Welshman Iain Inglis takes pride in singing exaltations of China
Multilingual foreigner wins fame by performing his favourite songs to celebrate his adopted land
Iain Inglis used his brilliant voice to shoot to stardom in China, albeit in a very untraditional way - by singing communist revolutionary songs. The multilingual Welsh expat, 34, gained millions of fans, and votes, by appearing on prime-time talent show China's Got Talent early last year. He made it to the round of 16 finalists by dressing as a Red Army member and singing "red songs", which celebrate the beauty of China and the greatness of the Communist Party.
Inglis, who came and has stayed in China since and married a local woman, took time from his busy schedule - which includes applying for permanent residency on the mainland - to discuss his meteoric rise and his love of the songs he became famous for singing with gusto.
I am not sure whether that many people like it. Assuming they do, it may be because seeing someone who is obviously foreign singing old revolutionary songs in a traditional revolutionary outfit is rather different and is an anachronism. And for this reason it raises a smile. Of course, many Chinese grew up on these songs, and they invoke feelings of nostalgia in many older people.
At the risk of sounding trite, it has actually made me very happy. It has made me lots of friends all over China. I do not earn much from it at all, but it has allowed me to live a freer life here, and time to spend with my wife and friends that I would not otherwise have had if I had been working for a company. It has allowed me to appreciate China more by giving me the chance to see many interesting places as part of my singing engagements. For this I thank the party.