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Most governments aren’t too bothered by what jazz saxophonist Kenny G does between concerts, but when he turned up at pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, Chinese authorities were furious.
On Wednesday he tweeted a picture of himself making a victory sign in front of a poster reading: “Democracy of Hong Kong” and wrote: “In Hong Kong at the sight [sic] of the demonstration. I wish everyone a peaceful and positive conclusion to this situation.”
Within hours, the foreign ministry in Beijing had issued a frosty condemnation.
in Hong Kong at the sight of the demonstration. I wish everyone a peaceful and positive conclusion to this situation pic.twitter.com/mEp5jIXLjj
— Kenny G (@officialkennyg) October 22, 2014
“Kenny G’s musical works are widely popular in China, but China’s position on the illegal Occupy Central activities in Hong Kong is very clear,” ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing.
“We hope that foreign governments and individuals speak and act cautiously and not support the Occupy Central and other illegal activities in any form,” she added.
Critics may denounce Kenny G – full name Kenneth Gorelick – as a populist purveyor of elevator music, but his bestselling records are wildly popular in China, where he is a bona fide superstar.
His 1989 hit Going Home even has its own cultural niche as a near-universal marker of closing time everywhere from schools to wedding banquets, shopping centres and train stations. Only around five minutes long, it is sometimes played on a loop for more than an hour.
“Nobody knows why the Chinese even like Kenny G so much,” music and entertainment industry consultant Jackie Subeck told the New York Times earlier this year, in an article exploring the inexplicable national devotion to Going Home.
The musician kicked off a recent world tour with four concerts in China, and tweeted a picture of Jackie Chan onstage at one of them. “This is what happens in China. My music is super popular there,” he said.
