'Piano Prince' Li Yundi makes comeback 2 years after prostitute scandal

ADELAIDE, Australia — World-famous Chinese classical pianist Li Yundi has made an emotional comeback in Australia, two years after he was blacklisted in China for allegedly hiring a prostitute.

The 41-year-old is currently on tour in Australia and performed in Adelaide last Saturday (Oct 28).

In a video posted that night by a netizen on Chinese social media platform Weibo, Li accepted two bouquets of flowers from the audience and played Frederic Chopin's Nocturne In E Flat Major for an encore.

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He will perform in Brisbane on Wednesday, Sydney on Saturday and Melbourne on Sunday.

Born in Chongqing, China, Li won the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2000 — at 18, he was the youngest pianist to do so — which launched his international music career.

Known as China's Piano Prince, he was arrested by the Beijing police in October 2021 for allegedly soliciting a 29-year-old prostitute, and disappeared from public view for two years. Soliciting prostitutes and prostitution are illegal in China.

Li, who was then taking part in the first season of popular Chinese reality singing show Call Me By Fire (2021 to present), was digitally removed from the show.

The China Association of Performing Arts and the Chinese Musicians' Association both swiftly cancelled his membership.

Li tested the waters in December 2022 when he posted on Weibo a video of him playing the piano, with the caption: "The fame will endure forever."

He continued to post on Instagram videos of himself playing the piano in the first half of 2023 before announcing in July a 2023 Australia Coming Back Tour in October and November.

ALSO READ: Chinese police detain concert pianist Li Yundi over prostitution allegations

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.