HONG KONG — The American rapper Kanye West, now known simply as Ye, would appear to be an unlikely favorite of the Chinese Communist Party. The superstar is a politically controversial figure even on his home turf. Yet he has taken China by storm this month, with a concert on the southern island of Hainan proving so popular that another has been scheduled for next Saturday.
The Grammy Award-winning musician’s “listening party” in Haikou last Sunday — his first in China in 16 years — drew 42,000 fans, mostly from other parts of the country. Ticket sales for the single show reached 51 million yuan ($7.23 million), making it significantly more lucrative than a recent five-show run with another rapper in the U.S. and Europe, which generated an average of $2.4 million per show.
