Teresa Teng's The Moon Represents My Heart has been covered by hundreds of singers, but few would expect rock singer Jon Bon Jovi to take a stab at the classic ballad.

In a YouTube video uploaded on Wednesday (Aug 19), the lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi performed the song- entirely in Mandarin - for his Chinese fans.

He will be stopping in China in mid-September as part of his Bon Jovi Live! tour, and the recording is meant as a "gift" for fans celebrating the Chinese Valentine's Day, which falls on Aug 20 this year.

The rock veteran is also heading to Singapore for the Singapore Grand Prix (Sept 18-20).

While his Mandarin pronunciation sounds studied, and his rugged voice is a world away from Teng's silky vocals, the emotional performance drew positive comments on line.

Others, like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, have gained fans in China with their efforts to speak the language.