A Chinese mainland pop star sees his life take an upswing after a TV contest, yet remains humble and grateful to his fans and for new opportunities, Wu Kunling reports in Hong Kong.

Chinese mainland pop star Zhou Shen gifted his fans with live entertainment inside the new 50,000-seat Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong on Dec 31. Zhou became the first mainland artist to perform at the stadium since it opened in March 2025, ringing in the New Year with a countdown that extended into the first hour of 2026.

The New Year's gift was mutual. Zhou told China Daily on Jan 1, after his second show in the city, that singing with the audience made him immensely happy.

This was the final stop on his 28-show tour spanning 14 cities. Zhou, who rose to fame in a 2014 singing competition, is celebrated for his crystalline tone, versatile range, and technical mastery. During his shows, he performed for over three hours each night, turning Hong Kong's iconic arena into a sea of glowing light sticks, cheering, laughter, and tears. Zhou rose to each occasion, delivering a show rich in Hong Kong elements with heartfelt tributes to Cantonese culture.

Beyond imagination

The stage was adorned with a wide range of Hong Kong elements, such as handwritten minibus signs, neon lights, traditional Chinese qipao, and mascots from the recent National Games co-hosted by Hong Kong. Zhou even wove Hong Kong snacks, including pineapple buns and egg waffles, into the performance.

Also sparking discussions on social media, the singer, who grew up in Hunan province and Guizhou province and speaks little Cantonese, took time to prepare several classic Cantonese songs, including a song by legendary Hong Kong band Beyond and the festive Fortune God Has Arrived. He also engaged the audience in games, cracked jokes, and expressed gratitude in Cantonese.

Performing at a venue rich in symbolism, Zhou describes the experience as "a beautiful dream", one filled with nervous excitement and deep emotion.

Born in 1992, Zhou shares how Hong Kong films, TV series, and music shaped him. Countless works had moved and inspired him and a whole generation with their direct, powerful emotional pull.

Such deep admiration made him feel both honored and flattered, he says. In the eyes of the young artist, it was beyond his imagination.

The city was transformed into his own giant showcase prior to the concerts — with advertisements posted in subways, malls and on sailboats. Inside Kai Tak Sports Park, he recalled the overwhelming feeling of hearing tens of thousands of voices chanting his name and singing along even during the Mandarin songs. His earlier doubts and nerves were replaced by joy.

During the song request segment, Zhou recommended a fan from the mainland to try the local Hong Kong cuisine, as she had traveled to Hong Kong for the first time just to see him. When a local fan later thanked Zhou for bringing more joy into her life and told him that many people without tickets hoped he'd return soon, he responded with a long, deep bow to the audience.

"It's hard to believe something this beautiful is real," Zhou says. "Hong Kong has given me an extraordinary gift."

No longer left behind

After the concerts, many fans took to social media to share their experience, particularly about how often Zhou expressed gratitude during the shows.

"People often call artists 'stars', but stars don't shine on their own — their light comes from the fans," Zhou says, thanking all his fans for "discovering an ordinary boy from a small corner of the world" and helping him to realize his dream.

Zhou was born in Shaoyang, Hunan and spent much of his youth as a "left-behind" child in a small village without paved roads, where a passing vehicle was an event for the children. Later, his family moved to Guiyang, Guizhou, a mountainous province, where they didn't have a proper bedroom for years. But that lonely, impoverished childhood was merely the start of life's tests.

Zhou admits he was never the fastest learner. Though he loved singing from a young age, he followed his parents' advice and studied medicine, hoping to secure a stable career. He later followed his heart and turned to music. However, his clear, high voice — so different from most male singers — initially made him deeply insecure. He once said on television that he felt afraid to sing in front of others.

Fortunately, none of these challenges caused Zhou to abandon his dreams. With his vocal talent, sense of humor, and charisma, he steadily won over a growing audience. His path unfolded from TV contests to small livehouse shows, chart-topping singles, soundtracks, and, more recently, world tours and stadium stages.

Rather than dwelling on his earlier hardships, Zhou repeatedly speaks about the support from his fans. He mentions his first livehouse show, a modest and "far from perfect" display. However, it was the first time someone took the microphone from his hand, and so many voices sang along to his song. When that happened, he was too moved to continue singing onstage, he vividly recalls.

Zhou is grateful that fans have embraced his imperfections, and he hopes to reflect that acceptance back through his music and concerts, encouraging everyone to love their imperfect selves. Speaking about his bond with his followers, his eyes glisten, much as his fans shed tears when his words touch them during concerts.

Shared cultural roots

Zhou says he always felt a connection with the city and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a region he describes as "young, dynamic, and culturally profound".

For the shared cultural roots, Zhou sang The Lights of China, a piece composed for the 40th anniversary celebrations of Shenzhen's establishment as the nation's special economic zone, with Zhang Ye. He is also the voice behind Concentric Circles, the official promotional song for Guangzhou's Nansha district, the geographical heart of the Greater Bay Area. Zhou has performed in the region many times, including six visits to Hong Kong.

In 2025, he embarked on a solo world tour across seven cities in four countries. Every show sold out.

Zhou says he is deeply moved and has to "fight hard to hold back tears" every time he sings Chinese songs abroad. Having studied overseas himself, he says he understands intimately how much comfort and warmth one's mother tongue can bring. It heartens him that music can serve as a bridge, connecting overseas Chinese with each other and with their homeland.

Zhou also notices many non-Chinese faces in his overseas audiences. Even if they can't understand the lyrics, they sway and hum along — a response Zhou sees not merely as a reflection of his performance but as part of "the momentum of our times".

Zhou says that in the past, only exceptional Chinese works might reach international audiences. But today, global audiences are increasingly tuning in to Chinese TV shows, especially music programs, and discovering Chinese songs along the way. The nation's development has not only lifted families like his from worries over the basics but also opened more channels for the world to learn about China and its artists.

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"This era allows me to pursue my dreams with confidence, and I want to grow with it," Zhou says, promising to cherish every opportunity offered to him.

He recalls a meaningful moment after Big Fish, one of his signature songs, gained attention. Zhou's university dean from an Ukrainian music academy once told him that he had listened to it, admiring its distinct Chinese style, melody and vocal delivery. Knowing his music has helped foster cross-cultural understanding fills Zhou with pride.

"I want to stay onstage as long as I can and sing as many songs as possible," Zhou says. "So that our music, which carries our own cultural spirit, can reach more ears across the world."

Highlights in 2025

• Released 42 new studio recordings, including personal extended-play works, singles, and original soundtracks for TV series, films and games.
• By December 2025, sales for his album Shenself had surpassed 77 million yuan ($11 million).
• According to Tencent Music Chart, his songs released in 2025 accumulated over 100 million listens.
• Staged nearly 40 live concerts, including international and domestic tours, performing in over 20 cities across three continents and four countries.
• Performed for major cultural events, including the Chinese New Year Gala at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
• Active in public affairs, which include being appointed as a 2025 special observer for ecological environment by China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com