A little more than a week after Lancome cancelled a concert involving Cantopop singer Denise Ho Wan-sze, the defiant pop star has planned her own community concert. It will take place at the same time and location as the one the beauty brand had nixed amid criticism from mainland China for supporting Ho.
The concert will take place at 3.30pm on Sunday, June 19 on the corner of Po Hing Fong and Tai Ping Shan Street in Sheung Wan. "Same place, same date, same people, different meaning" says a status on Ho's Facebook. The status further explains that the theme of the concert is “The Beauty of WE”, which celebrates “the beauty within that is based on personality and perseverance for freedom of speech and thought."
Open to all for free, the concert is organised by Ho and eight business owners from the neighborhood, including Teakha, Just Coffee&Wine Hipster, 3rd Space and Inbetween Shop.
The aim is to “create a happy and safe neighbourhood event,” writes Ho on her Facebook, which may be a satire of Lancome's statement on June 5 which said that the cancelled concert aimed to “create a happy and relaxing neighbourhood event” but was cancelled due to “possible safety reasons”.
Ho posted saying there will be a Facebook Live post at 10pm today to release safety information on Sunday's event.
There will also be activities at that location throughout the day from noon to celebrate music and culture.