Chinese pop star Lay Zhang Yixing calls off Hong Kong concert over security fears
- Studio says it could not ensure the safety of fans at venue near city’s airport, scene of days of anti-government protests
Chinese singer Lay Zhang Yixing has cancelled a concert in Hong Kong on Saturday over security concerns amid ongoing anti-government protests in the city.
“Nobody would like to see what is happening in Hong Kong now,” Zhang’s studio said in an online statement on Monday night. “Therefore, we have to announce after deliberation that we will cancel the Hong Kong concert on August 17.”
The announcement came after a mass sit-in by protesters at Hong Kong International Airport, one of the world’s busiest, stopped passengers from checking in or clearing security, prompting the airport to cancel all outgoing flights. The disruptions continued at the airport on Tuesday as check-in services were again suspended.
Zhang’s concert was originally due to be held near the airport at AsiaWorld-Expo.
Hong Kong protests: latest advisories to plan your day
The studio said that before deciding to cancel, Zhang, his team and concert organisers tried “all possible ways” – including increasing on-site security, putting on free shuttle buses and buying insurance for attendees – to ensure the safety of the fans and that the concert can be held on schedule. But this was still not enough to overcome traffic and security concerns, the studio said, adding that all tickets would be refunded.
Fans expressed support for the decision on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo, but the cancellation received a cool response on Hong Kong’s social media community.
“His [former Exo] bandmates just finished two days of concerts, but nothing [bad] happened,” one commenter wrote under the statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday.
“Maybe he’s concerned about his own safety,” another commenter said.
Zhang is not the first singer to cancel in Hong Kong amid the unrest. On Monday, managers of the Macpherson Stadium in Mong Kok announced that two concerts scheduled for later this month had to be postponed – Taiwanese singer Ding Dang had been due to appear on August 23 and Taiwanese duo Bai An and Xiao Bing Chih on August 24.
One-China T-shirt row engulfs Coach and Disney, a day after Versace apology
Meanwhile Zhang has continued his collaboration with Calvin Klein, after it came under scrutiny for classifying Hong Kong and Taiwan as regions on the company’s website.
Some internet users said the city and the island should be designated as part of China and accused Zhang of not taking a patriotic stand on the issue.
Calvin Klein issued an apology on Tuesday, saying it was sorry about the misunderstanding caused by the category.
International brands, including Versace, Coach and Givenchy, have also fallen foul of Chinese consumers in the last few days over T-shirt designs that list Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan separately from China, prompting some Chinese brand ambassadors to cut ties.
