A montage of Chinese newspaper front pages on June 27,
the day after Michael Jackson's death.
ZS News, People's Republic of China
'When Michael
Jackson Visited Mainland China'
"Most
of his fans in China regret that he never performed on the mainland. However, 22
years ago, he stepped on Chinese ground. He was fascinated by the rice fields, water
buffalo and ducks in the pond. … Jackson took a group photo with children in
Yongmo Village. On his face there's a free and sweet smile, which makes him look
like the 'King of the Kids.' Michael wrote below the photo: 'When I saw the Chinese
kids, I couldn’t resist them."
-- Michael Jackson's tour guide in China, Liu Guangzhi
At 5:26am on June 26, Michael
Jackson, the 'King of Pop'' passed away at the age of 50 when his heart stopped.
His Chinese fans feel deep regret that he was never able to hold a concert in
mainland China. However, what few people know is that the pop star visited Zhongshan
City 22 years ago. In 1987, when on holiday in Hong Kong, Jackson visited
Zhongshan as a tourist. This was the only visit he made to mainland China during
his lifetime.
On the evening of June 27, with
the assistance of the Zhongshan China International Travel Service [Zhongshan CITS],
our reporter contacted Liu Guangzhi, who now lives in the United States. He is
a Zhongshanese and once worked for Zhongshan CITS. On October 23, 1987, he
accompanied Michael Jackson as a tour guide during his one-day visit to Zhongshan.
HIS ONLY VISIT TO MAINLAND CHINA
"He came to Zhongshan to
see what China was like." says Liu Guangzhi, who now lives in the U.S.
state of Maryland. Having a good command of English, on that day in October
1987, Liu was assigned to receive a tourist group, among which was Michael
Jackson. At the time, Liu was only 23 years old.
Jackson was wearing dark
green shirt, black trousers and black frame glasses. He appeared friendly and
quiet. "It wasn't until I got the list of tourists that I discovered I
would be receiving Michael Jackson." Liu's excitement was still evident as
he spoke of the events of that day, twenty-two years ago.
"On the list there were
arrangements for vehicles and restaurants. Then I realized that a superstar was
coming!" That very tourist list is still kept in very good condition. Michael
Jackson’s name is on the top. Under the column "occupation," it reads
"Entertainment Industry."
Lui agrees that, "Most of
his fans in China feel regret that he never performed on the mainland. However,
22 years ago, he stepped on China ground."
VISITING YONGMO VILLAGE, SANXIANG TOWN
It was a sunny day and that
morning, 12 tourists including Michael came to the Gongbei Customs office from
Hong Kong. Liu guided them to Yongmo Village, Sanxiang Town, then on to Cuiheng
Village, Nanlang Town, in order for them to enjoy the beautiful scenery in the
hometown of a great man [Dr. Sun Yat-sen,
father of modern China].
In 1987, although China still
wasn't very open to foreign pop music, a large group of young people in
Zhongshan knew of Michael Jackson thanks to his best selling CD Thriller.
"He was very nice. At
that time, he wasn't surrounded by a large group of bodyguards. In Yongmo
Village, many foreign tourists and villagers recognized him and asked for
photographs and signatures."
Michael only spent 40 minutes
in Yongmo Village. He was obviously quite interested in the Chinese village, which
was not modernized. "He was fascinated by the rice fields, water buffalo
and ducks in the pond. Along the road there were villages and farmhouses."
Liu said that the friendliness and hospitality of the villagers, as well as their
simple lifestyle, attracted Jackson deeply. "He walked on the bluestone
road in Yongmo Village, looking with great interest at a baby wrapped in
swaddling cloth. He also said 'Hi' to children and took photos with an old woman
in front of her house. He and his companions took lots of pictures and videos of
the village."
Jackson took a group photo
with children in Yongmo Village (below), which appears in his autobiography. In
the photo Liu sent to our reporter, the young "King of Pop" was
surrounded by several lovely children. On his face there's a free and sweet
smile, which makes him look like the "King of the kids." Michael
wrote down his feelings below the photo: "When I saw the Chinese kids, I
couldn’t resist them."
Visiting Zhongshan city in Guangdong Province,
the hometown of the revered father of modern
China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Michael Jackson poses
with some local children, in October 1987.
VISITING THE DR. SUN YAT-SEN MUSEUM
"He admired Dr. Sun Yat-sen
and was interested in his Chinese tunic."
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
They had lunch at the Zhongshan
Hot Spring Resort. A large group of Americans saw him there and recognized him.
So they took photos with him excitingly. "Michael Jackson was a vegetarian
at the time, so we prepared vegetarian food for him. Other than that, it seemed
that he wasn’t very picky about food."
After lunch, they went to
Cuiheng Village, Nanlang Town. They visited the Museum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and the
Zhongshan Memorial Middle School. "As the main attraction in Zhongshan, the
Museum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and the houses in Cuiheng Village were the "must-go"
places for many foreigners." Liu said.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
Before he came to China, Jackson
wasn't familiar with Dr. Sun Yat-sen. He listened to Liu’s introduction and
gradually came to understand the revolutionary road of Sun. "In the Museum
of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, he showed great interest in architecture with Chinese
characteristics. He asked me to tell him stories about Dr. Sun Yat-sen. He
seemed to admire him a lot."
The photograph of Dr. Sun Yat-sen wearing a Chinese tunic suit
attracted Michael’s attention (photo, left). He inquired about the origin and
design of the Chinese tunic suit. "It was said that he had a Chinese tunic
made to order in Hong Kong and brought it back to the United States."
The seven-hour-visit was soon
over. Before he left, Jackson told Liu Guangzhi that, "the scenery of
Zhongshan is similar to Switzerland. Everything is green."
"He left us with good memories. He was very quiet but also very
friendly and would greet the children and take pictures with them. His stay was
so short that we didn’t have a chance to discuss specific topics in any detail."
Liu feels regret over this. But
he was touched by Michael’s carefulness. "When he went back to Hong Kong, he
asked his agent to send the group photo to me - and he signed it."
Together with the photo of
Liu [photo upper, right], he sent the photos of the kids and the old woman in
Yongmo Village as well. Liu sent those photos back to the village. To this day,
many of these photos remain in the villager’s homes. "To us, it was a
wonderful memory. And Michael had kept it for us."
In 1990, Liu Guangzhi applied
for further study in the United States. He brought these memories to the U.S.
with him, including the tourist list and photos taken at that time. Now Liu
counts them as some of his most precious things. "Though he is gone, I
will always think of him when I look at those photos. He's an extraordinary
superstar and will remain in our minds."
