American rapper Kanye West rocked Wuyuanhe Stadium in Haikou, capital of south China’s island province of Hainan on Sep. 15. The concert on the first night of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday marked his return to China since his 2008 concerts in Beijing and Shanghai.
“I’m back”
Dubbed a “world tour listening party,” the show attracted nearly 40,000 fans, with 95 percent coming from outside the island, most of whom were from Shanghai, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Beijing.
During the three-hour listening party, West thrilled fans with the global debut of the remix of A Thousand Miles. As the performance gained momentum, he removed his mask and hood, further engaging with the audience. He also brought his four children onto a stage adorned with a sea of wheat, evoking a sense of bountiful harvest.
“This is a pioneer music extravaganza, and I can see the sincerity of the host city,” said Du Xiaorui from Chongqing. She said West’s posters and electronic screens had greeted her everywhere in the city, and numerous perks and benefits had been offered to the concertgoers.
Authorities in Hainan province announced they will host another Kanye West listening party this weekend.
A recent Instagram post by West shared a childhood photo of himself in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, with the caption: “BACK (I’m back).” West spent a year of his childhood in Nanjing at age of 10 with his mother.
Western musicians are willing to perform in China
Kanye West’s performance wasn’t the only high-profile event during the holiday. Across China, concerts and musical festivals featuring domestic and international stars drew large crowds.
In Beijing, Mariah Carey’s 2024 concert on Sep. 15 and 16 attracted fans from across the country.
“I’ve been to Beijing many times, but this time I came just for Mariah Carey,” said Geng Bo, a fan from Chongqing Municipality. “Concerts like this are rare. Fans from all over the country and even around the world flew in to see her.”
According to Wang Jiansheng, head of the Hainan Tourism Development Research Association, due to China’s development and globalization, an increasing number of Western musicians have been coming to perform in the country.
Spark tourism economy
Concerts are not only firing up fans, but also sparking a surge in the local holiday tourism economy.
The city of Haikou had made full preparations for Kanye West’s event. Hotels, scenic spots, restaurants, and shopping malls offered over 100 discount services for fans.
Partly thanks to the show, the city’s average hotel occupancy rate rose to over 83 percent on the first day of the holiday, up 41.82 percent from last year. It is estimated that the show could generate about 373 million yuan in total tourism revenue for the city.
Li Qi, a fan from Chengdu in southwest China, arrived in Haikou a day before the concert. Besides the show, she also planned to spend her holiday there, visiting the iconic attractions, enjoying local delicacies, and doing some shopping at the duty-free stores.
“These visitors are engaged in duty-free shopping and various cultural and tourism activities, which will greatly boost Haikou’s holiday consumption,” said Lyu Xiaolei, deputy mayor of Haikou, adding that the city will attract more international and domestic concerts in the future to build itself into an international city of performing arts.
Written by Gu Yetao, additional reporting by China Daily and Xinhua.
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