But Han really broke out at the age of 21 when he beat 3,000 hopefuls in the H.O.T. CHINA competition on the Chinese mainland. Triumph in the competition won him a contract with the Seoul-based SM Entertainment agency from which he is now trying to escape.

Han became hugely successful in Asia after the competition and, in 2005, became part of a hand-picked group of 12 handsome young singers known as Super Junior.

But the chance of a lifetime turned into a nightmare when Han, the only member of the group from the Chinese mainland, learned that South Korean broadcasting laws would not allow his performances to be broadcast on most TV stations.

At one point, he even wore a mask while performing for eight months during 2007, to hide his identity so he could perform without the authorities finding out he was from Chinese mainland.

"When I was wearing the mask, I felt so aggrieved. Why couldn't I be treated the same as local singers?" he said.

"I was so upset and wanted to talk to my mother but when I got connected to her, I said nothing."

He said the band got on a treadmill of frequent performances and he suffered stomach problems as a result because of the irregular hours and erratic mealtimes.

"I felt so tired and under huge pressure," he said. "During that time, whatever I ate, I vomited.

"My mother came to take care of me. She took me to a Chinese hospital and supervised me as I took the medicine each day."

Han has since recovered from his illness and has returned from six months in the United States where he went to improve his dancing and singing skills.

"I learned dancing from a teacher who had been Michael Jackson's choreography coach," he said, adding that Jackson's choreography team is helping him prepare for his upcoming solo concerts.

In addition to carrying on with his music, Han is also nurturing an ambition to break into movie.

"I have always been interested in acting and my dream is to co-star with my idol Jackie Chan in a kungfu movie," he said.

But for the time being it is music that holds his attention and his career is going from strength to strength.

One of his new songs, The Asian Games is Splendid With Me, has topped the charts in more than 30 domestic pop music lists and has had more than 100-million dowloads on the Internet since it was released on June 4.

Han is hoping his future will also be splendid, after he wins his freedom from the agency that has managed his career for the past few years and after he gets to throw away the mask, once and for all.