So it looks like Cui Jian (崔健) is unlikely to appear on the Chinese New Year Gala due to “censor concerns”. In the agent’s words, the artist has had to turn the opportunity down, as they were unwilling to change the song lyrics.
There have been mounting pressures on the government here to mitigate large-scale social unrest, caused by such things as the mass displacement of peoples (associated with “the great migration” which is being spurned by pressures to urbanise underdeveloped regions), the seizure of property/land, censorship, and various high-profile scandals.
There is anecdotal evidence to suggest the government is ‘loosening up’ a little in terms of allowing a certain amount of self-expression to take place, and in cases allowing various NGOs and civic groups to fulfil societal needs, offloading previously controlled activities to third parties. Perhaps it would be better to talk in terms of acquiescence – it’s impossible to cover all your bases, and attempting to surveil and exclusively control every aspect of lifedo so presents the risk of further outraging a fairly disgruntled public sphere.
At first we thought introducing Cui Jian into the Gala might be an extension of this: a way of showing an increasing tolerance to self-expression and the highlighting of societal woes through the arts. Well, looks like we were well off. Cui Jian’s had a lot of hype, featuring in campaigns for luxury cars and playing Clockenflap in Hong Kong. Guess they just wanted his face, and not his content. No surprises really.