12 of K-pop singers and groups, including G-DRAGON and TAEYANG of BIGBANG and f(x), are capturing the hearts of Chinese fans through “Simply K-Pop Tour” in Shanghai.
The concert for the Simply K-Pop Tour was held in Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena at 7 p.m. on the 22th with about 10,000 fans and it was organized by Arirang TV, Shanghai Dragon TV, and hosted by Entercrew and F.M. Media. Before the concert, on the 21st, a press conference was held at the Shanghai Intercontinental Hotel and eager reporters from more than 50 Chinese and foreign media outlets attended the conference.
Chinese fans cheered loudly when popular K-pop stars in China such as U-KISS, Kan Mi-Yeon and Rainbow came on to the stage. For A-JAX, C-REAL, Block-B, Jjun, Crayon Pop, and VIXX, this was their debut stage in China and they certainly left an impression on the minds of the Chinese fans by putting on great shows.
A-JAX started the concert by performing “Because I`m stupid” and “Love like this”. C-REAL went next, showing a different charm. The girl-group had a one-year break and transformed from a group of five to a group of three.
Jjun put on a powerful show and then Kan Mi-Yeon, who has been enjoying enormous popularity since her Babyvox days, appeared on the stage. Then TAEYANG and f(x) performed, enthralling the fans. VIXX and Block-B made successful debut stages in China and added heat to the concert. During Crayon Pop`s performance, some people in the audience were spotted doing Crayon Pop`s signature “straight-five engine dance”.
G-DRAGON staged the finale after the performances of Rainbow and U-KISS. Making the concert rise to its climax and sending shrills across the audience, G-DRAGON performed “ONE OF A KIND”, “GO”, “CRAYON”, and “CROOKED”.
Regarding the reasons behind K-pop`s popularity in China, a member of the concert staff commented, “China is becoming a great market for K-pop. In the past, it was hard to make inroads into the Chinese market for various reasons. China used to be pretty much closed to foreign cultures. Also because China is so big and there are local broadcasters in every region, promotion took a great deal of time. However, entertainment business is booming in China and K-pop is increasingly becoming popular among Chinese people. Even Korean TV shows which K-pop stars appear in are posting top views on online video sites. Because of regulations, Chinese people cannot watch these shows on TV but as more and more people gain access to the Internet, K-pop and K-contents are becoming very popular.”
Also, the concert is meaningful as some of the profit will be used to build libraries in the Sichuan Province, a region suffering from the aftermath of an earthquake. This is part of the effort to make K-pop become closer to the lives of the Chinese people.
Meanwhile, Arirang TV, the Korean organizer of the concert, is seeking to raise its brand awareness in China by participating in the Simply K-Pop Tour. Jung Sung-kun, the president of Arirang TV, said,”Because of strict regulations, the Chinese broadcasting market is very difficult to enter.” He added, “Through K-pop performances, which is very popular among the youth in China, we will have the opportunity to let more Chinese people know about not only the Simply K-Pop Tour but also Arirang TV`s news and cultural programs.”
Source: YG Entertainment(TV Report)
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