ABSTRACT
An interesting note is that during every different period of Teresa Teng’s performances for the Republic of China military, the government would provide marketing labels for her, such as the “sweetheart of the military”, “patriotic artist”, “one of the ten outstanding young women”. In the 1970s, Teng’s singing career had slowly transferred to Southeast Asia and Japan. During the period of martial law, all Taiwanese had to pass a strict examination and obtain approval for traveling abroad. The transition of Teng from being the “sweetheart of the military” to becoming a “patriotic artist” related to a passport event that happened in 1979, which also cast a shadow on her subsequent relationship with the Kuomintang regime. Surrounded by this social atmosphere, Teng gave many performances for soldiers and sang patriotic songs on television programs. Because she frequently appeared in performances for the military, the media named her “the sweetheart of the military.”
