in Beijing. Han Geng laughed and said, “I didn’t hope that my mom would earn a lot of money from this dumpling restaurant, I only wanted her to be happy and feel fulfilled in her life.” After that, when he heard that his mother was thinking of opening a beauty parlour, he once again gave his mother money in support. Han Geng told this reporter that although the parlour is not very big and only has four beds, when he’s tired, he would sometime visit his mother’s parlour and experience her massages and acupunctures, it makes him feel very happy.

In the beginning of the year, when rumours about his case was flying everywhere, some people on the internet claimed that Han Geng has a rich cousin who is willing to pay ten million to help him terminate his contract, causing much attention from the public. He said his real cousin is going to school in Hei Long Jiang, and is actually quite poor; he actually gives her some maintenance allowance every month, to support her education. In his memory, Han Geng was always very nice to his family, always financing this and helping that. Han Geng expressed, “Actually, my family is not as well off as people seem to think, so I help out whenever I can.”



Translated by Windchime@geng-bao.net
Shared by magicblood@sj-world.net
Edited by 3unam@sj-world.net
Source: Sina Ent. http://ent.sina.com.cn/y/2010-08-23/11453061125.shtml