The Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe (Chinese: 明月歌舞团; pinyin: Míngyuè Gēwǔtuán) was a group founded by

Li Jinhui Li Jinhui (; 5 September 1891 – 15 February 1967 although some sources suggest he died 1968) was a Chinese composer and songwriter born in Xiangtan, Hunan, Qing China.Aigomusic.Aigomusic." ''Shanghai introduction.'' Retrieved on 2007-04-30. ...

from the late 1920s through the 1930s. It is also translated as Bright Moonlight Song and Dance Troupe.

Background

During the

Chinese popular music C-pop is an abbreviation for Chinese popular music (), a loosely defined musical genre by artists originating from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan (the Greater China region). This also includes countries where Chinese languages are used by ...

boom era in the early 1930s,

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

had a large number of

troupe Troupe may refer to: General *Comedy troupe, a group of comedians *Dance troupe, a group of dancers **Fire troupe, a group of fire dancers *Troupe system, a method of playing role-playing games *Theatrical troupe, a group of theatrical performers ...

s, or music groups, competing for radio broadcasts and other entertainment slots. These groups were composed mostly of

sing-song girls Sing-song girls, also known as flower girls, is an English-language term for the high-class prostitutes in China during the 19th century. Origin In ancient China, concubinage was legal. In Chinese custom, men carry the family name and the family' ...

Recognition

The troupe merged with

Lianhua Film Company The United Photoplay Service Company () was one of the three dominant production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other two being the Mingxing Film Company and the Tianyi Film Company, the forerunner of the Hong Kong–ba ...

in 1931 as the first Chinese popular music group of any sort to become part of the

movie industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post-pr ...

. The company would later prove to be instrumental in the rise of the first generation of

shidaiqu Shidaiqu () is a type of Chinese popular music that is a fusion of Chinese folk, American jazz and Hollywood film music that originated in Shanghai in the 1920s.Shoesmith, Brian. Rossiter, Ned. 004(2004). Refashioning Pop Music in Asia: Cos ...

music.Jones. Andrew F. 001(2001). Yellow Music - CL: Media Culture and Colonial Modernity in the Chinese Jazz Age. Duke University Press.

Famous members

Zhou Xuan Zhou Xiaohong (; born Su Pu; August 1, 1920 – September 22, 1957), known professionally as Zhou Xuan (), also romanized as Chow Hsuan (), was a Chinese singer and film actress. By the 1940s, she had become one of China's Seven Great Si ...

Wang Renmei Wang Renmei (; December 1914 – 2 April 1987) was a famous Chinese actress and singer nicknamed the "Wildcat of Shanghai". She was mainly active during the 1930s, and her most notable film was the 1934 ''Song of the Fishermen'' (available onli ...

Nie Er Nie Er (14 February 1912 – 17 July 1935), born Nie Shouxin, courtesy name Ziyi (子義 or 紫藝), was a Chinese composer best known for " March of the Volunteers", the national anthem of People's Republic of China. In numerous Shanghai ma ...

Bai Hong Bai Hong (, 24 February 1920 – 28 May 1992) was a Chinese actress and singer born Bai Lizhu () in Beijing. By the 1940s, she had become one of the Seven Great Singing Stars.Baidu.Baidu." ''Bai Hong.'' Retrieved on 28 April 2007. Biography At ...

Li Lili Li Lili (; 2 June 1915 – 7 August 2005) was a Chinese film actress and singer. Her films ''Little Toys, Playthings'', ''The Big Road, The Great Road'' and ''Storm on the Border'' were blockbusters of the 1930s and 1940s.Elaine DuanTop 10 lege ...

Li Minghui Li Minghui (, 1909 – 9 December 2003) was a Chinese actress, dancer, and singer. The daughter of Li Jinhui, she featured in his musicals from a young age, despite tradition expecting female roles to be played by men. By the age of eighteen s ...

* Violet Wong * Xu Lai * Xue Lingxian

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bright Moonlight Song And Dance Troupe Dance companies in China Culture in Shanghai Musical groups from Shanghai

Background

Recognition

Famous members

See also

References