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Dylan Forced to Cancel China Shows

Bob Dylan has canceled a leg of his Asian tour. According to the Agence France-Presse, Dylan cancelled the shows “after the Chinese government refused him permission to play scheduled performances in Shanghai and Beijing this month.” The New York Times reports that “Brokers Brothers Herald, Mr. Dylan’s Taiwan-based promoter, said the Chinese culture ministry gave Mr. Dylan ‘no alternative’ but to cancel subsequent shows in Hong Kong and Taiwan. ‘The chance to play in China was the main attraction for him,’ Jeffrey Wu, Brokers’ chief of operations, told The South China Morning Post of Hong Kong. ‘When that fell through, everything else was called off.” The article also says that “the Chinese government had become more selective about performances by foreigners after Bjork’s 2008 concert in Shanghai, where she shouted ‘Tibet, Tibet!’ while performing her song ‘Declare Independence. Later that year China imposed rules on such concerts, including one that said, ‘Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty are firmly not allowed to perform in China.’” Dylan has international dates confirmed through a July 4 stop in Ireland.