Famous Chinese pianist Li Yundi detained by Chaoyang police for soliciting a sex worker

Chinese pianist Li Yundi has been detained for allegedly soliciting a sex worker. According to AP, the 39-year-old pianist and a 29-year-old woman were detained by the police of Chaoyang district in Beijing on October 21 night. They admitted to the “illegal behaviour” and have been placed under administrative detention, the district police was quoted as saying by local media.

As per reports by AP, a message on the force’s microblog said that a suspect had been placed in administrative detention and an investigation opened on Thursday involving a woman identified by her surname Chen and a man named as “Li di,” with the first part of his personal name deleted, as is standard in police cases.

Li Yundi wasn’t initially identified by the police, who made public the news of the arrest through a cryptic post on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo. The pianist is a celebrity in China and learning the art of playing the piano is hugely popular among children and youth in the country.

China’s ‘piano prince’ Li Yundi detained for illegal behaviour

A Weibo post written by the Beijing police on Thursday night, which carried the picture of a piano, said: "This world is indeed more than black and white, but black and white must be distinguished apart. Make no mistake..." 

Soon after the news broke, the official China Musicians Association expelled Li from the organization based on the Beijing Chaoyang District police notice that he had been arrested.

Li, who was born in Chongqing, a city in southwest China, is one of the few classical musicians who enjoys a massive fan following and is known as a global rockstar. Today he is considered to be one of the most sought-after artists.

Li began playing piano from his childhood days and studied in China and Germany. Later on, he became the youngest winner of the International Chopin Piano Competition at the age of 18 in 2000. Since then, he has achieved fame in his career. 

Li has been a globetrotter, performing several shows. Li’s successful career also led to a documentary film on him and his rise in the world of classical piano music, titled The Young Romantic, which was released in 2010.

IMAGE: AP