Legendary musician Bob Dylan got a rapturous welcome from fans on April 6 at the Workers Gymnasium in Beijing, his first ever concert in the Chinese mainland.

Famous for his songs against injustice, Dylan wowed the packed house with lots of his hits like A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall.

On stage for almost two hours, Dylan brought the audience to a standing ovation with his penultimate song, All Along the Watchtower, and came back for two encores.

Dylan's gravelly voice made his lyrics hard to pick out even for native speakers of English. But Beijing perhaps ought not to have been so worried. The concert attracted swarms of fans, who had gathered at the entrance of the Workers Gymnasium prior to Dylan's gig.

"It's special because it's Dylan's first time in the Chinese mainland, and it is the first solo concert I've ever been to," said Zhang Zhanbo, a concert goer.

"A lot of people at my age weren't very influenced by Bob Dylan, but he is a legend, so I wanted to see him. My favorite song is Like a Rolling Stone," said Feng Chong, a concert goer.

Bob Dylan will rock on in Shanghai on Friday.

(CNTV.cn April 9, 2011)