Bad Bunny's Infectious Music Crosses the Pacific

Bad Bunny dancing the salsa with Lady Gaga

All the talk today is about how Bad Bunny killed it yesterday at the Super Bowl Half Time Show. Latinos, and in particular Puerto Ricans are so proud that Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio made them feel seen and in a thoughtful, energetic, cultural way, from the sugar cane fields, to the old men playing dominos, freshly-made tacos, a real wedding party, the electricity poles, and on and on.

Yes there are actually MAGA people on social media who panned the show, saying it was "boring." How could anyone resist such happy beats?

He called on people to believe in themselves and his final message, "The only thing more powerful than hate is love" is what we really need right now.

He smiled at hearing he is No. 1 in China

But what's super cool is that Bad Bunny hasn't just touched people in the Americas (including CanaDA), but also across the Pacific in China!

He is the first Latin music artist to rank No. 1 in China, thanks to college students turning to the likes of Bad Bunny and J Balvin to learn Spanish.

According to a study from Barcelona's Universitat Pompeu Fabra, the number of Chinese students taking translation and language science classes has increased 37 percent from five years ago, though the learning materials aren't as developed as they are for learning English.

The UPF study, which was published last year in the journal "Language and Intercultural Communication," says these amateur translators collaborate with Latin music lovers on NetEase Cloud Music to make it easier for the Chinese to understand some of reggaeton's idiomatic Spanish cultural references that don't have Chinese equivalents.

During an Apple Music preview days before the Super Bowl, Bad Bunny found out he was No. 1 in China and he bowled over with a massive smile, incredulous at the news.

The "64" is a nod to his uncle's birth year

Meanwhile many of us watching Bad Bunny's show, featuring Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, wondered what the "64" reference was on his shirt. 

It turns out is was the birth year of his uncle, who passed away.

Bad Bunny had wanted to take his uncle to the Super Bowl, but this was his way to dedicate the show to him.

However, the Chinese censors didn't get the memo and started deleting his pictures with "64," worried it was a reference to 1989...

Remembering Gor Gor 20 Years On

Lots of flowers for Cheung outside Mandarin Oriental (J Pang)

It is a relief to see there are crowds of people outside the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong in Central as they place their bouquets of flowers and messages for "Gor Gor" -- Cantopop star Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing, who died 20 years ago today.

I say it's a relief because last year it was such a shock to see aggressive-looking police in civilian clothing verbally warning people not to gather near the hotel and they weren't even allowed to leave their flowers there to pay their respects to the singer who committed suicide there.

Paper cranes the theme this year (photo:J Pang)

Last year I worried that this would be the new normal, but this year it seems lots of people have turned out and the flower arrangements even more elaborate. There's even a white tree branch that is covered with red and white paper cranes strung over its branches. 

Another has a poster with a painting of Cheung with wings, and the artwork is attached to red roses in the shape of a heart, and white feathered wings on each side. Just as decadent are two giant red hearts made of red roses and in the middle of each one is the Chinese character 哥 or "gor", "older brother".

This morning CBC Radio Vancouver had a segment talking about Cheung, and Helen Leung Hok-sze, a Simon Fraser University professor in gender, sexuality and women's studies was asked who he could be compared to in terms of western artists. She suggested Lady Gaga which seems quite appropriate, for her experiments in fashion, musical styles, and acting.

Also interviewed was Pearl Wong, a friend of Cheung's. She talked about how genuine he was, not afraid to show his true emotions, and generous as a friend. Wong explained he was generous in that he was a thoughtful person. For example, noticing that she likes to wear scarves, he bought her a colourful scarf that she appreciated.

Cheung died at the age of 46 (photo: J Pang)

While everyone remembers Cheung and how he battled depression, how far has Hong Kong progressed when it comes to talking about and dealing with depression? It is still a taboo subject, and not everyone knows where or how to get help. There probably aren't enough psychologists and counsellors to help either.

Although the flower arrangements in front of the hotel are gorgeous and thoughtful, how about channeling those funds towards helping make resources available for people to talk about their mental health issues in the name of Cheung, like paying forward counselling sessions for those who need it but can't afford it?

That could help lots of people ease their pain a bit, and also help remember the Hong Kong icon who was a trailblazer in so many ways not just on April 1, but everyday.

Just a thought.