Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung, aged 63 this year, will hold performances at the Dongguan station of his “60+” tour, which kicked off in 2023 and has already reached over 200 shows. The concerts are scheduled to take place from June 6 to June 8. However, this coincides with the dates of the 2025 college entrance examination in China, leading to complaints from some local parents of examinees due to the proximity of a test center to the concert venue. The news made it to the top trending topic on Weibo on May 23.
Jacky Cheung’s “60+” tour has been ongoing for quite some time and has reached its 200th show. In two weeks, mainland Chinese students will face the 2025 college entrance exam, while Jacky Cheung is slated to perform three shows consecutively at the Dongguan Basketball Center from June 6 to June 8, overlapping with the exam dates. The nearby Dongguan No. 6 High School serves as an examination center, prompting complaints from local parents who hope the concert will be rescheduled.
According to reports from “The Paper,” this may be the first time that Jacky Cheung’s concert has faced complaints, especially given the national attention surrounding the college entrance exam. It is estimated that both the veteran singer, who has remained popular over the years, and the concert organizers are under considerable pressure.
On May 22, the Dongguan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism, and Sports responded by stating that the concert will start in the evening, thus avoiding any overlap with the exam schedule. Additionally, the distance between the concert venue and the nearest exam center is approximately 1.6 kilometers, with minimal on-site noise that is unlikely to affect the exam site. They also mentioned that strict supervision and management will be enforced throughout the concert.
Nevertheless, some netizens expressed concerns that even with assurances from the relevant departments, parents of examinees still have various worries. Any slight possibility of disruption could affect the students’ performance in the important exam.
Some netizens even envisioned potential scenarios on the day of the events, foreseeing traffic congestion as students leaving the exam encounter the flow of concert-goers. They also raised concerns about the influx of fans from across the country causing nearby hotels to reach full capacity.
The college entrance exam is considered the most important test in the minds of Chinese people, and from a parent’s perspective, a child’s participation in the exam is a crucial family matter. On the other hand, from the concert organizers’ and performers’ standpoint, the tour is a well-planned commercial event with fixed dates and contents. If a concert in one city were to be rescheduled, it could disrupt a series of plans that are interconnected between cities. For fans, rescheduling may disrupt their travel plans.
As of February this year, Jacky Cheung completed his 1,000th performance after the concert in Haikou, Hainan during his “60+” tour, becoming the first Chinese singer to exceed 1,000 solo concerts. This milestone signifies his dedication to the stage over his 40-year career, totaling nearly 3,000 hours of performances, which is truly astonishing.
During this round of performances, Jacky Cheung has faced health challenges. During a concert in Malaysia, he experienced sudden dizziness due to Meniere’s disease but thankfully recovered without serious consequences. In Shanghai, he had to postpone a show due to contracting COVID-19. While in Taipei, he was hit with a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, resulting in the rescheduling of three concerts at the Taipei Arena from last year to April 4-6 and 11-13 of this year. In early March, he canceled three Guangzhou shows due to health reasons.
Jacky Cheung, who is scheduled to perform in Chongqing, China, recently shared reflections during his concert at the Kaohsiung Arena in Taiwan on March 28. He mentioned that his last visit to Kaohsiung was six years ago and acknowledged changes in his health, but he still showcased his famous one-legged stance, eliciting cheers from the audience. He emotionally expressed, “I will keep going. I hope everyone won’t give up on me. I keep getting older, but I’m working hard to maintain myself. I will keep going.”