Anyone who has spent time in China knows that it's nearly impossible to escape the ubiquitous mellow jazz tones of the sax tune "Going Home," which is played on public transport, in supermarkets, seemingly everywhere.

Surprisingly, many Chinese people have never actually heard of the saxophonist who played it, Kenneth Gorelick, who is better known by his stage name, Kenny G.

In fact, the Seattle-born saxophonist has a close relationship with the Chinese people. He has covered two classic Chinese songs, "Jasmine Flower" and "The Moon Represents My Heart." "I am lucky to have recorded those beautiful Chinese songs. I was introduced to Chinese music when I first started to come to China to perform back in the late 1980s," Kenny G told the Global Times. "I was told that 'Jasmine Flower,' was a very popular folk song and the  'The Moon Represents My Heart' is a song always played at weddings, very romantic."

Kenneth Gorelick, aka Kenny G, will perform at Shanghai Oriental Art Center during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Photos: Courtesy of Ji Cheng

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Kenny G will launch his China tour, playing Shijiazhuang (September 18), Hangzhou (September 19), Shanghai (September 20), Wuhan (September 21) and Shenzhen (September 22). The venue in Shanghai is the Shanghai Oriental Art Center. During the tour, he will not only play the three aforementioned hits, but also "Songbird" from his breakout 1986 album Duotones and Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

As well as performing Chinese songs on the sax, Kenny G has also worked with many Chinese stars, including Taiwanese-American singer Leehom Wang and Hong Kong actor and crooner Andy Lau, to compose their songs. He even made a cameo as an airline pilot in Jackie Chan's film Chinese Zodiac in 2012.

In addition to playing the saxophone, Kenny G is also a pilot, who has been known to fly to many events, and an avid golfer, a sport he picked up when he was 10 years old.

Kenneth Gorelick, aka Kenny G, will perform at Shanghai Oriental Art Center during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Photos: Courtesy of Ji Cheng

"Flying and playing golf are both my hobbies. They are passions of mine, like my music but they take a second place to my music," Kenny G said. "I enjoy the challenge of doing something that isn't easy and that requires lots of dedication and practice to become good."

Something that required plenty of practice for Kenny G was holding an E-flat for 45 minutes and 47 seconds - a Guinness world record for the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone. "I use the air in my cheeks to hold the tone while I take a breath through my nose. And I practice it all the time, even now," he said.

After an almost three-decade career in which he has sold over 75 million records, Kenny G still believes in the importance of working hard. "Becoming good at anything requires lots of hard work and patience and dedication," Kenny G said.

Date: September 20, 7:30 pm

Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center

上海东方艺术中心

Address: 425 Dingxiang Road 

丁香路425号

Ticket: 80 to 1,080 yuan

Call 400-185-8666 for details