China’s well-known singer Dao Lang (real name Luo Lin), whose song “Rakshasa Sea City” has become popular again, had a successful partnership with his disciple, Yunduo, over a decade ago. However, Dao Lang’s company recently issued a statement announcing the amicable termination of the management contract with Yunduo signed on May 5, 2010, after mutual agreement on July 1, 2014, leaving the public in shock.
In a “Statement of Circumstances” released on October 17 by “Beijing Ayala Music Culture Development Co., Ltd.” and “Chengdu Ayala Culture Communication Co., Ltd.”, it was clarified that the contract with Yunduo had ended on July 1, 2014. Yunduo’s personal life and work have since been unrelated to Dao Lang and his studio. The offline performances of Yunduo’s songs like “Love Is You and Me,” “My Loulan,” “Four Seas Love Song,” and “Yunduo” will expire on December 31, 2024, while “Stubborn” will remain singable until April 9, 2044.
The statement also expressed Dao Lang’s sincere best wishes for Yunduo’s upcoming concert as former partners. Yunduo held a concert on October 19 in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, where all tickets were sold out.
Dao Lang’s announcement of the contract termination with Yunduo from ten years ago has sparked immense public attention, especially since there had been no mention of it in the past decade. Dao Lang, who rose from a grassroots background, faced exclusion in the mainland entertainment industry in 2014, leading to his retreat for many years. A netizen known as “Uncle Anthony” revealed that during Dao Lang’s low point in 2014 when he chose to step back, Yunduo proposed to leave. Dao Lang, understandingly, agreed to terminate the contract, but surprisingly, Yunduo went on to sign with Dao Lang’s rival company after the termination.
In response to the “Statement of Circumstances” released by Dao Lang’s company, Yunduo openly addressed during the concert, saying, “I am Yunduo, forever Dao Lang’s disciple. Master and Mistress are my parents in this life again. Ten years ago, Master and Mistress encouraged me to bravely pursue my path and wholeheartedly provided all the help they could offer. I will always be grateful for their kindness.”
Yunduo performed the songs that Dao Lang tailored for her, with “Love Is You and Me” being her debut hit. The unexpected moment during the performance was when Yunduo, dressed in fiery red, knelt down on stage to thank her mentor Dao Lang.
Earlier, Dao Lang embarked on a tour across mainland China, gaining popularity from Chengdu to Guangzhou and Nanjing. As Dao Lang’s return to the spotlight flourished, some netizens noticed Yunduo, who had always referred to Dao Lang as “Teacher,” did not appear as a guest performer at his concerts or give him support on social media.
Many netizens questioned Yunduo’s absence from Dao Lang’s concert and noticed her discreet presence at the Nanjing concert, where she wore a mask and a cap, quietly appreciating Dao Lang’s performance from the audience as a common spectator. Later, Yunduo made a post confirming her attendance at Dao Lang’s Nanjing concert and expressed being moved to tears when he sang “Thank You,” describing the melody as deeply familiar and touching.
With Dao Lang’s company publicly terminating the contract with Yunduo, many netizens feel a sense of melancholy for the mentor-disciple relationship between the two.
According to sources, the reason behind the statement issued by Dao Lang is related to the copyright issues of the songs. After taking Yunduo as his disciple, Dao Lang personally crafted several songs for her, including the aforementioned ones. Yunduo rose to fame by singing these songs, but the copyrights belong to Dao Lang. Yunduo mentioned her own significant works on her social media accounts, emphasizing her decade-long career and the creation and performance of many songs, including “Love Is You and Me” and “My Loulan.”
As of now, the termination of the contract between Dao Lang and Yunduo has stirred strong emotions among many onlookers reflecting on their once impactful mentor-disciple relationship.