Ai Weiwei 'deeply touched' by Elton John's concert dedication

Artist Ai Weiwei, seen by the mainland authorities as a thorn in their sides, said yesterday he was "deeply touched" by pop star Elton John's surprise shout-out at his first concert in Beijing on Sunday night.

In front of an audience of 12,000 at Beijing's MasterCard Centre, originally built as the basketball venue for the 2008 Olympics, the British singer said he dedicated his "whole show" to Ai, who was at the concert with his young son.

Ai told the South China Morning Post that he was particularly moved because his name is banned from the public domain on the mainland. "I couldn't believe my ears … I was quite surprised and was deeply touched," Ai said by phone. "I am very impressed by his free spirit - he was very honourable and decent in what he did."

But John's gesture is likely to have antagonised the mainland's cultural minders, and he risks being barred from further concerts there. After the Icelandic singer Bjork chanted "Tibet, Tibet" at a 2008 concert in Shanghai, authorities refused to grant permits to numerous Western acts to perform in China for years.

Calls to the Ministry of Culture went unanswered yesterday. John is due to give a concert in Guangzhou late next week after touring Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.

"Obviously, he is brave and honest, and is a very 'pure' artist," Ai said. He said John was unlike many Western politicians who eagerly turned a blind eye to human rights issues for fear of straining trade relations with China.