Why some say the federal government let him enter

A Chinese official dropped a bombshell in a press conference normally reserved for vital political issues Announcements: Ye, formerly referred to as Kanye West, was scheduled to host a listening party for his latest studio album “Vultures” on the Chinese island of Hainan on September 15..

For 33-year-old Ziteng Du, an office employee from Shanghai, and plenty of other Chinese fans, the thought of ​​seeing Ye in China is beyond their wildest imagination. Many fans were speechless when the prudish Communist Party allowed one among the world's most notorious rappers to perform.

“According to China’s conservative social values, Ye is a complete outsider,” commented one fan on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of X.

Now, some are wondering whether the Communist Party's decision to permit the controversial artist to enter the country was based on revenue from tourism and a desire for international recognition.

Ye's last show in China was 16 years ago. Now he's returning, to not Shanghai or Beijing, but to a spot largely unknown to foreign visitors.

“Hainan is trying hard to establish itself as an international tourist destination,” says Michael Zhou, founding father of Jingjian, a consulting firm specializing in China tourism. Zhou said transforming Hainan into a world tourist destination is a key national strategy of the central government.

Still, he said, he believes the choice to bring Ye to Hainan was 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. One comment called Ye's works a “serious departure from Chinese socialist values.”

But with domestic travel stagnating, the local government is desperately on the lookout for latest growth potential, Zhou says.

The tropical island of Hainan, also referred to as the “Hawaii of China,” has long been a preferred destination for domestic tourists. Last 12 months, the tourism sector recorded drawn in 181 billion yuan (25.5 billion dollars), which is about 24 percent of the overall gross domestic product.

But domestic tourists at the moment are cutting back on their travel budgets, and international travelers are usually not filling the gap. According to the Hainan Provincial Bureau of Statistics, foreign visitors accounted for 0.87% of all tourists on the island in the primary seven months of 2024.

Weak domestic demand also threatens the island's ambitious goal Attract 207 billion yuan in tourism revenue, a rise of 14% from 2023.

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

But shopping figures fell in 2024, which implies problems for the economy, which relies heavily on revenue from duty-free shops. Hainan has the most important duty-free shopping mall on this planetand the federal government plans to rework your complete island right into a duty-free hub as early as next 12 months.

As of 2023, the variety of shoppers across the island fell by 11%, while duty-free sales fell by 30% in the primary seven months of 2024. According to Haikou customs officialsthe capital of Hainan.

A significant tourism retailer on the island, CTG Duty Free published a disappointing half-year report with revenue down 12.8% year-on-year to 31.26 billion yuan (4.40 billion US dollars).

“As Hainan is the largest duty-free channel in China, a decline in duty-free sales is inevitable,” said Charlie Chen, head of Asia research at financial institution China Renaissance. He said a decline in shopper numbers and average spending suggests that even wealthy customers are controlling their spending.

While luxury shopping in China is declining, the concert industry is experiencing a big upturn – a trend that has not escaped the Hainan authorities.

In an official document In May, the Hainan government announced that it would offer one-time payments of as much as 3 million yuan to firms that bring “world-class music events” to the island.

A Opinion articles from state media He later praised Hainan's efforts to make use of China's visa-free regime to draw high-profile music events from abroad. The article detailed the local government's efforts to make Hainan the primary stop for touring foreign artists.

The strategy worked for Du, he said. The only reason he was going to Hainan was for Ye's show, he said.

Like major live shows, Yes “listening parties” often happen in front of big crowds. But there are differences: the events can include live performances, together with DJs playing pre-recorded mixes and sing-along opportunities for the audience. Sometimes Ye and his collaborator Ty Dolla Sign don’t rap and dance in any respect.

Beginning of the 12 months he has cancelled Listening parties in Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington, DC An event in Taiwan on August 25 was also cancelled days before the scheduled date, which caused confusion.

But on August 23, despite a 70-minute delay, a listening party began went based on plan in Seoul, South Korea.

Ye has spoken fondly about China previously. He defended China through the pandemic and expressed his love for the country in an interview with the New York Post from 2020.

“I love China. It changed my life. It changed my perspective; it gave me such a broad perspective. My mother, an English professor, taught English in China when I was in fifth grade,” he told the publication.

Ye faced backlash in lots of 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.

However, it’s prone to face less headwind in China, where a increase After the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, anti-Israel sentiment spread on social media.

The German Embassy in China began filtering hateful comments on its Weibo account and Call user whose profile pictures combined Nazi symbols with the Israeli flag.

“It seems to me that the party doesn't care about anti-Semitism,” Du said. “I don't care either. I'm not a Jew.”

“Their final destination is Tibet,” he said.

Artists who’ve spoken out loudly for Tibetan independence, including Bjork, oasisAnd Bon Joviomitted China from previous tour plans.