The two-man pop group Yu Quan raised the curtain on Saturday for the long-awaited China chapter of the MTV Unplugged series in Shanghai.

The show followed the cancellation of an original December 15 opener planned by singer Pu Shu, who backed out on account of health problems.

Instead of greeting their fans in a spacious venue, Yu Quan chose to play in the local Absolute House club to an audience of about 800.

The Beijing-based duo, which has been stimulating the pop music scene for ten years, used the Unplugged show to stage its return to Shanghai. The pair marked an early milestone -- their first solo concert -- four years ago at the Shanghai Grand Stage.

MTV Unplugged, which has featured venerated musicians such as Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Nirvana, is a series that showcases artists playing acoustic instruments instead of amplified electronic ones.

Following Yu Quan in the Chinese line-up is Taiwan rock singer Chang Chen Yue, whose show is scheduled for December 30 in Beijing.
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(CRI December 24, 2007)