China Bans Enemy No. 1: Justin Bieber

Culture bureau blames singer's 'bad behavior,' says it needs to 'purify' the arts
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 21, 2017 6:20 AM CDT
China Bans Enemy No. 1: Justin Bieber
In this May 22, 2016, file photo, Justin Bieber performs at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas.   (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

China wants to keep its arts culture pure and its crowds demure, which is why the country has banned the naughty influences of … Justin Bieber. The Guardian reports the 23-year-old pop star isn't permitted to perform in China during his Purpose World Tour stopover in Asia later in the year because of his "bad behavior," per a statement that popped up on the country's culture bureau website this week. Bieber "is a gifted singer, but he is also a controversial young foreign singer," the statement notes, adding that Bieber's reported antics, "both in his social life and during a previous performance in China," have "caused discontent among the public." The decision was made in order to "purify the Chinese performance environment."

It's not clear which behavioral issues the bureau is referring to, but Bieber has been arrested in the US on DUI charges, in trouble with the law in Canada for reckless driving, and reprimanded for kicking a soccer ball around the Vatican's hallowed halls, among other infractions. During his last tour visit to China in 2013, he caused a commotion by being carried up the Great Wall by his bodyguards, as well as riding his skateboard through Beijing, per the Telegraph. He's not the only Western star to receive a finger-wagging from China: Lady Gaga and Oasis have also been turned away for being "unsuitable" for the masses. Bieber is being given room for redemption, however: The bureau hopes the singer "is able to improve his conduct as he grows up and will once again find public favor." (More Justin Bieber stories.)

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