On the evening of June 21st, Hong Kong artist Jacky Cheung held a “60+ Tour Concert” at the Galaxy Macau Resort. During the interactive session, mainland Chinese fans shouted for him to speak Mandarin, to which Cheung humorously refused in Cantonese but then replied in Mandarin saying, “Sorry, I can’t speak Mandarin. Learn some Cantonese.” This response garnered enthusiastic applause from the audience who spoke Cantonese.
Two years ago, during a concert in Hong Kong, Chinese fans asked Cheung to speak more Mandarin. He gracefully declined with a simple statement, sparking discussions. Fast forward to June 21st, when Cheung was performing in Macau. While interacting with the audience, he introduced his partners in Cantonese when suddenly someone shouted for him to speak Mandarin. Cheung playfully responded in Mandarin, “Sorry, I can’t speak Mandarin.”
He then asked the audience in Cantonese, “How many of you speak Cantonese?” This question was met with cheers from the crowd. Cheung then teased the Chinese fan with, “Sorry, I can’t speak Mandarin. Learn some Cantonese,” while playfully pointing at his head, encouraging non-Cantonese-speaking fans to “keep trying.” The audience responded with warm applause for Cheung.
In a video, Cheung explained why he insists on speaking Cantonese, saying, “I’m sorry for friends who don’t understand Cantonese. Today, we are in Macau, where Cantonese is the main language… I hope everyone enjoys tonight’s concert.”
In recent years, Chinese fans have been traveling overseas to attend concerts and engaging with artists, sparking many discussions. For instance, Singaporean singer JJ Lin, who frequently holds concerts in mainland China, performed for two consecutive days at the Taipei Arena on June 7th and 8th. Some fans held up signs with names of cities from mainland China. Lin read out each city’s name during the concert, which displeased some Taiwanese fans and revealed the pervasive influence of the Chinese Communist Party.
Whenever Chinese fans in places like Hong Kong and Macau, where Cantonese is the primary language, request local artists to speak Mandarin during their performances, it often makes headlines. Artists like Jacky Cheung and Eason Chan have faced such requests but continue to prioritize the majority of their local fans in Hong Kong and Macau, hence rejecting the demand to speak Mandarin.
According to Hong Kong media reports, two years ago, Cheung was greeted by fans from China as he arrived at a concert venue in Hong Kong. A fan shouted, “Can you speak more Mandarin during tonight’s concert? I came from far away and don’t understand Cantonese.” Cheung responded with a smile, telling them to “learn some.”
Now, as this incident repeats itself, some netizens suggest that if Chinese fans truly don’t understand Cantonese, they should attend concerts in their own regions instead of demanding Mandarin from artists in Hong Kong and Macau. After all, it’s not fair to force singers to cater to their needs over local fans.