Aaron Kwok in his element at the April concert in Shanghai. Shao Hua / China Photo Press

Aaron Kwok says his upcoming Beijing concert will offer the same thrill and excitement as his last Shanghai performance. Zou Hong / China Daily

Hong Kong superstar Aaron Kwok has never failed to surprise at every turn of his more than 20-year long career. So will his upcoming Beijing show be any different? Chen Nan reports.

At 19, he was known for his flamboyant stage antics that would leave his fans screaming in delirium. More than two decades later, nothing much of the distinctive style of Aaron Kwok Fu-shing, now 46, has changed. While it was his talent for dancing and boyish good looks that set him on the path to superstardom, it is his indomitable spirit that has kept him there. "His pace is relentless," says his agent at a press conference announcing the upcoming Aaron Kwok De Show Reel World Tour Live in Concert 2011 - a two-day event at the capital's Wukesong Arena. "I just want everything to be as perfect as possible," says the well-groomed singer-actor in a neatly-pressed suit, looking unbelievably youthful. When a video of his last Shanghai concert in April - that earned the Hong Kong superstar a place in the Guinness Book of World Records - is played, he breaks into a dimpled smile and says audiences in Beijing can expect to experience the same thrill and excitement.

A highlight of that concert was the state-of-the-art 10 by 9 meter revolving stage that cost more than $1 million and needed five days to be set up.

Recalling that night in Shanghai, he says, "I laid down in the center of the stage breathing hard, as a deafening applause rose from the audience.

"It was an emotional moment for me as a performer."

Kwok has just released his 66th new album, Never Ending Love, with tunes as catchy and trendy as the music that made him a sensation across Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland decades ago. It also sees his cooperation with Taiwan pop sensation Jay Chou.

"I always challenge myself and attempt the seemingly impossible. That drive comes from my loyal fan base," he says.

In 1984, Kwok joined Hong Kong's TVB training course and immediately won recognition for his dancing talents. While performing in music videos and concerts for other established singers then, Kwok also received training in acting and played in some TV dramas.

His breakthrough came in 1990 with the release of his debut album, Loving You Forever, which made him one of the four most popular singer-actors in Hong Kong, the so-called "Four Heavenly Kings", along with Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai Ming and Andy Lau. Like the other "kings", Kwok picked up many best-singer and best-performer awards in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Kwok wasn't exactly an overnight sensation, however, with critics saying he had neither singing nor acting talents to recommend him. They would only concede he was a good dancer.

Despite the criticism, Kwok pushed his limits. He tried to make every concert an extravaganza and experimented with a variety of roles. It is said the only concert DVD of a Chinese singer bought by the late King of Pop Michael Jackson was of Kwok's live show in 1994. He has also won two Golden Horse Best Actor awards, one for playing a demented detective in Divergence in 2005 and the other for the role of a brutish father in After This Our Exile in 2006.

"I am productive in singing and acting because I have always wanted to prove myself. Hong Kong people live under great pressure. And the pressure just intensifies in showbiz," Kwok says.

Not that he is complaining, though. The star works to a schedule and is deadline driven.

"I don't want to repeat myself so I come up with new dance moves and play different roles on screen," Kwok says. "You should do something which challenges you. The more complex they (the roles) are, the more attractive they are to me."

He celebrated the 20th anniversary of the start of his showbiz career in 2010. And, characteristically, it was not with holiday travel or a rest at home but with a new album and a new movie, The Detective 2, sequel to the 2007 film which earned him a best-actor nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards for his role as a private investigator.

Even as he prepares for his world tour, he has also been promoting mainland director Gu Changwei's Love for Life, about a village whose inhabitants are infected with HIV/AIDS in a blood-selling scheme. In it, Kwok plays a farmer who has to contend with his own failing health and widespread censure when he decides to marry a fellow HIV carrier (played by Zhang Ziyi).

Looking back on his career, he says had he not decided to become a performer, he would "definitely" have taken over his father's jewelry shop in Wan Chai.

"I never thought of becoming a pop icon. I was lucky because there was a shortage of performers who could dance as well as sing back then," Kwok, who has had no musical training, says. As to competition from the younger generation, he says he is not worried.

"It's wonderful to be confident about what you present to the audience," he says. "Some say I have been shifting my focus to movies in the past few years but I believe the world tour will remind people that I am a singer."

Looking to the future Kwok says marriage is not a priority. "I have so many dreams such as having my own musical and directing my own music videos. I want to make them true before I am too old," he laughs.