China Bans Björk, Other Entertainers
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
China will not allow into the country any foreign entertainers whom it deems a threat to its own national sovereignty, defined as a likelihood to “whip up ethnic hatred,” “violate religious policy or cultural norms,” or “advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition,” Reuters reported Thursday.
The decision was announced in response to a politically provocative act by the Icelandic singer Björk, who shouted, “Tibet, Tibet,” to crowds at a concert in Shanghai.
China has a history of condemning performers from the regions of Hong Kong and Taiwan. In the lead-up to the Summer Olympics, Beijing has made its standards even stricter, banning pop festivals and requiring other outdoor performances to get advance approval.