Abstract: This month, MJ Studies Today columnist Kerry Hennigan relates personal memories of the time hundreds of Michael Jackson fans gathered on New Year’s Day 2011, in Guangzhou, China to attend the unveiling of a specially commissioned bronze sculpture of Jackson at the Guangzhou Sculpture Park. “Hold My Hand,” Jackson’s posthumously released duet with Akon, and the screening of the official short film for the song, played an important part in what became a memorable event.
Column by Kerry Hennigan, editor of the free monthly newsletter A Candle for Michael, administrator of the fan group “Michael Jackson’s Short Film Ghosts” on Facebook, and an MJ blogger on WordPress. Kerry is a life-long student, holds Certificates in the Archaeology of the Ancient World and the Archaeology of Ancient Britain from Cambridge University in the UK, and is passionate about Viking longships.
REFERENCE AS:
Hennigan, Kerry. “MJ Studies Today CXII: ‘Hold My Hand,’ Guangzhou, and the unveiling of Michael Jackson’s Statue, 1 January 2011.” (14-04-2025). The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies Vol 11, No. 4 (2025). https://sya.rqu.mybluehost.me/website_94cbf058/mj-studies-today-cxii/
The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies asks that you acknowledge The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies as the source of our content; if you use material from The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies online, we request that you link directly to the stable URL provided. If you use our content offline, we ask that you credit the source as follows: “Courtesy of The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies.”
“Hold My Hand,” Guangzhou, and the unveiling of Michael Jackson’s Statue, 1 January 2011
By Kerry Hennigan
Photo montage © Kerry Hennigan
It was an early start to what was going to be a long day, traveling miles by train starting from Mongkok East subway station in Hong Kong then, from the end of the line at Lo Wu, continuing on to Guangzhou, China, by bus. There we joined hundreds of fellow Michael Jackson fans for a special celebration, and at the end of the emotionally exhausting day, spent the night at a day/night spa at Zhuhai, near the China/Macau border. Here we slept (or tried to) on narrow massage tables. Such are the experiences of travelling MJ fans! Even without Michael himself being here, the faithful will endure a lot to share their love for him, celebrate his artistry and, to whatever degree we can, follow the example of his philanthropy.
The event that had prompted us to travel the miles of rails and roads into mainland China was the unveiling of a statue of Michael by Zeng Kang Lu, funded by the MJ fans of Guangzhou and others throughout China, plus contributions from further afield. Photos of the statue as a work in progress had been shared by the Chinese MJ fan club on social media, and it promised to be stunning. Having already met and made a number of friends in Hong Kong and Macau on previous trips, I let them convince me that I had to be there for the public unveiling.
There were hundreds of us at the Guangzhou Sculpture Park that day. The statue had been installed in the shadow of an auditorium, against a backdrop of beautiful trees. A suitable location for the bronze representation of Michael to be placed, if a little out of the way, and initially, a little hard for our group to find. We arrived at the site just in time for “the big reveal,” and it was breathtaking – even more impressive in person than in all the photographs taken during its making.
The Chinese fans who had overseen its creation had done an excellent job in assisting the sculptor to achieve not just a good likeness of Michael, but a work of art that beautifully expressed his philosophy of embracing the whole world with his characteristic spirit of generosity. That was the feeling that struck me on that day, and it was a feeling that was further enhanced once we gathered in the auditorium for speeches, performances and, to finish off the event, the screening of the short film for “Hold My Hand,” Michael’s new posthumously released collaboration with Akon.
Photo © Kerry Hennigan 1 Jan 2011, Guangzhou Sculpture Park
We held hands; we sang along with the song; and some of us cried. The short film had premiered in December, just prior to my departure from Australia near the end of that month. I had loved it from the time I first saw it, with its blend of new footage and familiar clips of Michael strategically placed throughout the film. In Guangzhou we were also treated to the “making of” documentary, which was another emotional experience. Despite all the controversy that would later surround the Michael album, at this point in time, hearing Michael’s voice on “Hold My Hand” and seeing footage of him on the big screen in the auditorium at the sculpture park, brought nothing but a sense of pure joy.
For these reasons, and for the quality of the song itself, “Hold My Hand” has retrained a special place in my heart ever since. On January 1, 2011, the loss of Michael was still very fresh in our minds, having occurred just 18 months earlier. When we heard him sing the following lyrics:
This life don’t last forever (hold my hand)
So tell me what we’re waiting for (hold my hand)
We’re better off being together (hold my hand)
Than being miserable alone (hold my hand) [1]
it brought a sharp pain in the region of the heart. Michael was gone, and we were still here, left to carry on his legacy. Our sense of loss was refreshed, and coupled with the statue unveiling, and the camaraderie amongst all those gathered for the occasion, whether friends or like-minded strangers, made the day an experience that was emotionally overwhelming.
The director of the “Hold My Hand” short film, Mark Pellington (best known for the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire) is a music video veteran, having directed for artists like U2, Bruce Springsteen and INXS.[2] In casting for the new scenes shot for “Hold My Hand,” Pellington recruited a group of MJ fans of all ages and abilities and filmed them on location at an historic blimp hanger at the former Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, California. As explained on the official Michael Jackson website, “In the video, Pellington tells the story of the song through a collage of images of both Michael and Akon as well as people representing Michael’s legacy, shining a light on the aura left behind by the King of Pop.”[3]
Pellington’s own description of the short film best explains the impression it left and the impact it had when shared with so many friends, on that unforgettable New Year’s day in Guangzhou. “The video is a tribute to all that Michael stands for,” Pellington said, “life, in all its permutations…love, and its power…. A video of memory, healing and joy.”[4]
Kerry Hennigan
14 April 2025
Afterword: In November 2011, an identical bronze statue of Michael by Zeng Kang Lu was installed in the International Sculpture Garden in the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Overland Park, Kansas, USA. (It took me until 2015 to make it to Kansas to see it, but, like the effort it took to get to Guangzhou, it was definitely worth the trip.)
Sources:
[1] “Hold My Hand.” Written by Claude Kelly, Giorgio Tuinfort & Akon.
[2] Mark Pellington. Official website. https://www.markpellington.com/work2/#work-title
[3] Official Michael Jackson website. “Hold My Hand (Featuring Akon).” December 8, 2010. https://www.michaeljackson.com/video/hold-my-hand-video/
[4] Ibid
Illustration: “Hold My Hand” compiled by Kerry Hennigan using Photoscape X Pro software. No infringement of original photographic copyright is intended in this not for profit, educational exercise.