Jon Bon Jovi is the lead singer of the popular rock band Bon Jovi, who is set to perform in Shanghai in September. (Photo : Reuters)
Jon Bon Jovi, frontman of the successful rock band Bon Jovi, sang a popular Chinese song in Mandarin to celebrate the Qixi Festival.
The New Jersey-born rocker sang the love song, "The Moon Represents My Heart," a ballad popularized by Taiwanese pop star Teresa Teng back in the 1970s. The video was released on website Tudou on the day of the Qixi Festival, considered the Chinese equivalent of the Western holiday Valentine's Day.
The video's release precedes Bon Jovi's scheduled Asian tour that includes stops in mainland cities Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Macao, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Seoul. This will mark the very first time that the band will perform in mainland China.
In the past, Bon Jovi has performed live in Hong Kong in 1993 and Taiwan in 1993 and 1995.
While his Mandarin's fluency may be on the questionable side, his effort to immerse himself in Chinese popular culture has won over fans, earning the approval of netizens.
"Bang Shu, this is too considerate of you!" said one of the commenters on Tudou. "I'm brimming with tears."
Bang Shu is a popular nickname that Chinese fans have given to Bon Jovi's frontman.
"This is without a doubt the best Qixi gift I've ever received!" another commenter wrote.
Just like Teresa Tang's "The Moon Represents My Heart," Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name" is a hit song among the Chinese karaoke crowd.
There has recently been a trend of celebrities speaking in Mandarin in order to win over Chinese fans.
In February, Mark Zuckerberg recorded a special message to Chinese fans in Mandarin to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Zuckerberg's Mandarin is self-taught after being inspired by his wife, Priscilla Chan, whose Chinese-Vietnamese family speaks Chinese.
