Z.Tao playlist -- and some Xu Yiyang thrown in

In between episodes (and another drama), and in the wake of the announcement that Z.Tao finally made public his relationship with Xu YiYang, I was listening again to their songs. Xu Yiyang has a style that is very different from Tao's very special Cpop. Samples below (the links in blue lead directly to the songs on Youtube ; links last checked on 24.05.02)

Z.TAO  (soft taster)

•   Expose, one of the best sweet songs from the drama The Brightest Star In The Sky                                [Expose (揭穿) The Brightest Star in the Sky Drama OST]
•   Beggar, the thrilling MV of Tao's best known song    [ZTAO - Beggar  01/2018]
•   Reluctantly  lyrics MV                  [ZTAO (黃子韜) - Reluctantly Lyrics]
•   Reluctantly /  舍不得 She Bude ("movie" clip version 10/2015)
•   Crown, lyrics MV                            [Z.Tao (CROWN) lyrics]
•   Crown/皇冠 Huang Guan MV (second dramatic "movie" clip, following the Beggar one)
•  You are the rest of my life (from the OST of Legally Romance) 2022 stage version
•  Cross The Line -                               [Z.TAO 黄子韬 - 越界 (Cross The Line) Lyric Video]                                              I already thought he wrote it with Xu YiYang in mind at the time ;)

23-10-10 An alleged eyewitness claimed, "At the #1 nightclub in Gangnam, Korea called 'Race,' where celebrities and idols go to hang out. Huang Zitao came to party at 'Race' with his girlfriend... Huang Zitao confessed his love to Xu Yiyang at the nightclub in Korea. Is this an official announcement? I wish them well."

XU YIYANG

                                                                                         From her Weibo 

• *  Miss Freak  a song from Chuang 2020 fit for coming Halloween, with Xu Yiyang as center ;                          (Miss Freak Chuang 2020 stage)
• * Ice Cream, performed by Z.Tao and Xu Yiyang in August 2020 ;     [Ztao ft. Xu Yiyang * ICE CREAM *@AUTOHOME Hunan tv  818 FESTIVAL*]  or the Chuang 2020 version [although it's another trainee, Sun Ruyun, who hugs Z.Tao from behind, and Xu Yiyang is the long haired one back in the group]
  
• * Z.Tao guiding XuYiyang bts for the 2020 song Listen) ; Xu Yiyang's Listen MV lyrics ;                                   ( Z.TAO " Produce & Composed on Xu Yiyang solo debut song *LISTEN*) and    ( [ eng.sub.]ZTAO@ LTAO Ent.("VLOG PART2"RECORDING on Xu Yiyang song *LISTEN) ;   ( Xu Yiyang (徐艺洋) -'Listen (聆听)'- Lyrics)
• *  Xu Yiyang's 2021 Gravity, the song she keeps as introduction to her Weibo page ;                                      (徐艺洋Xu Yi Yang《会不会再见(Gravity)》MV)
• * Xu Yiyang's 2021 Gravity MV lyrics       (徐艺洋Xu Yiyang-会不会再见（Gravity）【COLOR CODED LYRICS PINYIN)
• * Playlist of 14  Xu Yiyang songs        (XU YIYANG PLAYLIST | 徐艺洋的歌单)
  

Z.TAO (his Cpop)

Z.Tao performing YKYB (01:17) with the "CEOs" of Hello Saturday show of 2023.10.21, in which he introduced the drama "My Precious" together with Rain Wang/Wang Herun, who was also taking part in the variety show.   [MV with translation]

Mask (from his Weibo 2023.10-22   04:02)  [MV with translation]

*  Tao's  June 2023 concert in Qingdao - raging rap! so energetic!       ([Eng Sub] 230610 Z.TAO Performing At Douyin 2023 Wonderful Music Party in Qingdao)

*  "T.A.O"., Tao's statement of independence of Cpop, severing ties with SM, back in 2014       (Lyrics Z.Tao 黄子韬 T.A.O [Pinyin/Chinese/English]  "movie clip" MV directed by Colin Tilley 07/2015)

*  His iconic Nanjing 2016 The Road concert, full - ([HD] 160501 ZTAO "The Road" concert in Nanjing full edition) + "movie clip" version of The Road, 04/2016.

one of my personal favorites among many concerts by many cpop and mandopop singers... Tao's "One Heart" song is so sweet! (Lyrics Z.Tao 黄子韬 One Heart [Pinyin/Chinese/English)   I often come back to it, although I listen to many many other singers, in many different styles. I've put in the playlist, because it is also a musical statement, but there are parts recordings with better sound. like this next and last one for this sampler:

* Adore   from the 2016 Nanjing concert     (ZTAO - Adore in Nanjing 2016)

Next project

"The first chapter of Z.Tao's new album "30's Club" was officially released." (Nov1, 2023) Besides, he  was to perform those songs in the Guangzhou concert scheduled for Nov.17-18. The first part features songs :

• "Sink" (Lyrics MV with English translation; total Chinese version); 
• "White Horse";  
• "Nobody" (written in collaboration with  Knowknow -here in Spanish+ English version.  
•  "Paradise"...  

"I looked forward to the concert stage !?    This was a new style attempt, and many friends of his did participate. "

Some YouTube channels to check for listening and watching Z.Tao music (and more, checked 2023.11.11):

•    Zitao Fans Planet Bd   @zitaofansplanetbd‧910 subscribers‧36 videos 
•   BaiduHuangZitaoBar  47,000 subscribers‧675 videos  incl. 34 lyrics videos
•    ZTAO  @ZTAO‧801K subscribers‧60 videos 
•    noviaini  @noviaini‧34K subscribers‧1.7K videos
•    All ZTao Songs  (from ZTAO Myanmar Fans ) 65 videos   [Last updated on Aug 3, 2022]    and              Z.Tao IS BLUE Track List   22 videos  [Last updated on Dec 9, 2020]

The most recent songs up till April 13, 2024  "Lights" (sung with his friend Luhan) are mentioned in  the 2023-2024 Projects section of the Z.Tao profile with links to listen.

Enjoy!

                                                                                                              this  playlist was last checked July 15, 2023

To view the list of my other drama companion pieces (with links to them), check : HERE.

231028 Z.TAO Performing At Asian Youth Music Festival in Nanjing (click on pic for full concert)

He was born on May 2, 1993, Chinese zodiac Rooster and star sign Taurus. And he is afraid of live chicken!! (*) Happy family in 1995-1996 with his dad Huang Zhongdong and his mom, who remains a close supporter for him (2020 picture). Z.Tao and his dad :

He was briefly taunted with a "Peacock" moniker by a Chinese TV host in 2012.06.09 Happy Camp (cut of the show after sports), who was making fun of his flashy outfit [more from that show].  Tao acknowledged in the show his "Baby Panda" nickname (because he often had dark circles under the eyes and he often needed more sleep. But his martial arts skills commanded respect like in this other performance. 2011.12.27  Teaser from "Exoplanet Tao" for the "Metal" song Huang Zitao was also good at other sports such as diving (this GIF shows him diving) :

Hailangs at the 2017 Macau concert (where he changed outfit on stage! and regaled the audience with some "cute poses". (full concert linked to picture) - Blue light sticks were used before one challenge led to the design of this one, sold on Alibaba: flashmob by hailang for Z.Tao before his July 2018 Is Good concert in Wuhan. Exo Tao in 2013

Huang Zitao (黄子韬) / Z.Tao was born on May 2, 1993, in Qingdao, Shandong, the only son of Chinese billionaire Huang Zhongdong.  From a news item online : "Mr Huang Zhongdong shared in a 2016 interview that he owns four to five mansions in Qingdao alone, and that his Beijing company has assets of over 20bil yuan (US$4bil). Huang Zhongdong was named the seventh richest man in Qingdao back in 1997.

Despite his loving family, and martial arts training to complement his studies at the Foreign languages school in Qingdao, and the sports competitions where he achieved championship, he had a rebellious streak and a longing to make a name for himself, independently, in music. At the end of 2010, he was spotted by SM's talent scouts and signed to be their trainee at a talent show. On December 27, 2011, he first appeared in public under the stage name TAO. 

In 2012, he officially debuted as a member of EXO-M.  He joined five other Chinese dancers and singers, and six Koreans. EXO was a leading group in K-pop and also promoting in China, with the cooperation of the Chinese members. Among their most well known works were the two versions of Growl in  2013.
	He featured in two songs from Zhou Mi's 2014 album Rewind, which he penned the rap lyrics to. (Zhou Mi, born 周觅 in 1986 in Wuhan, China, also known as Zhoumi  조미, Jo Mi / Ju Myeuk, is a Chinese singer, songwriter, actor, MC and radio DJ under SM Entertainment.)

In late 2013,  MBC's celebrity diving program Splash! show was cancelled due to injuries to multiple contestants including Huang Zitao. The next year he was a member of the SBS reality television program "Laws of the Jungle" in 2014. He left the show early due to a foot injury on a coral reef during filming in the Solomon islands. He had other scheduled commitments, but did not get enough time to heal and get proper medical attention, so the ligament was damaged, causing great pain and jeopardizing his mobility.  He, and other injured members of EXO were driven to tears by the inability to perform. Next, Kris Wu and Luhan left the group to go to China, and Lay Zhang Yixin also left (although without breaking the contract as the other two did). Despite his condition and despair about his prospects with EXO, Huang Zitao was adamant that he would stay in the group. But his health worsened and his father took action on his behalf, sending him to California to seek treatment and helping him sue the company to break the 10 year contract with SM Entertainment. 

From 2018, Huang Zitao, back in China, launched a new style of singing (C-pop), an entertainment company (LTao), and later, took responsibility after September 2020 for his widowed mother, and for his family's companies and fortune, becoming a multi faceted CEO, businessman involved in games, fashion boutiques and a new brand, producer, while still pursuing his dreams of concerts, recordings, acting in movies, dramas, variety shows; and finding the perfect soulmate for his future marriage after a long open secret relationship, made public in the announcement of the proposal in 2024.  

(*) Z.Tao said he was not afraid of tigers, but this Rooster chickens out faced with a hen ! (He is also afraid of snakes and bugs.)

From a variety show where participants were sent to "boot camp" in 2016-2017:  Takes a Real Man Season 2. (It can be watched complete with English subtitles on Youtube).  Z.Tao participates or initiates many variety shows with all sorts of themes, even "sleeping" !

back to Table of Contents.

EXO-M Idol	EXO rapper TAO	Brave Man TAO
2021 left arm "Young King Young Boss", Ace tattoo.  mirror image explanation -->		"NEVER  GETTING OLDER"

His unconventional thinking streak is embodied in his tattoos. Tao got himself a tattoo after the 2016 show Takes A Real Man (in which he experienced life in the army, together with some other celeb friends, including Yang Mi - video excerpt ;   full 13 episodes no subtitles). He once explained it thus: "I got the Chinese Special Forces tattooed [on my right arm] : that type of honor is something I will never forget. I have also a tattoo about my career as Young King Young Boss [on my left arm]; Ace is a trump card and that means everything I do, I have to make the best of. But I won't compete with others.  Such things as I'm better than you, I obtain more than you, or I'm richer than you, never existed in my life. The only enemy I want to surpass is myself.  I want to be the best Ace, the best Huang Zitao.  Moreover the English words tattooed on my back, Never getting older: many people like to bring age into everything, but I think age is not important. If your soul is young, you're never old. Even if my face is full of wrinkles and I get white hair, if my heart is young I'm forever young. Because a body is only a body, it's your soul that matters. If your soul isn't old, no matter how old your body is, you're forever young. Because your heart and soul are connected."  (FB , August 23, 2021 video)  -  

The same year, while official authorities were cracking down on “overzealous” fan culture, he reacted to fans who were going overboard, who commented on his staff while professing to stan him : " Let me be blunt. I pay attention to reality. I listen to myself. I’ve never listened to fans’ suggestions. I don’t know when this trend started, of taking better, faster, pictures. So flashy. -- “Why yell at my employees if you have an opinion about the clothes and hair styles that I decided myself? You think they can sway me? If you like flashy people, then you won’t like me. Go find someone who will take pictures for you every day. Find someone who will listen to your opinion. It’s useless to me, alright? You’re not getting it and you’re making me say it bluntly. [If] you have time to type out critiques and yell at people, why don’t you call your family, go to class, go to work.”  (Radii) 

Later that year, he had a full coiling dragon and pearls tattoo completing the skin art on his right arm. And he is not through with ink : in 2024, he sports a new one on the neck !

Z.Tao work-out at L.Tao with coach in 2023

加我扮丝团 [Jiā wǒ bàn sī tuán : join me in the silk group]

back to Table of Contents.

Being the heir to a huge fortune, perhaps the wealthiest c-ent celeb, he has also been generous with disaster relief funds, in particular but not exclusively for his birth city of Qingdao.  He is also a producer in c-ent, as well as a host, mentor, judge, and participant in variety shows, where he is appreciated by many of his peers, some of whom have been friends for many years ; among those are LuHan (for whom he rushed over-land to show support for his friend's concert in July 2023), Jackie Chan who considers him as a sort of godson (Tao has been practicing martial arts since the age of 5, and weaved some of those skills into his musical stage performances too), and some hiphop and rap artists who he regularly has as guests and performers together with him in his concerts.  Z.Tao speaks rather fluent Korean and English and can talk in sign language which he learned because he has a deaf friend called ‘ChenChen’, who was friends with him since childhood.

Z.Tao and ChenChen in 2021 + The collection of 2021 recorded birthday wishes from his friends in c-ent (Wang Yibo, Mao Buyi, Liu Yuning etc)   ...  SALUTE! Jackie Chan and Z.Tao reminiscing about Railroad Tigers, June 25, 2022 On Z.Tao's team of "We are the Champions" S2 TV e-sports competition in 2023 :   Lǐ Jùnháo 李俊濠  Xú Yìyáng 徐艺洋  Doggie (Yáo Hàoyuè  姚皓月) ; Z.Tao met old and new gamer friends:  Huáng Mínghào 黄明昊 , Zuǒ Lì  左立 etc YungK2 is a rapper signed by LTao early on (wearing the company LTao-YKYB Tshirt) Making a splash with Jacky Heung, post to Douyin on 24.04.27.

Tao and Luhan reunited in Beijing. Luhan's concert, which took place on July 30 2023 (snippet here) July 9 2023 - With E-pop unity host, Victor Ma (Mǎ Bóqiān 马伯骞) LTao artists and others. (variety show)    Z.Tao appreciates fellow rap artists such as KnowKnow (丁震, Zhen Ding), also known as DZ, who originated from the hip-hop group Higher Brothers, itself part of the much larger rap collective Chengdu Rap House (成都说唱会馆) aka CDC (Chengdu City).  27 years old in February 2024 when he had his first solo stage, KnowKnow has written songs for and sung together with Z.Tao :  Mask , Richard, Paradise ... His birthday is on May 3, just one day later than the one of Z.Tao, but he is 3 years younger. Jacky Heung  (Hong Kong actor and producer, 39 years old, lives in Beijing with wife Hayden Kuo and children). Huang Minghao (Justin)  famous singer ; and artists on the LTao label from 2020 onward:  Xu Yiyang,  Shi Xitong, Ming Liang, Lin Yuxiu, Zhong Junyi.

Above: other friends invited to the April 29, 2024 engagement ceremony (Madina and Jiang Chao are married); Huang Yi did not come with her husband, Xie Rudong is both a friend of Z.Tao and a producer, company chairman, professor, with a collection of impressive titles.  AK is a close friend and member of LTao "gang".

All this makes for a complex personality, a person who is unapologetic about his choices and affirms his belief in himself, urging his followers to do the same (in his songs and actions, despite the heartaches he has met and not concealed) . So, his attitude has also triggered jealousies and even haters who harshly criticize and scold him for his haircut and makeup, or look down on the dreams he still wishes to fulfill...  Some of his songs embody his thoughts about the use of social media (Moments/WeChat) and 2021 Haters.

PETS

Kandy the Maltese toy dog

Ace the border collie and another video from when Ace was still a puppy

He is a serious and responsible dog owner, starting with his beloved 9 years old white fluff-ball Maltese, named Kandy, and his 2+ years old energetic border collie Ace. 

So, the theme of the My Precious drama was bound to appeal to him, also at a time when he still needed healing from personal grief (his father died suddenly, still in his prime, on September 11, 2020).  Conception of this veterinarian hospital drama  started in 2020-2021, and the drama was completed in May 2022, before airing in October 2023.

back to Table of Contents.

You can watch the dramas by clicking on platform name.

Huang Zitao (as Da Hai) in Railroad Tigers (2016 movie) * , starring Jackie Chan (as Ma Yuan), Fang Zu Ming (as Rui), Wang Kai (as Fan Chuan) ; available on VIKI.	Forward Forever (2020) drama * ; Prince Chong Liming (Z.Tao), friend of Ah Yi (Jackson Yee 易烊千玺), with Yu Chu (Hu Bing Qing 胡冰卿) and Ma Li (Miranda Ma Zehan 马泽涵). 58 episodes on Youtube
(* GIF from ztaoh on Tumblr)	Hot Blooded Youth (2019) when Huang Zitao (as Wu Qian)  meets "Huang Zitao"  * - The drama also featured Zhang Xueying (as He Hongyi) and Liu Yuning (as Wei ChengFeng) - 58 eps. on VIKI.

Yang Mi's Goodnight kiss from Tong Wei to Xie Xiaofei in Negotiator (2018)  43 episodes on VIKI. My Precious (2023 drama ; Z.Tao as Shen Mi, Rain Wang Herun 王鹤润 (as TianTian) ; 40 episodes on VIKI.	My GIF from the nice fan-made MV (linked) using the song Expose from the drama The Brightest Star In the Sky (2019), in which Z.Tao plays as Zheng Boxu, and Janice Wu Qian 吴倩 as Yang ZhengZheng. 44 episodes on VIKI.  Legally Romance (2022 drama) ; Z.Tao as Lu Xun, Song Zu'er (as Qian Wei) ; 33 episodes on VIKI.
Four iconic roles (GIF compiled by z.tao_ar)	New Vanity Fair (2023 drama) ; Z.Tao as Song Yan, Wu Gang 吴刚 (as Ding Ke Mang), Sun Yi (as Ding MoMo), Liu Bei (as Jiang Ye) ; 40 episodes on Youtube. A Chinese Odyssey - Dream of Eternity (2017) : Z.Tao as Monkey King, Zhao Yi 赵艺 (as Zi Xia), Yin Zheng 尹正 (as Tang San Zang), Liu Tianzuo 刘天佐  (as Zhu Ba), Swan Wen Xin 温心 (as Qing Xia) ; 54 episodes x 45'  /22 episodes (cut) on Youtube.

Z.Tao stars in a handful of interesting movies and dramas since 2015. Among the 6 movies and 9 dramas he appears in, he  received recognition for his leading roles in the dramas :

•  Negotiator (2018,  33 x45' episodes available on VIKI)  
  • as "Xie Xiaofei", heir to a large multinational business, helped in his tribulations by negotiator "Tong Wei" (Yang Mi) ;
• The Brightest Star in the Sky (2019, 夜空中最闪亮的星, 44 x45' episodes available on VIKI) 
  • as "Zheng Boxu", pop star, alongside Janice Wu (Wu Qian) as "Yang ZhenZhen" his resourceful P.A. 

Z.Tao also starred in the following dramas:  

• My Precious    (2023, 甜蜜的你, 40 x45' episodes available on VIKI), 
  • as "Shen Mi", heir to a pharmaceutical company, with Rain Wang/ Wang Herun as "TianTian", trying to save a small vet clinic.
    
• New Vanity Fair (2023,  春日暖阳, 40 episodes on Youtube), 
  • as "Wu Qian" aspiring stage actor under the stern rule of veteran "Ding Ke Mang" (Wu Gang) ;
• Legally Romance, (2021,  才不要和老板谈恋爱, 33 episodes available on VIKI), 
  • as "Lu Xun", lawyer and boss of "Qian Wei" (Song Zu'er), his former classmate, in a sort of time travel romance and thriller ;
• Forward Forever (2020,  热血同行, 58 episodes available on Youtube), 
  • as "Prince Chong Liming" in a Republican era drama ;
• Hot Blooded Youth (2019, 热血少年 58 episodes available on VIKI), 
  • as "Wu Qian"in a drama about youths fighting tyrants in 1930s Shanghai gangland;
• A Chinese Odyssey: Love of Eternity (2017,  大话西游之爱你一万年, 22 episodes available on Youtube in shortened version), 
  • as "Zhi Zun Bao" the Monkey King in a comedic spinoff from the classic tale. 

But he hardly appeared in :

• Moon Man (2022 ; 120' only available on dramacool)  独行月球 dúxíng yuèqiú, starring Shen Teng 沈腾, Ma Li  马丽, Z.Tao had a cameo in this thrilling and sometimes comedic 122' science fiction movie.
• Exo Next Door (2015, 16 short episodes on Youtube)  Korean short youth series, almost extended ad for the EXO group filmed shortly before Z.Tao left it.  It's focused on the Korean members of EXO so the Chinese ones hardly appear.
• You Are My Sunshine (2015, 何以笙箫默,  120' on Youtube) movie where he debuted as the almost unnoticeable "William" alongside Wu Qian, who would become his co-star in TBSITS and Yang Mi, his co-star later, in Negotiator. (Yang Mi and Huang Xiaoming were starring in that adaptation of a romance novel by Gu Man, who was also screenwriter).
• The Miracle (2013, Korean short series, 3 x 5'40 on Youtube)  : "This short film is a part of the "2013 SBS Friendship Project" and it parodies the drama The Master's Sun and The Heirs."  It is much too short, difficult to understand for the non Korean speakers, and will only appeal to fans of those long ago Korean idols.  Z.Tao briefly appears at the back of the group walking in and out in ep.3 and does not have even a line to speak or sing or some moves to make. 
• That Love Comes (2010, 欢迎爱光临, 12 x30', the c-drama is only available on dramacool )

Legally Romance 2021	New Vanity Fair 2023	My Precious 2023	DRAMAS (The posters link directly to the dramas or movies)
Forward Forever 2020	The Brightest Star... 2019	Hot Blooded Youth 2019	Negotiator  2018
2010	SK, 2013	SK, 2015	A Chinese Odyssey... 2017
MOVIES	Moon Man 2022	Don't  Forget Your... 2018	Edge of Innocence 2017

(Concert documentary) 2012-2015

You Are My Sunshine 2015

Railroad Tigers 2016

The Game Changer 2017

The most interesting movies he played in are :

• Railroad Tigers (2016, 铁道飞虎, starring Jackie Chan, who became somewhat a mentor for him; 130' on VIKI), 
  • as "Da Hai" Dongbei village freedom fighter in a comedic action thriller about the sabotage of a railroad to hinder supplies of Japanese occupiers ; 
• Edge of Innocence (2017 ; 夏天十九岁的肖像 /Portrait of a 19 year old, 102' on Youtube), 
  • as "Kang Qiao" young biker, with Yang Cai Yu as "YingYing", Calvin Tu as "Zhao Ying", Vivien Li as "Julie";
• The Game Changer (2017 游戏规则; 126' on Youtube), 
  • as "Fang Jie", gang member, with Gulinazha ("Qianqian"), and buff Peter Ho ("Li Zihao"), in a bloodbath action movie, under the beady eye of Wang Xueqi as "Tang Hexuan".

He also appeared in the very short fashion and idols clip ad movie Don't Forget Your Original Heart (2018; 10'36 on bilibili), and in the feature length documentary and BTS, SM TOWN The Stage (2015), 107' about global concert SM TOWN LIVE (But only a 36' part is available on Youtube).

Z.Tao as senior detective MVP agent in The Detective's Adventures 2024

 Since 2012 (120609 at Happy Camp, picture and link above), he has taken part in multiple reality or variety shows, either as guest, regular member, host, mentor or producer.

TALK SHOWS (Dates are for the show total run) ; [in square brackets, approx dates when Z.Tao took part, when known]	Happy Camp (1997-2021) [2012, 2014,  2016, 2018]	Day Day Up (2008-2021 before changing focus)  [2015]	(SK, Oct 2009-May 2016)	The Ultimate Group (2014) [2014]
Beep Plan  (2018) [2018]	Hey! What are. You Doing (2020) [2020]	Hello Saturday(2023) [2023]

He has engaged in talk shows or variety shows mixing interviews and entertainment such as Happy Camp (in 2012,  2014, 2016.08.13, and 2016.08.26,  2018 ; some recorded cuts relevant to Z.Tao are linked to dates) ;  Day Day Up (in 2015) ; The Ultimate Group (in 2014, ep 5 /7) ; Beep Plan (2018).  The participants are typically interviewed, show their productions, perform, and play party games. - In 2020, he was in ep2 of the self-recorded show Hey! What Are You Doing! (in confinement) ; in 2023 he was a guest of episode 40 of Hello Saturday (a show that crosses borders with music and other games shows ; the poster links to that episode where he made a royal entry with his fellow musicians!)

MUSIC  SHOWS	(SK - 1998 on)	Weekly Idol (SK 2011, on) [2012]	Show Time (SK 2012, on) [2012]	Immortal songs (SK 2011, on)[2013]
(SK 2013, on) [2013]	Let's Sing Kids (SK 2013) [2013]	Exo's Showtime (SK 2013-14) [2013-14]	Exo Oven Radio  (SK 2013) [2013]	Exo's First Box (SK 2014) [2014]
XoXo Exo (SK 2014) [2014]	Exo 90: 2014 (SK 2014) [2014]	SurpLines Exo (SK 2015) [2015]	Let's Sing Kids (2015) [2015]	Rap for Youth (2020) [2020]
We are Waving (2023) [2023)	e-Pop Unity (2023) [2023]

As a trainee and idol, he has been part of many shows revolving around music, such as guest of South Korea programs Music Bank, Weekly Idol (ep 103, 108 in 2012), Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend   (in 2013), Let's Sing, Kids! Season 1 and 3 (in 2013 and 2015).  He was main host in 2013 for EXO's Showtime ; EXO Oven Radio ; 2014 EXO's First Box and XOXO EXO ; 2015 SurpLines EXO...   In 2020, he was mentoring in the Chinese showcase of rap music in Rap For Youth, together with well-known musicians Victor Ma, Ma Siwei, MC Hotdog (see the playlist of BTS and more on the link to the poster).  In 2023, he was a guest of We Are Waving and promoting e-pop again with Victor Ma and friends in e-Pop Unity 2023 (full  playlist of the 11x2 parts episodes linked to the poster, on YouTube)

SURVIVAL GAME SHOWS	Street Dance of China (2018) [2018]	Produce 101 (2018) [2018]	Dance Smash (2019) [2019]	Produce Camp (2020) [2020]
Sisters Making Waves (2021) [2021]	Youth π Plan   (2023) [2023]

Back in China, he was the initiator and national producer of Produce 101 (aka Chuang 2018 - available on Youtube, with English subtitles), a survival show modeled on the South Korean eponymous show, rewarding the winners, weeded out from a big class of 100+, by funding a temporary group (such as Bon Bon Girls, in Produce Camp 2020, where Z.Tao was one of the mentors -available on Viki with English subtitles).  The more modest format of Sisters Who Make Waves S2 (2021) was a competition for 30 female artists over 30, in which Z.Tao was a guest of ep.12 (appearing in the end of part 1 to hand out awards on the recording on Youtube with English subtitles) ; whereas Youth π Plan (2023) had participant under 30 compete through 7 co-creation stages with different themes : Z.Tao was a guest for ep.8.   He was also the host of Street Dance of China (2018) and Dance Smash (2019).  

COMEDY or SLEUTHING GAME SHOWS	(SK  2005-2018)  {2015]	(SK 2010, on) [2014]	Real Hero (2015) [2015]	Ace vs Ace (2016) [2016]
Ace vs Ace (2017) [2017]	The Detectives' (2021) [2021]	The Detectives' (2023) [2023]	Ace vs Ace (2023) [2023]	The Detectives' (2024) [2024]

He also took part in comedy variety shows or problem-solving game shows such as Running Man (ep 171), Real Hero (2015), Ace vs Ace (2016 ;  2017 ep1,  and 2023, ep7 phonecall)...  He has been a member of The Detective's Adventures Season 1 (2021), 3 (2023), and 4 (2024). (A recording of a BTS of April 29 is linked to the poster above)

SPORTS THEMED SHOWS

(SK 2013) [2013]

(SK 2014) [2014]

(SK 2015) [2015]

(2024) [2024]

He was a competitor in sports themed television shows  such as 2013 Idol Star Athletics Championships New Year Special ; 2014 Idol Star Athletics Championships ; and 2015 Idol Star Athletics Championships New Year Special.  He is announced to be a guest of the upcoming badminton and other raquet sports show 挥拍正青春.

REALITY SHOWS AT HOME OR ABROAD	(SK 2014) [2014]	Law of the Jungle  (2016) [2016]	Takes a Real Man  (2016-2017) [2016-17]	The Protectors (2019) [2019]
The New Journey  (2022) [2022]

He traveled the world and got injured in some of the more challenging reality shows sending participants to foreign islands ( Chinese Law of the Jungle, in Vanuatu and Madagascar, 2016 ; or boot camp (Takes a Real Man Season 2  in 2016 ; a full subtitled recording is linked to the poster in the above gallery) ; discovering oneself on travel around the country was also the focus of The New Journey (2022; complete on YouTube linked to poster).   The Protectors (2019) took members around the world to experience animal and environmental protection - it was very interesting!(click on poster to view the 13 x 40'+ episodes, subtitled) on dailymotion)

)

MISC. OTHER REALITY SHOWS	With You Along the way (2015) [2015]	Ding Ge Long Qiang (2015) [2015]	Charming Daddy  (2015) [2015)	Bravo Youngsters (2020) [2020]
Go to Bed at 11pm  (2022) [2022]	We Are the Champions  (2023) [2023]	Dare or Not (2024)

He has also initiated more unusual shows such as Go To Bed At 11pm (2022), which aimed at the promotion of a healthier lifestyle (a recording is linked to the poster above).  He was a guest in ep3 of celeb couple themed With You Along The Way (2015), or experiencing what it is to be a father in Charming Daddy (2015),  took part in the cultural heritage show around Chinese opera, traveling through China  with DingGeLong Dong Qiang  (2015, fully linked to the poster above, but it is not translated; there is a subtitled cut of Z.Tao's parts on YouTube though). ZTao also acted as online officer for ep 5-6 of a learning culture and music program called Bravo Youngsters (2020).  He was among his gamer friends for the e-games and variety show We Are The Champions Season 2 (2023) featuring many celebs in that field  (the poster picture in  the above gallery links to the show with English subtitles on Youtube; it is also available on WeTV).

Above: Z.Tao in The Detective's Adventures.

Below : in Dare or Not, the special 10 episodes reality show of a road trip to Yunnan (designed to showcase a real life fairy tale proposal to Xu Yiyang on April 29, 2024!) in the company of friends. The other noticeable couple was the one of Jiang Chao (姜潮) and Medina/Madina Memet (麦迪娜), happily married and parents since 2019 ; other members featured were Zhang Dada (张大大), real name Zhang Wei (张韡) TV host from Hunan TV;  AK (傅晓东, Fu Xiaodong, artist with LTao);  Zhang Baiqiao (张百乔)、Ao Ziyi (敖子逸)、Xiang Zuo (向佐, aka Jacky Heung)、Huang Yi  (黄奕, singer and actress)、Huang Yubo (黄誉博, singer signed with LTao since 2023)、Na Ying (那英, singer and musical judge).

(this section will be expanded, later; meanwhile : info about the dramas, movies, and shows are available on the actor page for Huang Zitao)

back to Table of Contents.

Lot of comments have been written and shown about the phenomenal artist, and I'd like to conclude for the time being, with this excellent kaleidoscope of Tao footage.... except the VVHL who coined it either got taken in by a hoax that went around for a while, or put it in on purpose to check who would react to the fake info.

Hint:  Tao is very sensitive, but a pessimist about love matters, since his first experiences were stinging: he got dumped - two of his songs refer to it directly, Alone, Reluctantly (2015)... (used in his 2019 drama The Brightest Star In The Sky). Up till recently, he was very opposed to rumors that he be in any kind of relationship, although he expressed love and gratefulness ritually to his fans for the rush of high-spirit that he gets from their support, and he has ambiguously flaunted male camaraderie and a public admiration of some female stars like Korean singer IU (whom he perhaps even confessed that he liked more than just admired) and actress Yang Mi.   

Z.Tao has a relaxed view about relationships between employees of his company. He does not forbid them and even said that that he had no objection to  girls dating girls, but that he was skeptical about true love, thinking it was just about people "getting together because they want certain things". He may have been reinforced in this attitude, after fanfics long ago threw him together as romantic partner of Kris Wu, who also did not take such things kindly. It damaged their image as once close friends in Exo.  Later, the scandal that sent Wu to jail in 2022 finished blowing to smithereens the golden quartet of boys that once were best friends forever (yet, Z.Tao is still close friends with LuHan, so he's not so fickle that he turns his back on all and forgets everything).

Xu Yiyang dissing Z.Tao in 2020

Z.Tao and Xu Yiyang in Yunnan

April 2024

He was also frequently seen together with Xu Yiyang 徐艺洋, so the rumor about their being together was suspected as true, despite he often denied it, and allegedly did not want to go public because he feared a backlash against her or himself from some fans who might oppose their dating. But there has been footage of their dining together with his mom... Xu Yiyang is one with whom he loved to have mock-dissing, who could act "cold" or disapproving without risk to her employment, and in 2023 there was that "banner" professing his love for her, seen in a Korean club where they were going together. Z.Tao looked very close to Yiyang on an April trip together in Yunnan and a report published then speculated that he might have proposed to her at that place. The report further presented the singer actress as : "Born in 1997 [in Sichuan], Xu Yiyang began her journey in the entertainment industry by joining SM Entertainment. From 2016 to 2018, she gained prominence as a trainee in the SMRookies project. Following her stint with SM entertainment, she decided to return to her home country to further pursue her career. In 2020, Xu Yiyang took part in the Produce Camp competition, although she did not secure a debut opportunity. Apart from her singing career, Xu Yiyang has also explored acting." She issued a debut album under L.Tao and has been much promoted by Z.Tao's company, although she is not their only singer and employee.

But another report revealed that the flowered set where the proposal was rumored to have taken place was in fact a set for a variety show that Z.Tao is producing. Z.Tao's company was cautiously not confirming (nor denying) the proposal story at the time,  but....   Fast forward to mid-July :

Rushing towards love or only daring bungee diving with Xu Yiyang recording his anguished shouts ?  (Follow Me, Dare or Not, July 2024 variety show) and 240714 AK Douyin update with #ZTAO and #XuYiyang

On July 14, rumors were flying that Z.Tao and Xu YiYang at last had acknowledged that they are in a relationship, supported by an interesting interview and clips from the show... [subtitles by Baidu ZTAOBar ] Bashful Z.Tao states that to him, love may not be straightforward and romantic...    In another moment from that episode, Tao exposed the 3 year history of their relationship since 2021 and after bringing many bouquets of flowers, said "in future, I don't want to hide with you. I want to talk with you, hold hands when you want. do whatever you want, don't care about anyone. this is the life I wanna give you instead of us hiding."

Z.Tao : 这是隐忍的爱 (This is forbearing love) ... Xu Yiyang : 你很牛， 你很棒 (You are awesome)  - [Follow Me Dare or Not] Z.Tao is known for having exposed his deepest wounds and fears to public in moments of shows and events, so this+ other pics and declarations shared by the couple on their social media look like when the hailang can send at last their heartfelt     Congratulations.

Z.Tao admitted he was not the ideal romantic lover or dad. He was probably more of a cautious, sometimes blunt and sarcastic "iceberg" in that respect although not an "ace" as some might wonder. The rumor that had him courting XYY was not confirmed by both parties after the "declaration" documented on Oct.10, 2023.    So, was the new "announcement" in the very romantic recording (embedded in Follow Me Dare or not  broadcast July 2024) only hype for the show?     Then.... [Z.Tao Weibo, July 14, 2024]  "May we always be us❤️@Xu Yiyang-Yiyang"  to which [Yiyang Weibo] replied : "Make a wish at sunset by the sea✨@ACE-YOUNGKINGYOUNGBOSS" As the Dare or Not show aired its last episode, it was obvious that this was the lavish and original way Z.Tao specially designed his proposal for his love, and associating in his joy his friends and fans everywhere. Z.Tao did say he'd get "married next year" and that he'd "invite the hailang to his wedding": the fans are still waiting for him to make good on those promises, although no-one wants to scold him for postponing, or rush him into choices that have to be his own... (remembering his T.A.O. lines " 我相信我的执着，我相信我的选自   ... 懂得了所谓自由...": I believe in my persistence, I believe in my choices, and the so-called freedom）Besides, virtual will do: a video of the private party should be enough! No need for hordes of fans to invade the ceremony.

To get back to the hoax (anecdote daughter story) click on picture for the video, admire the stunts, watch and smile : Z.Tao is not that bad an actor since many thought this bit was true !

More about Z.Tao (even if it is somewhat old, from August 2017) in this VVHL blog piece.

and to follow his news: Weibo;  facebook ; huang ztao FB ; twitter BaiduZTAOBar (among other social media.) + the L.Tao company Weibo 

back to Table of Contents.                                                                     Last revision  July 16, 2024-Sept.9, 2024

Latest news about the proposal : it took place during the reality/variety show recorded several months back, on April 29 in Yunnan, so it is only for confirmation to the world,  :-)   : 

Relayed by Marcus on his Tuesday episode of August 27, 2024 (linked, watch from time stamp 5:36), my captions added to my GIF excerpt.

This picture from Xu Yiyang's Weibo

The "Dare or Not /Follow Me" reality show is available on Youtube with English subtitles (cast detailed in Variety shows section, above)

And now?  Waiting for the wedding, which will presumably be televised. No date revealed yet.