Eason Chan’s “Fear and Dreams” Tour Stumbles Amid Backlash Over Overpriced CD and Insensitive Remarks to Mainland Fans.

From the first day the CD hit the market, a chorus of disappointed fans complained that the product fell far short of its price tag. The cover art was described as uninspired, while the audio mastering was criticised as muddy and inconsistent. The discontent was amplified when Zhu, in the explanatory video, suggested that the perceived sound‑quality problems were simply a function of listeners using smartphones, and then dismissed the complaints that arrived in “simplified characters” as nothing more than background noise. The phrasing, which singled out mainland Chinese users by the script they employ, was read by many as a thinly veiled insult.

The reaction among mainland fans was swift and angry. On Weibo, users recounted the incident alongside an earlier episode that had already scarred the singer’s reputation in the mainland market: during a concert in Macau, a fan asked Chan to speak Mandarin, only to be met with a curt English retort – “I’m going to say whatever I want!” – that many interpreted as a refusal to accommodate a mainland audience. Those memories resurfaced, feeding a narrative of “differential treatment” that suggested Chan and his team regarded mainland fans as secondary.

Under mounting pressure, the official account for the “Fear and Dreams” tour – @陈奕迅FearAndDreams巡回演唱会 – issued a public apology on August 28. The statement acknowledged that “some remarks in the expression did indeed cause unnecessary harm,” and it included a personal apology from Zhu Zuer for her “not well‑thought-out tone.” The offending video was taken down immediately, and the team pledged to adopt a “more prudent and responsible attitude” in future communications.

Fans’ responses to the apology have been anything but uniform. A segment of commenters praised the tone of the statement, describing it as “sincere” and “earnest,” and expressed a willingness to move forward if the apology signaled genuine change. Yet a larger contingent remains skeptical, pointing to the earlier Macau episode and the perceived slights embedded in the promotional video as evidence of a pattern rather than an isolated misstep. Some users warned that the apology would be forgotten unless it was followed by concrete actions, noting that “if he wants to eat this bowl of rice” – a colloquial way of saying “if he wants to succeed in the mainland market” – “he must maintain a proper attitude.”

The episode illustrates how quickly product dissatisfaction can intertwine with cultural sensitivities in a market as vast and vocal as China’s. A pricey CD with subpar packaging and sound quality ignited legitimate consumer frustration; the subsequent dismissal of that frustration by a key creative figure turned discontent into outrage, especially when the language of that dismissal seemed to target a specific demographic. Coupled with a prior incident that fans felt demonstrated a lack of respect for Mandarin‑speaking audiences, the controversy has become a flashpoint for broader concerns about how Hong Kong and Taiwanese artists engage with mainland fans.

While the official apology may have dulled the immediate heat, the broader conversation about respect, inclusivity, and accountability remains open. For Chan and his team, the real test will be whether future releases, promotions and on‑stage interactions reflect a more nuanced awareness of the diverse audience they seek to serve, or whether they will continue to navigate the fine line between artistic autonomy and the expectations of a market that now makes its discontent loudly known.