Michael Jackson [Global Times]

Michael Jackson's fans in China are also mourning the passing of the legendary pop icon who died Thursday of heart failure.

And they turned to the Internet to express their feelings. Fanfou.com, a social-networking site similar to Twitter, has been full of updates about Jackson's death, but not to the point where the server has crashed yet.

"No matter how many rumors there are at present about Micheal Jackson, I have believed in his sincerity all this time," Sun Lu, who claimed to be a huge fan of Jackson's, wrote in her blog. "He is absolutely my favorite pop singer.

"I burst into tears immediately after I heard of his death," Sun added. "But I suddenly realized it is the best ending – he never belonged here. I’m glad he is now in his Neverland, where he has no disease and no rumors to suffer from."

For young Chinese people who were born in the 1980s, Jackson was the most famous celebrity they knew of in the US in their teenage years. He was too famous to be ignored.

"I first heard about him when I was in middle school," Liu Chang, from Shandong, said, "MJ is like the only foreign pop star that my classmates would talk about. You are not alone is my favorite song and I love the music video of 'Dangerous' the most."

Liu said she will remember his looks the most. "His music is good of course, but his looks seem to be more striking. I will never forget the way he looked in his music videos – his hat, tight leather pants, his white gloves… they are irreplaceable."

Jackson's works and performance have shaped many Chinese fans’ tastes in pop music and were an inspiration to them.

Yan Xia, a 25-year-old woman from Lanzhou told the Global Times, "I particularly love his dream and calling in the song 'Heal the World':

'Heal the world

Make it a better place

For you and for me

And the entire human race

There are people dying

If you care enough

For the living

Make a better place

For you and for me'

"I was deeply impressed by the lyrics and am determined to make the world better place as much as I can, like protecting the environment and helping others. He is absolutely my role model and nobody can deny his positive power."

"I knew Michael Jackson when I was in kindergarten. My father is a big fan of him and I listened to his cassette tape Bad," Liu Yijue, a Beijing native said, "He made me know what the best singer and dancer can do."

"As his fan, I believe he was a genius," Liu continued. "It is hard for other artists to interest me, no matter how popular they are in China. I believe today's pop stars cannot match his level, no matter how many albums they sell."

Liu also said that one of his friends in Adelaide, Australia, heard about the news of Jackson’s death on TV in a local café. The owner immediately asked all the customers out and closed his café because he was in "no mood for doing business at all."

"My friend said she totally understood what he felt," explained Liu. "Actually, my boss, a 40-year-old woman, told me she ‘was in no mood to work’ just now because of the same reason," he added.

"MJ's death remarks the end of an era," Yan said. "I'm glad to see there are so many people worldwide witnessed the era and will remember the time (of Jackson's song) forever."

(Global Times June 26, 2009)