The British rock band Oasis won’t be playing gigs in Beijing and Shanghai next month after all. They’ve been Bjorked, which is a way of saying one of their members didn’t pass ideological muster.
Bjork is the Icelandic singer who was banned from China after she sung the anthem “Declare Independence” at a concert in Shanghai March 2, 2008, finishing it with rousing shouts of “Tibet! Tibet!”
China toughened its rules for visiting musicians following that episode. Those who get the Bjork treatment can’t enter the country. That’s what’s happened to Oasis.
Here is their press release, which needs no further explanation:
"Oasis were informed Saturday (February 28) by their Chinese promoters, (Emma Entertainment/Ticketmaster China) that representatives from the Chinese government have revoked the performance licenses already issued for the band and ordered their shows in both Beijing and Shanghai to be immediately cancelled. The government have instructed the ticket agencies to stop selling tickets and to reimburse the thousands of fans who have already purchased tickets for these inaugural Oasis shows in the People's Republic of China.
"The licensing and immigration process for the two shows had been fully and successfully complied with well before the shows went on sale. The Chinese authorities action in cancelling these shows marks a reversal of their decision regarding the band, which has left both Oasis and the promoters bewildered.
"According to the show's promoters, officials within the Chinese Ministry of Culture only recently discovered that Noel Gallagher appeared at a Free Tibet Benefit Concert on Randall's Island in New York in 1997, and have now deemed that the band are consequently unsuitable to perform to their fans in the Chinese Republic on 3rd and 5th of April, during its 60th anniversary year.
"Oasis are extremely disappointed that they are now being prevented from undertaking their planned tour of mainland China and hope that the powers that be within China will reconsider their decision and allow the band to perform to their Chinese fans at some stage in the future.
"The rest of the South East Asian leg of the band's tour, including the Hong Kong show, will go ahead as planned."
Sorry to hear that.
Posted by: LC | March 03, 2009 at 12:37 AM
Hi, Tim
May I ask:
1) You keep saying Tibet. What does it mean?
2) Whom do you write for?
The place is legally called Xi Zang. Be objective no matter who your intended readers are.
Ryan White
Posted by: Ryan White | March 03, 2009 at 05:33 AM
Ryan, I don't quite get your point. My readers are generally English speakers, some of whom have little acquaintance with Mandarin, so XiZang would have no meaning for them. On your second question, look at the little bio on the upper right. If you want to see stories I write, go to www.mcclatchydc.com
Posted by: Tim J | March 03, 2009 at 06:00 AM
Official Chinese English news papers also used Tibet instead of XiZang.
Posted by: jeff | March 03, 2009 at 09:36 AM
This is really getting Bjorked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVIAAUjdRXQ
Posted by: meh | March 03, 2009 at 12:33 PM
This is truly pathetic on the part of the Chinese government. Come on, grow up!
Posted by: Pffefer | March 03, 2009 at 04:20 PM
They should be Bjorked forever. They are the enemies of all
Chinese people, including those overseas.
If the Chinese government allowed them to be making money inside China, the government should be overturned immediately.
Posted by: T.C. | March 03, 2009 at 09:36 PM
Another pathetic move by the bureaucrats.
The gov't should let them in, give them a free playground and take away all the security guards - let's see what could happen ...
Posted by: jc | March 03, 2009 at 11:01 PM
Pathetic politics from all sides.
Are there anyone paying attention to those Tibetan women? How do they get by their life without fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons? With a huge number of male living in the Monastery as Lamas, who are feeding them?
Women's right group?
Granny Hillary?
Posted by: jeff | March 04, 2009 at 09:00 AM
As someone who lived in China for two years and loves the Chinese people...this kind of stuff is sad. Nothing says to a populace "We think you are dumb" like censorship.
Posted by: James | March 04, 2009 at 02:41 PM
This is one of the times that censorship just goes too far. As of jc's comment, that's a really interesting point, but sorry never gonna happen.
Posted by: Sparkle | March 05, 2009 at 03:05 PM
As someone who lived in China for two years and loves the Chinese people...this kind of stuff is sad. Nothing says to a populace "We think you are dumb" like censorship.
Well they ARE DUMB. So, it is actually quite appropriate. They can't handle any free expression of ideas other than the spoonfed party nonsense anyway.
Posted by: johnny justice | March 08, 2009 at 09:56 PM