Abilingual book of Michael Jackson's poetry and essays has been published in China－days after new controversy has exploded surrounding reports of the star's disturbing pornography collection.
It's difficult to tell how sales will be affected by the new reports of documents that allegedly detail Jackson's stash of child porn and torture, and sexually explicit animal sacrifice seized by authorities during the 2003 raid on his Neverland Ranch.
His estate and many relatives deny the allegations.
The new controversy has so far been slow to make headlines in China.
Dancing the Dream: Poems and Reflections was released in the country on Saturday, the seventh anniversary of his death.
"The book will offer a window for people to view Jackson and eliminate misunderstandings," Shanghai Cai Qin Ren Culture's deputy editor-in-chief Huang Yan tells China Daily when asked about the new allegations.
Huang's company co-published Dancing the Dream with East China Normal University Press and Shanghai Qiyeshu Culture. It's authorized by the Michael Jackson Estate.
Jackson's Chinese fan club ran a series of stories on MJJCN.com and its WeChat account, calling on the country's media to not carry the "fabricated" news about the photos without verification.
One fan surnamed Yang says: "I'm shocked to see a great artist and philanthropist slandered seven years after his death."
Chinese fans quote Jackson as saying: "Lies run sprints, but truth runs marathons."
The icon has for years remained less controversial in China than in his homeland, where he became a divisive figure after he was charged and acquitted on seven counts of child molestation and two counts of providing an intoxicant to a minor under 14.
Former Santa Barbara senior assistant district attorney Ron Zonen told media he believes the images were used to "desensitize the children ... There's not much question in my mind that Michael was guilty of child molestation."
Chinese fans have commemorated the icon with flash mobs and candlelit vigils since his 2009 death. They rented time on Shanghai's biggest outdoor screen, the 140-meter-high, 43-meter-wide Citigroup Tower on the Bund last week.
"Michael Jackson has never performed on the mainland," says Xu Hao, who rented the screen with a friend.
"We tried to arrange for fans to dance with him."
Few people around the world aside from the superstar's superfans realize Jackson wasn't only the King of Pop but also a prince of poetry.
Chinese adorers hope the book can provide new insights into his soul.
