Shanghai Disneyland is welcoming visitors back with open arms, quite literally.
After a three-year ban due to social distancing concerns during the pandemic, visitors could finally hug Micky Mouse again at the Shanghai location of ‘The Happiest Place On Earth’ starting on March 6.
Disney temporarily suspended the character meet-and-greet opportunities at its global parks and resorts at the height of the pandemic to protect the safety of staff and guests.
And while most of Disney’s parks lifted the ban on hugging in 2022, those in the Greater China market kept the ban in place until relatively recently due to the country’s strict zero-Covid policy.
However, as China abruptly transitioned away from its controversial disease-control approach, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort resumed physical interactions between guests and characters in January, while Shanghai Disneyland followed suit two months later.
Meet-and-greet opportunities with fan-favorite characters have long been one of the most magical and popular experiences for adults and kids alike at Disneyland parks.
Whether it’s receiving a warm hug from Winnie the Pooh or shaking hands with Donald Duck, people sometimes line up for hours to enjoy a few minutes of one-on-one interaction with these beloved characters.
Visitors to Shanghai Disneyland pose with Sheriff Woody and Jessie, both characters from Pixar’s animated film series Toy Story. Image via Depositphotos
Chinese Disney fans are overjoyed by the policy change, as evidenced by the fact that a hashtag related to the news amassed more than 260 million views in less than 10 hours on Weibo, China’s top microblogging platform.
According to data from Trip.com Group, a Chinese multinational online travel firm, searches for Shanghai Disneyland tickets have more than tripled, and inquiries into hotels in the surrounding area have more than doubled.
But while avid fans rush to book their visit, some are also raising concerns about the safety of the amusement park’s staff, as multiple attacks on the costumed actors at Shanghai Disneyland have been reported over the years.
The two most prominent incidents are the assault on Duffy the Disney Bear in 2021 and a guest hitting LinaBell — one of the most popular characters at Shanghai Disneyland — in the head earlier this year.
The attacks caused outrage online, with netizens urging Disney to blacklist the attackers and provide better protection for their staff.
In an article on WeChat, China’s famed super-app developed by Tencent, M.D. Huang Jia from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine explained that the costume headpieces worn by actors at Disney theme parks lack the soft protective structures found in regular helmets.
As a result, the force of any impact on the head is transferred to the actor wearing the costume and can lead to a concussion and ruptured eardrums.
New Music is a monthly RADII column that looks at fresh Chinese music spanning hip hop to folk to modern experimental, and everything in between. This month, we introduce you to new offerings from Tassi, Agoraphobia, Absolute Purity, and more!
The Year of the Rabbit is off to a lively start, with fresh Chinese music releases coming in left and right as labels and bands try to make their mark early.
Judging by the sounds we’ve heard so far, rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well, from the woozy psychedelic high of Canned Dream’s latest to the rustic, old-school charm of newcomers Nanqing. Better yet, the experimental scene in China has found its way into the minds and ears of listeners outside of the country, with labels like WV Sorcerer and Dusty Ballz leading the way.
So before the spring comes calling, let’s dip into some of the stellar new releases the first two months of the year have brought us.
1. Canned Dream (谷水车间) — Family (家庭)
One of Shanghai’s most delightfully strange and beguiling acts returns — albeit with a new name, Canned Dream, and an abridged lineup (frontwomen A Re remains the core).
While the band’s psychedelic clockwork of noise rock anarchy, spacey strawberry-tainted melodies, and bewitching siren-like vocals remain intact, their newest endeavor, titled Family, takes on a more freewheeling acid jazz veneer, dipping its already woozy sound into new cosmic realms.
A boisterous off-kilter romp introspection of family in all its messiness (from A Re’s sister’s newfound Christian faith to her grandma’s death), Canned Dream may overwhelm unseasoned listeners. Still, for those willing to get on their wavelength, you’re in for a treat. Watch the music video for the single ‘Grandma’s Funeral’ below:
2. Nanqing (南青乐队) — 散财童子
Nanqing — the young four-piece Henan band whose crusty classic rock ‘n’ roll sound pogos between grunge-infused breakdowns and gruff-voiced folk ballads — return with their latest album, 散财童子.
Far from the Kurt Cobain imitators of the past and much like the grunge genre itself, you can trace the band’s influences back to blues, ’70s psych, and classic rock in all its glory. Better yet, you can hear remnants of the golden years of Chinese rock, both in its lyrical richness and guitar rock swagger.
3. Chunyang Yao (姚春旸) — Post-Oblivion (泯默集)
Multidisciplinary creative Chunyang Yao, an artist from the Naxi ethnic minority in the Southwest China city of Lijiang, finds commonality with the Ainu indigenous people of Hokkaido, Japan. Yao merges the two ethnic minorities’ cultures, sounds, and struggles to survive on the ‘margin of modernity’ in her latest effort, Post-Oblivion (泯默集), released by London-based label Dusty Ballz.
The album’s first half showcases the artists’ almost sociological melding of field recordings, analog synth drone, and bewitching vocals, distorting and subverting musical cues recorded from Hokkaido’s natural soundscape. In contrast, the second half is a haunting and mesmerizing long-form improvisation of voice, noise samples, and synthesizers, leading listeners deeper into an entanglement of oblivion.
4. Li Hongqi and Yang Haisong (李红旗和杨海崧 ) — ‘Noise Concerto for Violin and Guitar’
Over the past six months, post-punk godfather Yang Haisong has quietly released a collection of atmospheric albums under the small Beijing label Share the Obstacles, pushing the renowned artist’s avant-garde sensibilities to the forefront.
Combining his poetic prose with ambient, experimental, and noise music, his latest release — aptly titled ‘Noise Concerto for Violin and Guitar’ — teams him up with cult independent film director Li Hongqi. While the former’s weapon of choice is guitar and theremin, the latter turns up the dissonance via a violin — a suitable counterpart to Yang’s shrieking guitars, cosmic theremin noodling, and deadpan musings which pad out the nearly hour-long sonic excursion.
5. Agoraphobia (广场恐惧症) — 赤纯心
After quietly but steadily keeping busy behind the scenes, Beijing’s Agoraphobia returns with a two-track EP titled 赤纯心. This is their first EP since the band was formed in 2012.
Employing a combustible noise rock sound that’s scrappy, tender, and volatile all at once — there’s an earnest youthful enthusiasm to their sound that’s immediately endearing. With strong emo rock and indie pop shades, their melodies find ways to embed genuine emotion while elevating them with some elegant and thrilling guitar hooks.
6. Return the Truth — ‘Live To Die’ (‘向死而生’)
Long-standing Beijing hardcore act Return the Truth pays tribute to the diehard scene in China and worldwide (H.C.W.W) in their new track ‘Live To Die.’
In true punk fashion, the video features a murderers’ row of cameos from the global punk community, including King Ly Chee from Hong Kong, Shenzhen’s What A Beautiful Day, Beijing’s Hell City, School Bar head honcho Liu Hao (of Casino Demon and Joyside), and even Machine Gun Mike out of the U.S.
7. Palms — ‘路口’
Lo-fi Qingdao indie pop duo Palms, featuring Kram and Xiao Zhou, are prepping for the release of their debut with SJ Records.
Woozy, jangly indie music that captures a sense of fleeting youth with sincerity and wonder, their new single ‘路口’ aptly captures that introspection of time without imparting a mid-life sense of despair nor a declaration of forever young.
The DIY music video, meanwhile, unfolds like a long-lost VHS tape found in the dust-cover shelves of an abandoned KTV parlor.
8. otay:onii — Dream Hacker (夢之駭客)
Zhejiang-born, Berklee-educated singer and producer Lane Shi, aka otay:onii, has been causing a stir in indie music circles here and abroad with her boundary-pushing industrial pop music, which some have described as “Industrial Bjork meets Chinese folk music.” (One hell of a combo, if you ask us.)
On her latest, Dream Hacker, released with WV Sorcerer Productions, she hones in her noise and improv tendencies, instead focusing on a more “infectious ballad-oriented narrative,” as described on Bandcamp.
Don’t be fooled, though: Shi, who cut her teeth with acts like Dent and Elizabeth Colour Wheel in the U.S., waves her freak flag proudly — canvassing across distorted and visceral electronic soundscapes and bilingual lyrics that showcase her unique vocal intonations and themes of self.
9. Absolute Purity 绝对纯洁 — ‘Crime Fiction’ MV
Anxious, whimsical, and potent in its delivery, Shanghai dance punk renegades Absolute Purity released a music video for their track ‘Crime Fiction.’ With the help of director DJ Furth, the music video finds the band stuck in a dystopian world where technology has enslaved a generation of young adults.
The song was first included in Absolute Purity’s 2022 debut album, We Fought Over The Moon. The album was a full course meal — a blissed-out mix of post-punk, electronica, and psychedelic music that is packed to the gills with surprises and some of the best sound designs out there.
Led by the taut yet delicate vocals of Wen Jun (formerly known for her band Guai Li), which jolts from desperation to innocence with crackling ferociousness, the band emerged as one of China’s most fiercely original talents.
10. Tassi (水樹) — Northland IV (北之國 IV)
Headed by the frontman of Buddhist-scripture-evoking post-black metal outfit Bliss Illusion, Tassi takes the former’s spiritual yet turbulent sounds and turns them outward, moving into blackgaze territory and finding a tranquil beauty amongst the cosmos.
Centered around a fictional character who, in search of his one true love, “travels through various mysterious dimensions, witnessing the whole from the beginning to final perishing process of divinity,” Tassi’s Northland series can be considered a modern-day retelling of a bodhisattva.
The artist released the fourth act of the series in China in November 2022, but it only became available on Bandcamp this February. The album was nominated for multiple entries at the 13th China Rock Midi Awards, including Best Rock Album of the Year.
The track ‘幽靈世界,’ in particular, is quite something. It veers from the sprawling emotionality of the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós to the gut-wrenching raw theatricality of Scandinavian depressive black metal acts.
On February 28, the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers announced they would withdraw from the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) — China’s top professional basketball league — to protest punishment for alleged financial wrongdoing.
The announcement came 11 days after the CBA’s Discipline and Ethics Committee decided to prohibit the club from signing or trading new Chinese players for the next year due to their failure to register their financial operations properly.
A one-year transfer ban was imposed on Chinese #basketball club Xinjiang Flying Tigers, who have been involved in a contractual controversy with Chinese international center Zhou Qi since 2021 https://t.co/3Bi1FQTTjwpic.twitter.com/wEZUu2tZRN
However, the Xinjiang team has asserted in the statement that they have consistently adhered to league rules and expressed concern that the decision has negatively impacted basketball enthusiasts in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
The Xinjiang Flying Tigers, based in the autonomous region’s capital, Urumqi, also implied that the punishment resulted from a years-long contract quarrel with their former star player — and member of China’s national team, center Zhou Qi.
Zhou, on the other hand, called the transfer ban “a fair verdict” and wrote that the club’s management had “bullied [him] for many years, robbed [him] wantonly, and resorted to deceit” in a Weibo post. So what exactly happened among these parties?
An Alleged ‘Yin-Yang’ Contract
According to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, Zhou reported a so-called ‘yin-yang’ contract between him and the club to China’s State Administration of Taxation in 2021. ‘Yin-yang’ contracts are a set of contracts made between two parties, wherein one unofficial contract represents the actual value of the transaction, and the public one understates the amount for tax avoidance or other purposes.
The Xinjiang team confirmed there were two contracts, but that one became invalid while transferring the club’s financial management to a new company.
In their statement, they wrote, “The contract [Zhou reported] was signed when the club applied to the CBA League to change our main body of competition in 2019. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, this process was interrupted, and the contract became invalid. Our club then re-signed a contract with Zhou Qi and completed the CBA league registration.”
Within a week, Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopards(football) & Tianjiang Flying Tigers(basketball), two major sports clubs in Xinjiang, announce withdrawal from professional league. pic.twitter.com/iCK5qXju8s
Despite the club’s participation in the league since 1999, concerns about its new corporate entity have been raised.
In 2019, the Urumqi-based club established a company in Kokdala, a city in northern Xinjiang near the border with Kazakhstan, which it claimed was done at Kokdala’s request. The new company’s name, Xinjiang Guanghui Professional Basketball Club Co., Ltd., differs from the main body by only one word.
Zhou alleged in his Weibo post that the secondary company was a cover for tax fraud. He wrote, “[Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers] can obtain corporate income tax relief and personal income tax subsidies by registering a company in Kokdala.”
In response, the club stated that the registration process for the new company was interrupted by the pandemic. As a result, they had to continue competing under the original entity.
Zhou Qi’s Departure
Zhou had been trying to leave the squad for years, per both Zhou and the club. Zhou played for the Xinjiang team from 2014 to 2017 and then from 2019 to 2021, with stints in between at the NBA’s Houston Rockets and the Australian national league’s South East Melbourne Phoenix.
Zhou Qi played five seasons with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. Image via VCG
The club had barred Zhou from transferring to other CBA teams, Zhou said on Weibo. According to China Daily, citing the CBA’s ‘maximum salary priority renewal’ policy, a club can keep renewing a player’s contract as long as they are paying them the league’s maximum salary, which is set at around 44 million RMB (about 6.4 million USD) a season.
That policy meant Zhou’s only option for switching teams was to leave the CBA entirely — which he did. On August 29, 2021, two days before the 2021-2022 season transfer window, Zhou withdrew from the Chinese league. Days later, he announced that he would join the Melbourne team.
In December 2022, Zhou left the team and returned to China for family reasons, even though the Phoenix expressed their willingness to welcome him back. There has been some speculation that he will sign with another CBA team now that he is back in the country.
Given that he earned a substantially lower salary of approximately 4 million RMB (580,000 USD) a year with the Melbourne Phoenix compared to the 44 million RMB he received with Xinjiang, it would not be surprising if Zhou opted to play for a CBA team instead of returning Down Under.
And as a result of Xinjiang’s withdrawal from the CBA, Zhou is now free to sign with another CBA team and can anticipate a comparable salary at his new destination.
What Now for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers?
The Xinjiang Flying Tigers after winning the 2016-17 CBA Championship. Image via Weibo
The Flying Tigers’ withdrawal from the league leaves the entirety of Northwest China bereft of a CBA team. On a positive note, however, the club said they would donate all their assets to the region.
Despite quitting the league, the club is not done fighting the CBA. In their statement, they wrote, “We will continue to defend our legal rights through arbitration and other solutions.”
This article is part of our Sustainable Future series done in association with East West Bank. In this article, we introduce five ‘cities of the future’ that are being developed around the world, utilizing green tech and prioritizing sustainability
Remember the futuristic cities from Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell with hyper-tall, neon-lit skyscrapers and flying cars? That was how we used to imagine what cities would look like in a technologically advanced world, with robots serving and living among us. However, even with AI and automation advancing rapidly, our designs for a futuristic city have become more human- and nature-centric than ever.
As the effects of climate change and global warming become more evident, designers and city planners are considering ways to incorporate natural environments into urban living spaces, making cities more sustainable in the process. Here are a few examples of mind-blowing cities of the future that piqued our interest.
1. Telosa — United States
Derived from the Greek word ‘telos,’ which means ‘purpose,’ the super city Telosa is designed with an ambitious goal in mind: to set a global standard for urban living using smart city technology for future generations.
Led by American billionaire Marc Lore, the 150,000-acre project, close in size to the city of Chicago, aims to create a metropolis from scratch in the American Southwest that is powered entirely by renewable energy. The environment is a priority in this new community, with green space and clean water easily accessible to all residents.
And forget about petrol cars: The city will run on self-driving electric vehicles and an efficient transportation system that will get you anywhere you want within 15 minutes.
Image via Telosa’s official website
This ambitious project is still in the planning stage, but it aims to house 5 million people in the next 40 years and provide universal education and healthcare for its diverse and inclusive community members. Does this sound like a place you would move your family to? You can find out more about Telosa at its official website.
2. Future Science and Technology City — China
If Telosa sounds too theorized and far down the road for you, construction of this future city in China is already underway and is expected to finish by the end of this year. The new settlement, similar in size to Manhattan Island in New York City, is located in eastern Chengdu, a vibrant metropolis in Southwest China, and is designed to be the new home for the city’s high-tech industry.
Instead of using the area as a blank canvas and creating everything from scratch, the team behind the project took inspiration from the local Lin Pan villages — rural communities that live on small-scale farming using a traditional irrigation system. The new city is divided into six clusters, each designed to harmonize with the natural surroundings and the city’s water system.
Taking sustainability to the next level, the entirety of Future Science and Technology City will be car-free. People will be able to maneuver the area through an intelligent mobility network of automated vehicles.
And with China’s stringent Covid-19-prevention restrictions now a thing of the past, you can hop on a plane and check out this futuristic city next year. (Don’t worry, if you don’t like what you see, the airport is only five minutes away!)
3. The Line — Saudi Arabia
If the two future cities introduced above sound like typical cities with fewer cars and more green space, The Line is unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Commissioned by the Saudi government, the project is part of the Crown Prince’s plan to build a special economic zone in the country’s southwestern region. As you can probably tell from the name, The Line is a linear and vertical city that’s 170 kilometers long, 200 meters wide, and 500 meters tall.
In an oil-rich country that’s mostly desert, The Line stands out, as it aims to create an entire city that runs on renewable energy with uninterrupted access to nature. Carbon-heavy infrastructure like roads and cars are completely eliminated to achieve the carbon-zero goal. Instead, residents will commute on foot or by the high-speed rail that offers end-to-end transit within 20 minutes.
4. Biodivercity — Malaysia
Are you dreaming of relocating to a tropical paradise at some point in the future? These three artificial islands just off the coast of Penang might be the ideal place for you.
Penang, Malaysia. Image via Depositphotos
As part of the Penang 2030 vision, the Malaysian government is constructing three lilypad-shaped green islands that will house up to 18,000 people while preserving the local biodiversity.
Powered entirely by renewable energy, all three islands will be car-free and connected by pedestrian pathways, bike lanes, and autonomous public transport networks. All buildings will also be constructed with bamboo and Malaysian timber.
5. Floating City — Maldives
Known for its stunning natural beauty and fancy resorts, the Maldives is a popular travel destination for beach lovers in South Asia.
However, despite its stunning vistas, the country is in trouble. As the Maldives is comprised of low-lying islands, it is incredibly vulnerable to rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions caused by climate change. It has been reported that about 80% of the nation’s islands could be underwater by 2050.
To address the situation, the Maldives government has commissioned a Dutch company to develop a floating city composed of a network of artificial islands built on platforms that can rise and fall with changing water levels. Underwater tunnels and walkways would connect these humanmade islands.
Male, the capital of the Maldives. Image via Depositphotos
Located only 10 minutes by boat from the country’s capital Male and the international airport, this floating city will include several thousands of housing units for residents as well as hotels — as tourism accounts for about 30% of the country’s GDP.
This article is part of our Sustainable Future series, created in association with East West Bank to highlight the innovative tech making the world more green and regenerative. East West Bank offers unparalleled services for individuals and companies who wish to build connections and foster collaborations between the U.S. and Asia. Together, we will reach further. For more information, visit eastwestbank.com.
In a country where celebrities and idols are typically expected to maintain youth and beauty, this new reality TV show produced by Chinese streaming platform iQiyi has taken the internet by surprise: Become A Farmer sends 10 Gen Z male idols to a farm in East China’s Hangzhou city for 190 days.
On the Chinese review platform Douban, it boasts an impressive rating of 8.5/10. You can watch the first episode on YouTube with English subtitles:
The new program, which debuted in early February, features 10 relatively unknown idols born between 1995 and 2004.
The cast includes actor Chen Shaoxi, singers Jiang Dunhao, Li Hao, and He Haonan, as well as members of the boy band Zero-G, Lu Zhuo and Zhuo Yuan, along with Wang Yiheng, Zhao Yibo, Zhao Xiaotong, and Li Gengyun. Notably, the farming show is the only public appearance listed on the Baidu pages of the latter four.
To broaden its appeal, the program’s creators also brought on well-known guests, including stand-up comedians Xu Zhisheng and Pang Bo, as well as actor Gong Jun, who gained recognition for his role in the 2021 boys’ love drama Word of Honor.
Official celebrities promotional video for ‘种地吧 Become A Farmer’ on YouTube
In the show, the young idols are tasked with farming a massive piece of land, including a river and three fishponds. All proceeds from their efforts will be given to the individual who holds the rights to the land.
While it remains to be seen whether they will successfully complete the mission, it has been reported that they obtained licenses for operating tractors and reapers in preparation for the show.
The concept may not be groundbreaking to Western audiences, who have seen similar shows like The Farm and The Simple Life in the 2000s. And more recently, celebrity farming has gained renewed attention with the Clarkson’s Farm series, hosted by English broadcaster, journalist, and TV host Jeremy Clarkson, which has been widely watched around the globe.
However, agriculture-focused programs are still a niche area within the Chinese entertainment market.
Promotional poster for Become A Farmer
Become A Farmer selected 30 participants from a pool of 200 applicants and filmed them working on three different farms. Eventually, only one group of 10 candidates was chosen for broadcast.
The program places these idols in an unquestionably down-to-earth situation, offering a unique perspective for viewers. To further personalize the experience, the participants regularly livestreamed their work on the farm and shared their farming knowledge with the audience.
In addition to demanding farm work, the 10 idols also faced challenging living conditions. They stayed in an abandoned warehouse that required considerable cleaning and upkeep and suffered from leaks and power outages during heavy rain.
The TV show highlights the recent shift in China’s idol industry, which has gradually moved away from idolizing ‘little fresh meat,’ male celebrities known for their delicate and feminine features.
Since iQiyi’s 2018 viral boy group survival show Idol Producer, more than 10 similar programs have been produced, successfully promoting a group of young male celebrities with fresh, fair-skinned looks, such as Cai Xukun and Wang Yibo. However, due to the misbehavior of some idols, including the infamous Kris Wu, and the increasingly unhealthy fan culture and economy, China banned idol survival shows in 2021.
Moreover, the government has publicly denounced the rise of ‘sissy boys’ or effeminate male artists in the entertainment sphere. As a result, many male celebrities, even those previously known for embracing the ‘little fresh meat’ aesthetic, are now conforming to traditional norms of masculinity, such as taking on jobs that involve physical labor, like farming.
Become A Farmer also reflects China’s growing fascination with rural lifestyles, possibly spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic and the nation’s now-revoked anti-disease measures, which brought life in many Chinese cities to a standstill over the past few years.
Another notable example of the growing popularity of rural lifestyles in China is the 2023 romantic drama Meet Yourself, which tells the story of a group of young people revitalizing a historical village called Fengyang by running a hostel. Following the show’s release, searches for the town on the Chinese tour booking app Fliggy increased by a whopping 50 times.
Liu Yifei in Meet Yourself
While the cast of Meet Yourself, which includes Liu Yifei from Disney’s Mulan and Annabel Yao, the younger daughter of Huawei’s founder, certainly contributed to the hype, the natural beauty of the rural region has also captured the hearts of many netizens.
It is unclear whether Become A Farmer will stimulate rural tourism, but it is safe to say that the show is gaining popularity and has the potential to be one of the top Chinese reality programs this year.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), a nonprofit representing the recording industry’s interests worldwide, recently announced the recipients of the 2022 Global Recording Artist of the Year Award. Among the likes of Taylor Swift and BTS was the ‘King of Mandopop,’ Jay Chou.
Coming in ninth place, Chou has become the first Mandarin-language act to make the list.
Congratulations again to Taylor Swift, the winner of this year’s IFPI #GlobalArtistChart!
As part of its mission to be a voice for the international music scene, the IFPI releases an annual list of the world’s top-performing artists. Artists are evaluated based on the physical sales and digital streams of their entire discography over the year, among other factors.
Life and Career
Jay Chou was born on January 18, 1979, in Taiwan. He began taking piano lessons at the age of 3 and started to write songs when he was in high school.
Jay Chou at his concert in the city of Guangzhou, in South China, last fall. Image via Weibo
Chou incorporates a blend of traditional Chinese music, R&B, and modern pop into his sound, allowing the singer-songwriter to distinguish himself from other Mandopop artists.
One of his most famous songs, ‘Qingtian’ (‘晴天,’ ‘Sunny Day’), is a perfect example of his signature style that merges guitar balladry and rock elements.
Beloved throughout Asia, Chou enjoys a massive fan base in Taiwan, the Chinese mainland, and Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Singapore. He has sold over 30 million records and has more than 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Recent Releases and Recognition
Last year, Chou released his first album in over six years, titled Greatest Works of Art.
Despite mixed reviews, the album enjoyed much commercial success, with 5 million copies sold during its first week in the Chinese mainland and the title song’s music video hitting 5 million views on YouTube in just 24 hours.
Future of Mandopop?
In recent years, there has been a massive increase in the visibility of Asian musicians worldwide. K-pop, in particular, has taken the globe by storm, with three Korean boy idol groups — BTS, Stray Kids, and Seventeen — also making the IFPI list.
Jay Chou’s placement in the ranking may bring more awareness to the Mandopop genre and its potential for internationalization in the future.
“It is exciting to see […] the increasingly diverse spectrum of music available to music fans today,” wrote IFPI in a press release.
9 – Jay Chou (周杰倫)
Making his IFPI #GlobalArtistChart Top 10 debut, for the first time this year it’s the “King of Mandopop” Jay Chou at No. 9, following the global success of his first album in 6 years 2022’s ‘Greatest Works of Art.’ pic.twitter.com/G0eOWkfcID
