Love for Live

From fighting for tickets to cheering on your favorite artists， here’s the ultimate language guide for concertgoers in China

快速融入演唱會狂歡氛圍語言指南

Upon receiving a notification from their ticket-selling app of choice， reading， “您關注的演唱會將于一小時后開票 （Nín guānzhù de yǎnchànghuì jiāng yú yì xiǎoshí hòu kāipiào， The concert you’re interested in will start ticket"sales in an hour），” eager music fans are set into a frenzy. Spread all over China， yet in unison， they watch with bated breath as the clock ticks down the minutes and seconds.

Since 2023， concerts， live houses， and"music festivals"have flourished in"post-pandemic China， with tickets for major acts selling out in bustling metropolises and smaller cities. By 2024， live concerts reached an all-time high， with box office revenue accounting for over 80 percent of China’s annual live performance sales， totaling 17.9 billion yuan， according to The Cover， a Sichuan-based news outlet. Yet， demand continues to outpace supply.

For fans， the excitement starts long before the performance day. Once news of their favorite singer’s concert is 官宣 （guānxuān， officially announced）， often months in advance， fans immediately dive into a passionate battle to secure their trip. They’ll lock in travel plans even before getting a coveted ticket. At that point， their beloved 同擔 （tóngdān，"fellow fans） cease to be friends and become fierce competitors. A typical fan announcement on social media may read：

Sound the battle horns—draw your swords， ladies， because I won’t show mercy！

Zhàndòu de hàojiǎo yǐ chuīxiǎng， bádāo ba， jiěmèimen， wǒ búhuì shǒuxià liúqíng！

戰斗的號角已吹響，拔刀吧，姐妹們，我不會手下留情！

Some fans travel to a city just for a show （為了一場演出奔赴一座城"wèile yì chǎng yǎnchū bēnfù yí zuò chéng）， while others chase their favorite singers from city to city， or"even abroad， determined to attend every performance. Local fans， pressured to secure tickets for a concert in their own city， can’t help but grumble： “It’s the singer who’s touring， not you！ （是歌手巡演，不是讓你跟著巡！"Shì tā xúnyǎn， búshì ràng nǐ gēnzhe xún！）”

Of course， with such high demand， not everyone is lucky enough to attend. After Jay Chou， one of Asia’s most popular singers， announced his June concert in Hong Kong， over 1 million people marked “want to attend” on the travel app Ctrip. Securing a single ticket can seem like a near-impossible feat， giving rise to the phrase 一票難求 （yípiào nánqiú）.

This has sparked posts like “超絲滑搶票攻略 （Chāo sīhuá qiǎngpiào gōnglüè， Ultra-Smooth Ticket-Snatching Guide）” and “保姆級搶票攻略 （Bǎomǔjí qiǎngpiào gōnglüè， Step-by-Step ticket-Snatching Tutorial），” offering fans both"practical tips"and much-needed encouragement.

Prioritize using a tablet—it’s more effective than a phone！ If you don’t get a ticket right away， don’t leave immediately—keep checking for returned or unclaimed tickets. Persistence is the key to victory！

Yōuxiān shǐyòng píngbǎn， bǐ shǒujī hǎoqiǎng！ Méi qiǎngdào piào búyào lìkè líkāi， chíxù jiǎnlòu dūn huíliúpiào， jiānchí jiùshì shènglì！

優先使用平板，比手機好搶！沒搶到票不要立刻離開，持續撿漏蹲回流票，堅持就是勝利！

But even with such advice， come ticket time， the internet inevitably turns into a sea of wails and despair：

Despite all my fierce maneuvers， not a single ticket has been secured. Honestly， concert tickets are harder to snatch than train tickets during the Spring Festival rush！

Yí dùn cāozuò měng rú hǔ， jiéguǒ yì zhāng piào yě méi qiǎngdào. Yǎnchànghuì ménpiào zhēn de shì bǐ chūnyùn huǒchēpiào hái nánqiǎng！

一頓操作猛如虎，結果一張票也沒搶到。演唱會門票真的是比春運火車票還難搶！

Not willing to just give up， the most desperate of fans then turn to"scalpers， or 黃牛 （huángniú， “yellow oxen”）， who push the resale price up several times. At Jay Chou’s last concert in 2023， a 內場票 （nèichǎngpiào， floor ticket） originally priced at 2，380 yuan was resold for nearly 100，000 yuan. When questioned， fans quipped： “這輩子，你有沒有為追星拼過命？（Zhè bèizi， nǐ"yǒu méiyǒu wèi zhuīxīng pīnguo mìng？"In this life， have you ever risked it all for your idol？）”

Even with more and more concerts implementing strict real-name verification （強實名制"qiáng shímíngzhì） systems since 2023—requiring the ticket purchaser and the attendee to be the same person and prohibiting ticket transfers—scalpers have still"found ways"to profit. They offer services like 代搶 （dàiqiǎng， “substitute purchasing”） and 錄入 （lùrù， “official ticket admission”）， where they use the buyer’s information to secure tickets for them.

For those lucky fans who manage to secure a golden ticket， many firmly believe that “Love哪有live香 （Love nǎ yǒu Live xiāng， Love is no match for live）” and spare no effort in enjoying themselves once they get to the venue. There， they purchase 演唱會周邊 （yǎnchànghuì zhōubiān， concert merchandise）， apply 應援妝 （yìngyuánzhuāng， fan"makeup）， and even wear wedding dresses （dream big！）.

The concerts of the popular Chinese duo Phoenix Legend， known for their blend of folk and hip-hop music， resemble 軍訓現場 （jūnxùn xiànchǎng， military training-like scenes）， as tens of thousands of fans brandish their light sticks in unison. Fans also partake in what they call “無痛有氧 （wútòng yǒuyǎng， painless aerobics），” which includes singing， shouting， and jumping to the rhythm. They proudly announce it on their social media：

Phoenix Legend， here comes your soldiers！

Fènghuáng Chuánqí， nǐ de bīng lái le！

鳳凰傳奇，你的兵來了！

The fervor at famous"rock singer"Wu Bai’s concerts often reaches such heights that he barely gets a chance to sing his most famous tracks， instead taking a backseat to direct the sea of spectators in their unbridled singalongs. Netizens humorously coined his 2024 nationwide tour “Wu Bai’s Self-Service Concert （伍佰自助演唱會 Wǔ"Bǎi zìzhù yǎnchànghuì）.” With their throats still sore， fans log on after the show to express how the experience was worth every penny：

Spending 2，000 kuai to let Wu Bai hear me sing for him—totally worth it！

Huā liǎngqiān kuài ràng Wǔ Bǎi tīng wǒ gěi tā chànggē， zhēn zhí！

花兩千塊讓伍佰聽我給他唱歌，真值！

After such an event， who’s to say how much is too much to pay for a concert？ The shared experience， enveloped in darkness and flashing lights， surrounded by endless screams， shouts， and songs， can foster a deep sense of belonging and offer an immense psychological payoff， providing many audience members with a safe place to let go of pent-up emotions. As one fan put it：

Thank you， my enduring and steadfast source of strength.

Gǎnxiè nǐ， wǒ chángjiǔ ér yòu wěndìng de jīngshén zhīzhù.

感謝你，我長久而又穩定的精神支柱。

Leaving the stadium， noise， and frenzy behind， the adoring fans may encounter the first pangs of what will be a long 演唱會戒斷期 （yǎnchànghuì jièduànqī， concert withdrawal period）. Only the news of the next concert will be able to lift their spirits again， reigniting the cycle of planning， ticket-snatching， and revelry. After all， they firmly believe：

Youth has no price—seize the moment. Paying for love never goes out of style.

Qīngchūn méiyǒu shòujià， chūfā jiù zài dāngxià， wèi ài mǎidān yǒng bú guòshí.

青春沒有售價，出發就在當下，為愛買單永不過時。