because some say the government let him in

A Chinese official dropped a bombshell in a news briefing usually reserved for major policies announcements: Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, was set to hold a “listening party” for his new studio album “Vultures” on the Chinese island of Hainan on September 15..

For 33-year-old Ziteng Du, an office worker based in Shanghai, and many other Chinese fans, the idea of ​​seeing Ye in China is beyond their wildest imagination. Many fans were stunned when the embattled Communist Party agreed to allow one of the world’s most notorious rappers to perform.

“According to China’s conservative social values, Ye is completely inappropriate,” commented one fan on Weibo, China’s equivalent of X.

Now, some are questioning whether tourism revenue and a desire for international recognition are at the heart of the Communist Party’s decision to allow the controversial artist entry.

Ye’s last performance in China was 16 years ago. Now he is about to return, not to Shanghai or Beijing, but to a place largely unknown to foreign visitors.

“This Hainan is trying hard to forge its brand as an international destination,” said Michael Zhou, founder of Jingjian, a consultancy specializing in Chinese tourism. Zhu said that turning Hainan into an international destination is a crucial national strategy of the central government.

However, he said, he believes the decision to bring Ye to Hainan is a political gamble for the local government.

Some Internet users began complaining about Ye’s appearance on the Hainan government website before it was even confirmed, with one comment calling Ye’s works a “serious deviation from Chinese socialist values”.

But the local government is desperate for new growth spots as domestic travel plateaus, Zhou said.

Dubbed the “Hawaii of China,” the tropical island of Hainan has long been a top travel destination for domestic tourists. Last year its tourism sector pulled in 181 billion yuan ($25.5 billion), accounting for about 24% of its total gross domestic product.

However, domestic tourists are now tightening their travel wallets and international travelers are not filling the gap. According to the Hainan Provincial Bureau of Statistics, foreign visitors accounted for 0.87% of all the island’s tourists in the first seven months of 2024.

Lumpy domestic demand also threatens the ambitious goal of the island attracting 207 billion yuan in tourism revenue, an increase of 14% from 2023.

According to Zhou, most of Hainan’s tourism revenue comes from hotel stays and duty-free shopping.

But purchases plunged in 2024, spelling trouble for an economy betting heavily on revenue from duty-free shops. Hainan has it the largest duty free mall in the worldand the government plans to turn the entire island into a duty-free hub as early as next year.

Since 2023, the number of shoppers has fallen by 11% across the island, while duty-free sales have fallen by 30% in the first seven months of 2024, according to customs for Haikucapital of Hainan.

A major tourism retailer on the island, CTG Duty Free posted a disappointing H1 report down 12.8% year-on-year to 31.26 billion yuan ($4.40 billion).

“As the largest duty-free channel in China, the decline of Hainan’s duty-free sales is inevitable,” said Charlie Chen, head of Asia Research at China Renaissance, a financial institution. He said the drop in shoppers and average spend suggests that even affluent customers are controlling their spending.

Luxury shopping in China is shrinking, but the gig economy is experiencing a remarkable recovery — a trend that hasn’t escaped the attention of Hainan officials.

In official document Announced in May, the Hainan government pledged to grant a maximum of 3 million yuan in one-off payments to companies that bring “world-class music events” to the island.

A state media he later praised Hainan’s efforts to use China’s visa-free policies to attract high-quality music acts from abroad. The article details the local government’s efforts to make Hainan the first stop on foreign artists’ tours.

The strategy worked at Du, he said. The only reason he goes to Hainan is for Ye’s show, he said.

Like big concerts, Ye’s “listening parties” are often held in front of huge crowds. But there are also differences. events may include live performances with DJs playing pre-recorded mixes and the audience singing along. Sometimes, Ye and collaborator Ty Dolla Sign don’t rap or dance at all.

Earlier this year, cancel listening parties in Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington, DC An event in Taiwan on August 25 was also held was revoked days before the scheduled event, leaving confusion in its wake.

However, on 23 August, despite starting 70 minutes late, a listening party proceeded as planned in Seoul, South Korea.

Ye has spoken fondly of China in the past. He defended China during the pandemic and expressed his love for the country a 2020 New York Post interview.

“I love China. It changed my life. It changed my perspective, it gave me such a broad perspective. My mom, as an English teacher, taught English in China when I was in 5th grade,” she told the publication.

Ye has faced backlash in many parts of the world after making anti-Semitic comments in 2022, which led to the termination of a lucrative partnership with Adidas in October 2022.

But it may face fewer blows in China, where a comber anti-Israeli sentiment swept across social media after the Israel-Hamas war broke out.

The German Embassy in China began filtering vitriolic comments on its Weibo account and calling users whose profile pictures linked Nazi symbols to the Israeli flag.

“It seems to me that the Party doesn’t care about anti-Semitism,” Du said. “I don’t even care about that. I’m not Jewish.”

“Their essence is Tibet,” he said.

Artists who have vocally supported Tibetan independence include Björk, Oasisand Bon Jovihave skipped China during previous tour schedules.