2025 December 5th, Epoch Times – News comes every year, but this year there seems to be an abundance of it. As we approach the end of 2025, a series of bizarre news has been emerging from China one after another. One of the most recent hot topics is:
On November 29th, Japanese famous female pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki held a “concert with no audience” at the Oriental Sports Center of the Pudong Development Bank in Shanghai, facing 14,000 empty seats.
In a post late on November 29th, Hamasaki stated, “After receiving the request to halt the performance from the organizers yesterday, we carried out the show from the first song to the encore without an audience before leaving the venue,” and “All performers and staff put forth their full effort with the same dedication as a formal performance to complete this show.”
On the evening of November 30th, Hamasaki posted 9 photos from her “concert with no audience” on Instagram. The stage was beautifully lit, with paper flowers floating in the air and the stage effects were flawless.
In her post, Hamasaki mentioned, “Although facing 14,000 empty seats, I felt the overflowing love from audiences around the world, making this one of the most unforgettable performances for me. I sincerely thank the 200 Chinese and Japanese staff, band members, and dancers; it was their dedication that brought this stage to life.”
Before leaving Shanghai, Hamasaki posted a black-and-white photo of her back view with the caption, “A promise to be kept to the end.” She has entrusted her team to turn the “concert with no audience” into a documentary, which will be provided for free to ticket purchasers.
The sudden cancellation of Hamasaki’s concert in Shanghai by the Chinese Communist Party and her “concert with no audience” in Shanghai have sparked strong reactions domestically and internationally.
One netizen wrote, “What force majeure? It all comes down to power. The unrestrained power of the party-state in China is seen as force majeure.”
Another commented, “I didn’t even know who Hamasaki Ayumi was before, but now she has become my idol. Not because of her songs, not because of how skilled she is at singing, nor because she is beautiful, but because she elegantly delivered a loud slap in the face to absurdity.”
“Do you think fans would hate Japanese artists? Sorry! Instead, countless people who were not her fans are praising her, commending her as a versatile artist.”
“Not to mention that on the day the concert was canceled, she prayed for Hong Kong on IG and requested the audience to avoid wearing red that evening, with all red elements and flame effects removed from the stage, simply because ‘Hong Kong friends have always given us so much love, and I don’t want to show red and flames when they are sad.'”
“A woman so gentle yet firm, being treated in the most violent way by certain people. I really don’t know who the real embarrassment is.”
Veteran media figure Yan Chunhuo commented, “This is an unprecedented concert in human history. Hamasaki Ayumi will go down in the annals of human history because of this concert.”
“The CCP has once again shot itself in the foot with this move, and the result is, Hamasaki Ayumi emerges unscathed, receives her payment, holds a concert for her fans without an audience, politely bids farewell to China week after week, leaving behind a timeless topic for the world to spread. The CCP, on the other hand, reaps the exact opposite of its original intention – it wanted power, but ended up in decline; it wanted to do evil, but ended up in frustration.”
Another user on platform X wrote, “Hamasaki Ayumi’s complete (even perfect) performance facing a full house of empty chairs tells the world: a true strong person is not one who vents their anger on innocent individuals, but one who, in the midst of absurdity, still confidently fulfills their promise to the very last second, an attitude and demeanor that leaves dishonest and despicable individuals with no place to hide!”
Chinese netizens, deeply admiring Hamasaki Ayumi’s unexpected performance, exclaimed, “Incredible professionalism, respect.” “This scene will go down in history.” “A great performance.” “Using the light of civilization to illuminate the savage darkness! Beautiful!” “Greatness needs no further words, people are turning into fans.” “Until the news of the cancellation, she was thinking of the best solution for her fans. Where else can you find such a sincere celebrity?” “A stage with no audience created the most infectious performance worldwide.”
A fan wrote, “She sang an entire concert despite being deaf in one ear back in the day, and now she has bloomed a flower in the ruins – that’s the true meaning of an idol.”
Another netizen said, “Many foreigners go to China and think of going to Shanghai first. This move is like destroying Shanghai’s image in front of the whole world once again.” “Shanghai has lost all its face; don’t dream of foreign investment anymore. This event is a sign of an era ending, just as influential as Shanghai’s lockdown, leaving a stench for a hundred years.”
Furthermore, a netizen commented, “The one who lost face is China (should be the CCP), not Ayumi Hamasaki”; “A real-life ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ known worldwide”; “A slap in the face to the Chinese government (should be the CCP government).”
Moreover, another user remarked, “This incident is equivalent to the official announcement by the (CCP) government to the world that the policy of opening up to the outside world is completely bankrupt.”
In a sarcastic tone, a netizen said, “Let Hamasaki Ayumi dominate the internet, seriously diluting our country’s ongoing massive criticism of Japan.”
When people from all over the world overwhelmingly supported Ayumi Hamasaki, on the evening of December 1st, the CCP’s state media “The Paper” was the first to release a statement debunking rumors, claiming that the information about Hamasaki Ayumi’s “solo concert” was false, and it was actually filmed during rehearsals, with an apology publicly made by Lai Zonglong, who claimed to be a member of the filming team.
Regarding this so-called “debunking,” some netizens sharply pointed out that this is just a deception for “those who are kept in the information cocoon,” and this is an attempt to shift the focus from the unjustified cancellation of the show to the filming deception and rehearsals.
Yuki Takano, a beautician who has worked with Hamasaki Ayumi for a long time, witnessed the entire process of the performance. She described on her IG story, “Ayumi Hamasaki shouting ‘Shanghai’ repeatedly facing the empty audience seats,” “Ayumi Hamasaki displaying her usual smile, scanning the entire venue 360 degrees,” while admiring her professionalism, “This is a legendary concert that will surely be celebrated for generations to come.”
On November 7th, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takichi stated during questioning in the House of Representatives that if there was a war in the Taiwan Strait, “considering the worst case scenario,” for Japan, there is a “high possibility of a situation posing a threat to survival.” In such a situation, Japan “could consider from a different perspective.” According to the “Japanese Security Law,” when Japan is in a situation of “a threat posed to its survival,” it can exercise the right to collective self-defense.
Based on this, the CCP concluded that Takichi hinted that if the CCP forcibly reunifies Taiwan by force, Japan may intervene militarily in the Taiwan issue, thus hoisting the flag of “patriotism” and stirring up another wave of anti-Japanese sentiment.
The sudden halt of Hamasaki’s concert is a “clumsy” move by the CCP within this wave of anti-Japanese sentiment, with at least six major missteps:
First, the CCP government was upset with the Japanese government and should not take it out on a Japanese female singer who is friendly to the Chinese people.
Second, Hamasaki’s concert was a pre-arranged commercial performance, and the CCP should not bypass market rules due to political grievances against the Japanese government.
Third, the CCP, angered at Japanese Prime Minister Takichi, should not vent by targeting the concert organizers – the company responsible for the event, Kaleko (Shanghai) Cultural Development Co., Ltd., Shanghai Shangxin Yue Mu Cultural Media Co., Ltd., Shanghai Julai Fu Cultural Development Co. Ltd., as well as the Chinese audience who bought tickets to watch Ayumi Hamasaki’s concert.
Fourth, the CCP’s attempt to force Japanese artists to hate the Japanese government, pressure the Japanese government through bullying Japanese artists is backfiring. The latest polls in Japan show that Prime Minister Sanae Takichi’s cabinet enjoys a support rate of up to 75%.
Fifth, once Hamasaki’s concert was forcibly canceled by the CCP, mayors Chen Qi of Kaohsiung and Jiang Wan’an of Taipei invited Hamasaki to perform in Taiwan, further strengthening the relationship between Taiwan and Japan.
Sixth, the CCP’s forced cancellation of Hamasaki’s concert shows extreme disrespect for art, performers, and audiences, reflecting the autocratic, overbearing, domineering, and arrogant behavior of the CCP. This does not only tarnish the international metropolis of Shanghai but also humiliates the descendants of the Yan and Huang race at home and abroad.
Hamasaki’s concert being abruptly canceled by the CCP, and her subsequent extraordinary performance, caught the CCP off guard. Without a single comment on the CCP’s “anti-Japanese” stance, no anger, no complaints, no tears, but with dignity, Hamasaki stood facing 14,000 empty chairs, completing the planned songs intended for the audience.
Hamasaki’s extraordinary demeanor starkly contrasts with the absurdity and strangeness of the CCP. Compared, civilization versus savagery, beauty versus ugliness, trustworthiness versus untrustworthiness, kindness versus hatred, openness versus narrow-mindedness, elegance versus vulgar, it is clear who stands atop.
Some describe Hamasaki’s ingenious defeat of the CCP as “a country being defeated by a woman.” I find this statement inaccurate; it should be “a vast party being defeated by a small woman.”
What does “Four ounces move a thousand pounds” mean? Hamasaki Ayumi’s performance facing 14,000 empty seats embodies it.
(Author: Epoch Times)