This winter's unseasonal weather and reports about global warming have spurred Canto-pop king Jacky Cheung Hok-yau into action. On the eve of his first world tour in five years, he plans to auction off four VIP tickets per tour leg on eBay, with the proceeds going to a mainland conservation group.
'When we started to plan this world tour, I'd already thought about doing something for charity, but didn't know what,' said Cheung. 'Then, I watched a documentary on the National Geographic channel about conservation and thought, why not do something for it.'
The global warming issue worries the father of two daughters. 'Maybe because I'm a parent, I'm becoming more concerned about this problem, but it's a matter related to all of us. Of course, some bad habits can't be changed overnight, but I think it's important to make a start,' he said.
Cheung (above), who recently released his
long-awaited Putonghua album, By Your Side, announced his world tour master plan earlier this week. The first stop on his 56-show schedule will be Las Vegas, on February 18 and 19. He'll then tour Toronto, Atlantic City, Shanghai and Chengdu, among other locations, before landing in Hong Kong in August.
On his previous world tour, in 1995-96, Cheung played 100 shows around the globe. The singer said he didn't want to break his old record because it was too tough and the market had changed. 'In the old days, we could easily sell 20 to 30 shows at