Mainland China welcomes back Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan stage stars as zero-Covid curbs lifted

Name: First travellers arrive and depart from Beijing as China reopens international borders
Uploaded: 2023-01-16T13:46:52.000Z
Duration: 3 min 47 s
Description: First travellers arrive and depart from Beijing as China reopens international borders

Approval of performance applications by entertainers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan to start on February 16, Ministry of Culture and Tourism says

Eased rules do not apply to foreign entertainers and their staff unless they are already in mainland China

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Provincial departments can resume vetting and approving performance applications by entertainers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan from February 16. Photo: EPA-EFE

Liu Zhen

Published: 9:46pm, 16 Jan 2023

Entertainers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan can now travel to mainland China for concerts and shows.

The announcement from the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Monday marks yet another step towards a return to normal life on the mainland since it lifted strict “zero-Covid” pandemic restrictions and reopened international borders over the past month.

Provincial departments could resume vetting and approving performance applications by entertainers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan from February 16, the ministry said in a public notice.

But the relaxation did not apply to foreign entertainers and their staff unless they were already on the mainland, the notice said.

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First travellers arrive and depart from Beijing as China reopens international borders

The ministry also reminded departments to ensure that effective pandemic control measures were implemented by the concert and show organisers.

Concerts and entertainment shows are big business in China but they had been effectively halted in the past three years under a strict zero-Covid policy marked by border controls, lockdowns and frequent mass testing.