Chinese readers bought nearly every copy of the inaugural edition of Rolling Stone in Beijing yesterday.
On the cover of the first edition in Chinese of the American bible of pop culture is Cui Jian, the godfather of Chinese rock and roll. Featuring the 44-year-old rock star was a bold choice. Cui only last September played his first public concert in China in 12 years, to nearly 10,000 fans in the Workers' Stadium in Beijing.
Link.
So, the rebel magazine goes to China. If that's not a big sell-out to corporate interests, nothing is. They go to China and submit to the censorship, for the sake of earning money. I don't really care that Rolling Stone is being sold in China (I'd rather that we export that junk than weapon technology), but the idea that Rolling Stone is in anyway a rebellious magazine anymore is now officially derisible.
