Ling Tang*, (Tan Mang Ling,) a second-generation* Chinese Malaysian was born, on October 9th, 1974, in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia . She has a younger sister who is still a student. Her father was a taxi driver and her mother a seamstress.
Educated in Classical Chinese, Ling also studied art and design before begining her career as a model, which began in 1992-93 when she signed with the Catwalk Agency in Malaysia. She was apparently considered by some in the Malaysian fashion industry to be too "Chinese looking" to be a success! Despite this, Ling was the winner of the Malaysian section of the 1994 Asian Model Search contest. She was not expected to win and it was a big surprise when her name was announced. She later went on to be the first runner up in the international finals.
Her big break came when she was discovered, while waiting for a friend in a hotel lobby, by an advertising executive. Ling then appeared in an ad campaign for Tiger Beer. These commercials propelled Ling to success and she became the hottest modeling sensation in Malaysia. The producer of the commercials was a Mandarin speaking New Yorker, Danny Wolf, who became Ling's boyfriend, and career advisor. Ling moved to New York in November1994.

Ling's first catwalk show was Zang Toi's Spring/ Summer 1995 show in November 1994. Zang was a judge in the Asian Model Search finals and squeezed Ling into his show even though she was too late for fittings. Soon Ling was being courted by the most respected New York agencies. Refered to as "the first internationally known Asian fashion model", Ling soon met all the top designers and fashion photographers in the industry. Elle and Allure ran editorials of her, and she was the subject of a twelve page feature story in the prestigious Italian Vogue. She also appeared on the covers of Singapore Vogue and UK Scene.

On the runways of fashion shows by designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Giorgio Armani, Karl Lagerfeld and Ellen Von Unwerth, Ling came to be highly in demand. In New York she worked with Richard Avedon, who photographed her for the 1997 Pirelli calendar.

Ling later joined the Elite Model Management agency in Paris. In Europe she has worked with designers like Paco Rabanne, Dirk Van Saene, Chanel, Costume National, Rifat Orbek, and Jean-Paul Gaultier. She is one of the most sought-after runway models and has been featured in hundreds of fashion shows in Paris, Milan and New-York.

An obviously dynamic young woman, Ling has found the energy, despite her constant work with designers, photographers and fashion magazines, to branch out into new fields. She appeared in the video of George Michael's "Fast Love." Recently she is reported to be the lead singer in a five-member female* band called Jungk which is recording with Malcolm McLaren, the "Punk Svengalli" producer of The Sex Pistols.

Ling also manages to find the time to work out at the gym, study cinema, and perfect her English. She lives in New York City and is represented by the Elite Model Management agency in Paris and the IMG agency in New York*. (by johan)

PASSWORD Tan Mang Ling : Password
9 october 2004 Happy birthday Tan Mang Ling: Happy Ling
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