Saturday’s “What the Folkstival” outdoor concert was meant to kick off in the early afternoon in a Beijing suburb near the airport, with 10 live acts, including foreign performers, playing “acoustic music to soothe your soul.”
It never began. Near booths selling barbecue skewers and craft beer, festival-goers had begun to gather on blankets or folding chairs, enjoying the breeze and freedom from COVID-era restrictions, when police officers appeared, lights flashing, to speak with the organizers. Minutes later, a volunteer took to the stage and said the event was being postponed because of unforeseen reasons. Organizers said the police had ordered them to vacate the premises.
The incident is one of an unusual spate of sudden cancellations or shutdowns in the past week across the country that seem unrelated, spanning arts, business and equality. One explanation is a scandal in which authorities fined production company Xiaoguo about $2 million (¥275 million) and suspended its performances in two major cities “indefinitely” after comedian Li Haoshi joked about a Xi Jinping military slogan last weekend. Authorities later arrested a woman for defending the comedian’s joke.
Yet some of the cancellations seem to have little to do with perceived criticism of the government, such as a convention for female tech entrepreneurs in Shanghai or a concert by a Japanese band in Guangzhou.
Organizers of the scrapped events issued apologies that are thin on detail, citing a variation of “unforeseen circumstances,” when writing in English, or “force majeure,” a legal term to waive liability in the event of circumstances outside a supplier’s control. In the Chinese context, it’s considered a euphemism for higher powers — police or other government bodies that enforce rules or apply pressure to stop activities deemed harmful to the state or society.
One Beijing-based musician, who asked for anonymity when discussing politically sensitive issues, said she believes the crackdown on live shows and cultural events is a result of the Xiaoguo incident, but that when such sweeps occur, foreigners and more popular bands and performers often become primary targets.
Japanese, Buddhism-influenced chorus group Kissaquo abruptly pulled its show in the southern city of Guangzhou on Wednesday night. A statement on the band’s official Weibo account said the cancellation was ordered by government agencies out of force majeure. Kissaquo did not immediately reply to a request for comment.