It looks like the members of China's Ministry of Culture are not Bon Jovi fans.

The band had been scheduled to play its first-ever Chinese concert dates later this month, with shows planned in Beijing, Shanghai and Macau, but the Washington Post reports that the permits have been pulled, adding that Bon Jovi "appears to be the latest American act to run afoul with China's notoriously opaque Ministry of Culture, the body that approves or denies performances and releases by musicians and others."

The Beijinger cites "numerous sources with knowledge of the situation" as confirming that the shows have been canceled, and points out that other dates surrounding the ill-fated Chinese run remain on the calendar, which suggests the change in plans isn't driven by a personal issue with a member of the band.

The problem, as the Post notes, could be Bon Jovi's past performances involving imagery offensive to the Ministry of Culture — specifically the 2009 video for "We Weren't Born to Follow," which incorporates footage from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, as well as a 2011 concert during which the band performed in front of a screen broadcasting images of world leaders including the Dalai Lama.

The reversal is bound to be a disappointment for Bon Jovi, who celebrated the scheduled dates by recording a Chinese-language version of "The Moon Represents My Heart," a hit in China during the '70s. The band have not issued a comment regarding the cancellations, but remain on the road behind their latest release, Burning Bridges.

See Bon Jovi and Other Rockers in the Top 100 Albums of the '80s

You Think You Know Bon Jovi?

More From Ultimate Classic Rock