The8 of Seventeen: how Chinese K-pop star went from martial arts student to performer, fashion icon and TV celebrity
- From the age of five, The8 grew up practising kung fu and wushu in Anshan, China, but his real love was watching reality and variety TV shows
- After competing in dance competitions, he moved to South Korea to try his luck at K-pop and made his debut for Seventeen in May, 2015
As the K-pop industry continues to grow overseas, China has become an important market – not only for its sheer number of potential fans but also as a source of new idols.
As a Chinese member of one of the largest and biggest-selling boy bands today in Seventeen, The8 has been important not only in helping the K-pop industry grow, but also showing that its stars can come from any background.
From his early days studying martial arts and dance to eventually becoming a songwriting fashion icon and TV star, get to know about The8’s multifaceted journey so far.
His early life
Xu Minghao was born in Anshan, in China’s Liaoning province, in November 1997. An only child, Xu grew up practising kung fu and wushu from the age of five. His ambitions to become a star were rooted in his love for reality-TV and variety shows.
He appeared in several of these shows as a child, and competed in dance competitions, before eventually moving to South Korea to pursue his dream of superstardom.
He trained for a year-and-a-half under Pledis Entertainment, the K-pop label that launched acts such as Son Dam-bi, After School and Nu’est, as a future member of the long-awaited boy band Seventeen.
