ABU DHABI // Wang Jie, nicknamed Jackson Wang, claims not only to be among the best, but to have been told so by the singer himself on a visit to his home in the US.
Now fans can judge for themselves when he appears at Zayed Sports City next month.
Wang Jie has performed throughout Asia, Europe and the US, and has appeared on Chinese TV. The event on January 20 will be his first Middle Eastern appearance. He is also scheduled to perform next year in Egypt, Morrocco, Tunisia, and Syria.
Mr Wang, who comes from a poor background was charmed by the American entertainer's personality and "spent most of his life impersonating Jackson", said Cheddi Bassar of Sky Event Management.
Trained by instructors in China and the US, he was also praised by the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon after performing for an audience that included members of Jackson's family.
Since the singer's death in 2009, clubs in Dubai have hosted a few tribute shows.
The dance group Signature, 2008 runners-up on the UK TV show Britain's Got Talent, performed their Jacko tribute show this summer at Chi at the Lodge in Dubai. But this will be the first time Jackson's glittered glove will grace an Abu Dhabi venue.
Mr Bassar said the capital was opening up to new entertainment options.
"Three years ago something like this wouldn't have worked in Abu Dhabi," he said.
mdetrie@thenational.ae
Factfile on Garbine Muguruza:
Name: Garbine Muguruza (ESP)
World ranking: 15 (will rise to 5 on Monday)
Date of birth: October 8, 1993
Place of birth: Caracas, Venezuela
Place of residence: Geneva, Switzerland
Height: 6ft (1.82m)
Career singles titles: 4
Grand Slam titles: 2 (French Open 2016, Wimbledon 2017)
Career prize money: $13,928,719
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
