A 39-year-old sex worker and a 29-year-old sex worker confessed to illegal activities, Beijing police said in an online post. They were arrested after the authorities received a signal from the public.

Although police did not release his full name in the statement, state media later confirmed that it was Lee. The news shocked many fans of the man known as China's "piano prince." At 18, Lee was the youngest pianist - and the first Chinese - to win first prize at the famous international Chopin piano competition in 2000.

Li Yundi continues to perform around the world and is a popular name in the Chinese-speaking world. "Oh my God, I can't believe it. Is it Li Yundi that we admire so much?" wrote one person on the Twitter-like Weibo platform. Others expressed skepticism about the way he was arrested.

"I'm happy to see how the public knows about him. When you see a 39-year-old man also a 29-year-old woman walking together into an apartment building, how do people know that it is a prostitute and a customer? Why not married couples, friends, friends connect? Weibo said in a comment.

Following the news, the China Music Association said it would terminate Li's membership due to the "very negative social impact. Some observers said his detention could be seen as a warning to other "immoral" celebrities as China intensifies its recent crackdown on the entertainment industry. Under Chinese law, those who covet or lead sex workers can be detained for up to 15 days also fined up to 5,000 yuan (US$782).

From noisy Indonesian children during Ramadan to having fun in Chinese hospitals, Bel Chen is spending the pandemic making music inspired by ambient sounds worldwide.