AFTER releasing his new album and performing dozens of concerts over the past year, Taiwan mandopop singer Jay Chou topped the 2012 Forbes Chinese Celebrities List released last week.

Chou snatched the top spot with a yearly income of over 160 million yuan last year.

The 32-year-old singer launched “The Era 2011 World Tour” last June, which took him to 15 cities around the globe. In December, he released his latest album, “Exclamation Mark,” to mark the 11th year of his show biz career.

Aside from music, the versatile artist also played the lead role in the action film “The Viral Factor.”

Last year’s chart-topper Andy Lau slipped to second place in the rankings. The Hong Kong singer and actor staged more than 10 concerts in a period of two months.

His film “A Simple Life” hit the mainland box office and managed to pick up a number of awards in the process.

Mainland actress Fan Bingbing is third on the list thanks to the income she receives from advertisements and film appearances.

The Chinese Celebrities List, published by the financial magazine Forbes was launched in 2004.

Based on an individual’s income and media exposure, Forbes selects outstanding celebrities in fields such as entertainment, sports, culture and media.

One hundred names from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong appeared on the 2012 list, and their combined income reached 4.32 billion yuan. (SD-Agencies)

The top 10 of the 2012 Forbes Chinese Celebrities List are:

1. Jay Chou

2. Andy Lau

3. Fan Bingbing

4. Faye Wong

5. Li Na

6. Zhao Benshan

7. Jolin Tsai

8. Yao Ming

9. Jackie Chan

10. Chiling Lin