POP MUSIC POLL SHOWS PUZZLED CHINESE AUDIENCE
XIAN, China — Pop singer Prince is the son of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, Michael Jackson is a former U.S. President and Madonna “owns all the fast-food restaurants in America.â€
Those were some of the responses to a poll on Western pop music carried out among 400 university students in this northwestern Chinese city.
Many of those surveyed said they listened to music programs broadcast by Voice of America, the British Broadcasting Corp. or Radio Australia.
All said they knew and enjoyed the music of Swedish group Abba. Michael Jackson won 10% recognition, Madonna 7%, Bruce Springsteen 5% and the Beatles 4%.
One student confused Madonna with the McDonald’s hamburger empire and another thought she was Princess Diana, but 4% thought the Beatles were “a typical middle-class family living in the United States or Canada.â€
As for Sting, 8% thought he was a woman and 4% a dangerous insect.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
