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Chinese rock ( zh, s=中国摇滚 , p=Zhōngguó yáogǔn; also zh, s=
中国 China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
摇滚音乐 , t=中國搖滾音樂 , p=Zhōngguó yáogǔn yīnyuè, lit. "Chinese rock and roll music") is a wide variety of
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
music made by rock bands and solo artists from
Mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
(other regions such as
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
,
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
,
Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
are considered separate scenes). Rock music as an independent music genre first appeared in China in the 1980s, during the age of New Enlightenment. Typically, Chinese rock is described as an anti-traditional instrument, a music that defies mainstream ideology, commercial establishment, and cultural hegemony. Chinese rock is a fusion of forms integrating Western popular music and
traditional Chinese music ''Guoyue'' ( 國 樂; literally "national music"; also ''minyue'' (民乐), ''huayue'' (華樂) or ''zhongyue'' (中樂)), refers to the music composed for Chinese musical instruments, which is an extension of the Chinese traditional music. I ...
.


History


The Northwest Wind (1980s)

Rock music did not take hold in Mainland China until the end of the
Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...
and the onset of the
Reform and Opening Reform and opening-up ( zh, s=改革开放, p=Gǎigé kāifàng), also known as the Chinese economic reform or Chinese economic miracle, refers to a variety of economic reforms termed socialism with Chinese characteristics and socialist market ...
. Peking All-Stars were a rock band formed in Beijing in 1979, by foreigners then resident in the Chinese capital. While the first rock band in China, they were not Chinese. The following year, Wan Xing, Li Shichao, Ma Xiaoyi, and Wang Xinbo formed their first rock band, Wanli Ma Wang, at Beijing Second Foreign Languages College (now Beijing Foreign Studies University), playing Western classic rock. Chinese rock had its origins in Northwest Wind style of music, which emerged as a main genre in Mainland China. The new style was triggered by two new songs, "Xintianyou" () and "
Nothing To My Name "Nothing to My Name" ( zh, s=一无所有, p=Yī wú suǒ yǒu) is a song by Chinese rock musician Cui Jian. It is widely considered Cui's most famous and most important work, and one of the most influential songs in the history of the People's ...
" (), both of which drew heavily on the folk song traditions of northern
Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
. They combined this with a western-style fast tempo, strong beat and aggressive bass lines. In contrast to the contemporary mellow
cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") is a genre of pop music sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production and consumption. The genre began in the 1970s and became associated with Hon ...
style, Northwest Wind songs were sung loudly and forcefully. It represented the musical branch of the large-scale root-seeking (, ''xungen'') cultural movement that also manifested itself in literature and in film.
Cui Jian Cui Jian or Choi Geon ( zh, c=崔健; ; born 2 August 1961) is a Chinese singer-songwriter and musician. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Chinese Rock", Cui is often deemed the most influential rock musician in China. ...
's Northwest Wind album '' Rock 'N' Roll on the New Long March'', which included "Nothing To My Name", has been called "China's first rock album". Many Northwest Wind songs were highly idealistic and heavily political, parodying or alluding to the
revolutionary song Revolutionary songs are political songs that advocate or praise revolutions. They are used to boost morale, as well as for political propaganda or agitation. Amongst the most well-known revolutionary songs are "La Marseillaise" and "The Internati ...
s of the
Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
(CCP), such as "
Nanniwan "Nanniwan" is a revolutionary song written in 1943 with lyrics by communist playwright and poet He Jingzhi and music by Ma Ke. It was made popular by the Chinese Communist Party and continues to be one of the most recognisable songs in the P ...
" and "
The Internationale "The Internationale" is an international anthem that has been adopted as the anthem of various anarchist, communist, socialist, democratic socialist, and social democratic movements. It has been a standard of the socialist movement since ...
". It is associated with a non-Communist national music perspective instead of CCP revolutionary fervor. The music reflected disillusionment among Chinese youth, as well as the growing influence of Western concepts such as individuality and self-empowerment. Both the music and lyrics articulated a sense of pride in the independence and power of the northwest's peasantry. Songs such as "Sister Go Boldly Forward" () came to represent an earthy, virile masculine (Yang) image of Mainland China, as opposed to the soft (Yin), civilized, polished urban
gangtai Gangtai () are the C-pop artists and musical style from Hong Kong or Taiwan. The term is synonymous with post-1960 Cantopop or post-1970 Mandopop, a sweet, love type melody found distinctly in C-pop and not any other genre of Chinese folk, rock or ...
Hong Kong style.


Birth of Chinese rock and roll (1984)

The birthplace of Chinese rock was the city of
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
.Jones. Andrew F. 001(2001). Yellow Music – CL: Media Culture and Colonial Modernity in the Chinese Jazz Age. Duke University Press. In the nation's capital, rock music was highly politicized and open to a wide range of foreign influences. For most of the 1980s, rock music existed on the margins, represented by live performances in small bars and hotels. The music was almost exclusively the domain of university students and "underground" bohemian intelligentsia circles. By the late 1989 and early 1990 Chinese rock partially emerged into mainstream music as a combination of the growing popularity of Northwest Wind and prison song fads. The first Chinese rock song was arguably the Northwest Wind anthem "
Nothing To My Name "Nothing to My Name" ( zh, s=一无所有, p=Yī wú suǒ yǒu) is a song by Chinese rock musician Cui Jian. It is widely considered Cui's most famous and most important work, and one of the most influential songs in the history of the People's ...
", first performed in 1984 by
Cui Jian Cui Jian or Choi Geon ( zh, c=崔健; ; born 2 August 1961) is a Chinese singer-songwriter and musician. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Chinese Rock", Cui is often deemed the most influential rock musician in China. ...
, widely recognized as the father of Chinese rock. The song introduced into post-revolutionary China a whole new ethos that combined individualism, direct and bold expression. It soon came to symbolize the frustration harbored by a disillusioned generation of young intellectuals who had grown cynical about
Communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...
and critical of China's the sterility and hypocrisy in traditional and contemporary culture. It also expressed, even for older Chinese, a dissatisfaction with unrealized promises of the CCP.At that time, the media introduced and evaluated Cui Jian in such a voice: "Rock music precisely meets the emotional needs of a generation of young people like him, and rock music has become another form of" social criticism ".". In the spring of 1989, "Nothing To My Name" became the ''de facto'' anthem of the student protestors at
Tiananmen Square Tiananmen Square or Tian'anmen Square () is a city square in the city center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen ("''Gate of Heavenly Peace''") located to its north, which separates it from the Forbidden City. The square contains th ...
. Additionally, in May and July of that year, three of China's famous rock bands were established: Breathing (''Huxi'', ),
Cobra COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...
(), and
Zang Tianshuo Zang Tianshuo (; 6 March 1964 – 28 September 2018) was a Chinese rock musician. Biography Zang Tianshuo began his musical career with the band 1989, formed with his childhood friends Qin Yong, Qin Qi and Li Li, and they incorporated American ...
's ()
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
. Earlier rock music groups include "Infallible" (''Budaoweng'' ), formed by Zang Tianshuo and
Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
(''Tang Chao'', ) lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Ding Wu (), and probably the most famous of all Chinese rock bands: "
Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...
" (''Hei Bao'' ), originally fronted by China's alternative music pioneer
Dou Wei Dou Wei (born October 14, 1969) is a Chinese musician, singer-songwriter, composer and music producer. He is a representative figure in Chinese rock music. Alongside rock singers He Yong and Zhang Chu, they were collectively known as the "Pro ...
().


Prison songs (1988–1989)

"Prison songs" () became popular in 1988 and early 1989, parallel to the Northwest Wind style. The fad was initiated by Chi Zhiqiang (), who wrote lyrics about his time in jail and set them to folk melodies from northeast China. In contrast to Northwest Wind songs, prison songs were slow, "weepy" and invoked negative role models, often using vulgar language and expressing despair and cynicism. Their non-conformist values are apparent in such songs as "Mother Is Very Muddle-Headed" and "There Is Not a Drop of Oil in the Dish". The popularity of these songs reflected the fact that many Chinese during the 1980s became tired of official artistic representations and discourse. The patrons of prison songs were the urban youth, and private entrepreneurs, who at that time were mostly from marginal backgrounds.


Popular Chinese rock (1990–1993)

After the Tiananmen Square protests, rock became part of general urban youth Chinese culture. At the same time, the central authorities of the CCP immediately adopted a crackdown, banning the performance and dissemination of rock music. Its rise from the margins was celebrated on 17 and 18 February 1990, when Beijing's largest ever all-rock concert was held in the Capital Gymnasium, one of the city's largest halls. The concert featured six rock bands, among them are Cui Jian's ADO and
Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
. The criterion that the organizers set as qualification to participate was "originality". Chinese rock reached a peak of creativity and popularity between 1990 and 1993. In 1991, the glam metal band Black Panther released their self-titled debut album. With glossy production and hard rock melodies backing the sincere voice of lead singer
Dou Wei Dou Wei (born October 14, 1969) is a Chinese musician, singer-songwriter, composer and music producer. He is a representative figure in Chinese rock music. Alongside rock singers He Yong and Zhang Chu, they were collectively known as the "Pro ...
, it featured hit singles such as "Don't Break My Heart and "Ashamed". A year later, the album went on to sell more than 1,000,000 copies nationwide, a standard never before achieved in Chinese rock history. Another band,
Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
, whose style was comparable to British heavy metal, successfully broke another barrier. Their singles "9/4 (a reference to the song's time signature)", "The Sun", and "Choice" climbed the charts. Once again, it was not until 1992, that their debut '' A Dream Return to Tang Dynasty'' sold over 2,000,000 copies throughout Asia, including Japan, Korea, and the Southeast. From there, other previously formed rock bands, such as the first all female band,
Cobra COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...
, and hard rockers The Face (each established in 1989), achieved greater success than ever. In addition, dozens of newer bands formed during the peak of their success, and rock music was performed on a regular basis. Big name artists and bands were featured in media such as
CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
and MTV, while other lesser known acts made a presence in small-scale, underground rock parties such as band leader Fa Zi who was perhaps the most well-known musician at art colony Yuan Ming Yuan near Bei Da in Beijing before it was closed down. The core participants in rock subculture adopted characteristic nonconformist appearance and behaviour. These included glam rock styles: pretty face, long hair, jeans, silver metal ornaments, black leather coats, as well as emerging
grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...
styles: flannel shirts, and do it yourself ethics, coupled with a carefree, hippie-style behaviour. The decline of Northwest Wind and simultaneous rise of rock music represented a shift in the attitude of many of China's intellectuals. Nostalgia changed into an unequivocally fierce negation, a sense of alienation from China's traditional and rural culture.In 1993, the Southern Music Group organized the "Music Commune" in Guangzhou to hold a concert "Remembrance of the Year Like Water".This is the first time Southern rock music has surfaced on a large scale.In the same year, a large-scale rock concert "Olympics - China Dream" was held at the Capital Gymnasium.


Rock goes underground, earns newfound respect (1994-1998)

By 1994, mainstream popularity of Chinese rock slowly began to ebb, due in no small part to strict
censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...
by the CCP, such as the banning of rock from television and restrictions on performances. Moreover, the decline of rock reflected a decline of public interest in politicised cultural products, thoughts, or behaviors. People became increasingly motivated to engage with the market economy, to make money and improve their living standard. Cross-border cultural exchange facilitated by increased economic openness, and the radical commercialization of the music industry in the mid-1990s led to importing overseas music, particularly from Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") is a genre of pop music sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production and consumption. The genre began in the 1970s and became associated with Hon ...
singers such as
Andy Lau Andy Lau Tak-wah ( zh, order=t,j, t=劉德華, j=Lau4 Dak1 Waa4; born Lau Fook-wing; 27 September 1961), is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He was named the "Fourth Tiger" among the Five Tiger Generals of TVB in the 1 ...
were sponsored by well-resourced record companies and derived revenues from film-making and advertising, two sources generally rejected by Chinese rock musicians. Moreover, the level of censorship imposed on
c-pop 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 Sinitic languages, Chinese la ...
was less strict, since
gangtai Gangtai () are the C-pop artists and musical style from Hong Kong or Taiwan. The term is synonymous with post-1960 Cantopop or post-1970 Mandopop, a sweet, love type melody found distinctly in C-pop and not any other genre of Chinese folk, rock or ...
culture is historically separate from mainland culture. With the tragedy of Nirvana frontman
Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...
's death in 1994, a new underground movement emerged in popular music. That year, former Black Panther frontman Dou Wei released ''Dark Dreams''. This album marked a complete departure from his "glam metal" days. Instead, this album emphasized thicker and more jangly guitars. Dou sang in a thin, almost apathetic drone-like voice and began experimenting with gothic and electronic sounds. This innovative direction earned him a whole new kind of reputation, as well as credibility in the alternative culture movement. Another unlikely figure in the scene was the father of Chinese rock himself,
Cui Jian Cui Jian or Choi Geon ( zh, c=崔健; ; born 2 August 1961) is a Chinese singer-songwriter and musician. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Chinese Rock", Cui is often deemed the most influential rock musician in China. ...
. A rare compilation album, titled "Rock Pioneers" was also released. The album showcased raw, rather unorthodox playing styles, as well as a rejection (even sometimes a mockery) of mainstream rock music. With the exception of Dream, the only band on the compilation to achieve mainstream success was Thin Man, who went on to revitalize the popularity of rock back for "the masses." Self-styled punk He Yong fiercely resisted
cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") is a genre of pop music sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production and consumption. The genre began in the 1970s and became associated with Hon ...
imitators on the mainland. His only album, ''Garbage Dump'', was embraced by alienated Chinese youth, and earned him an enormous cult following. In 1995, a handful of younger punk bands ( Brain Failure, Reflector, A Jerks, and 69) produced an album called "Wuliao Contingent," (, alternate translation "Battalion of Boredom") representing the boredom and frustration collectively felt within the urban landscape. Chinese punks resist the mainstream by adhering to their own cultural lifestyle and being willing to challenge state power directly on stage or organizing performances focused on sensitive topics to oppose the Chinese government. At the forefront was Brain Failure, the most successful of these bands, who continue to tour internationally with their ska/punk sound. English is used to both express what Chinese lyrics cannot, and also to crossover to the Western music market. In 1998 Hang on the Box were formed, the first all-girl Chinese punk band. One of the significant turning points for rock was
Cui Jian Cui Jian or Choi Geon ( zh, c=崔健; ; born 2 August 1961) is a Chinese singer-songwriter and musician. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Chinese Rock", Cui is often deemed the most influential rock musician in China. ...
's performance with
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
in 2003 at the age of 42. It opened the genre to the rest of the world for the first time. In December 1994,
Dou Wei Dou Wei (born October 14, 1969) is a Chinese musician, singer-songwriter, composer and music producer. He is a representative figure in Chinese rock music. Alongside rock singers He Yong and Zhang Chu, they were collectively known as the "Pro ...
, Zhang Chu, He Yong and
Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
participated in the concert held at Hung Hom Stadium in Hong Kong. This is an extremely important concert in the history of Chinese rock music, filled with media from all over the world and nearly 10,000 Hong Kong audiences, Hong Kong people were shocked by the music brought by mainland Chinese rock bands.It condensed a thunderous cry and a passionate release. It is the crimson mist in the Hung Hom Coliseum, igniting the unforgettable winter night of December 17, 1994 like flames.To this day, many people still miss the scorching, clean, and unforgettable moment 25 years ago, the youthful, talented, and fearless faces and voices. In November 1994, the band "43 Baojia Street" was established at the Central Conservatory of Music, with Wang Feng as the lead vocalist. No. 43 Baojia Street was a famous academic band, with many members being highly talented students from the Central Conservatory of Music, each with their own understanding and persistence in music. In 1995, Wang Feng formed "43 Baojia Street" as the soul vocalist. His first album, 43 Baojia Street, was released in 1997. In 1998, he released his second album, Storm Comes. In 2000, the band disbanded, and that same year Wang Feng released the album "Flower Fire". In 2002, he released his album Love is a Bullet for Happiness. In 2004, he released the album "Smiling and Crying". In 2005, the album "Raging Life" was released.


Rock Revival (2000–present)

From 2000 to 2004
post punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
and
extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...
entered the underground scene and gained popularity among fans. China made tremendous efforts during a brief and extraordinary period to make its "rock history" possible: this can be attributed to the great prosperity of the local heavy metal industry in the early 2000s, when many new brands such as Areadeath emerged, Mort Production and later Polywater, Stress Hormones et al., along with the integration of foreigners, have brought some research techniques to Chinese rock. In 2004–2005, Beijing's Joyside went on their first tour of China.
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...
Kevin Fritz followed them to make the film "Wasted Orient." It was released on DVD in 2007 by
Plexifilm Plexifilm was an independent DVD label and film production company co-founded by Gary Hustwit (formerly VP of Salon.com) and Sean Anderson (formerly Director of DVD Development of The Criterion Collection) in 2001. Plexifilm produced original films ...
. The film is China's version of Decline Of Western Civilization (about the LA punk scene). It comically depicts the pitfalls associated with trying to tour a country that has little taste for Chinese
rock n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African American music such as jazz, rhythm and ...
music. In this film the original line-up of Joyside including Bian Yuan, Liu Hao, Fan Bo, Yang Yang, and Xin Shuang shows these colorful characters drowning away in
alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...
. The film also includes some of Joyside's early music, which brought the band some public recognition. The film "Wasted Orient" is non-political, and avoids making superficial social commentary. While Joyside is not particularly known for the talent, the film presents Chinese rock music in the new millennium in a most authentic, raw, and genuine musical genre.. :Director Kevin Fritz: : Presently, Chinese rock enjoys a new media forum in the popular Chinese television program, the "Pepsi Battle of the Bands" (

a weekly live program featuring top 10 Rock bands from all over China who compete for weekly survival. Each Episode features guest Celebrities such as,
Cui Jian Cui Jian or Choi Geon ( zh, c=崔健; ; born 2 August 1961) is a Chinese singer-songwriter and musician. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Chinese Rock", Cui is often deemed the most influential rock musician in China. ...
, Paul Wong (musician), Paul Wong,
Richie Jen Richie Jen Hsien-chi (, born 23 June 1966), also known as Richie Ren, is a Taiwanese singer and actor. He graduated from the Chinese Culture University's physical education department. Jen debuted in December 1990 with the studio album ''Ask ...
, Wang Feng, Van Fan,
Jolin Tsai Jolin Tsai I-lin ( zh, c=蔡依林, p=Cài Yīlín; born September 15, 1980), also romanized as Jolin Cai, is a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese singer, songwriter, and actress. Recognized as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of C-Pop ...
,
Mayday Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications. It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiz ...
, and
Show Lo Show Lo Chih-hsiang (; born July 30, 1979), is a Taiwanese singer, actor, and television host. Lo debuted as a member of Taiwanese boy group Four Heavenly Kings in 1996 after winning a singing and dancing competition. When the group disbanded ...
to name a few. The show is sponsored by Pepsi, and produced by Ato Ato Integrated Media.


The Beijing Midi Modern School of Music and Music Festival

Another important step in the development of Chinese rock music had been the
Beijing Midi School of Music The Beijing Midi School of Music () is a music school in Beijing, China, established in 1993. The school sponsors the annual Midi Music Festival, which was first held in May 2000 in Beijing, Midi Music Awards and the Beijing Jazz Festival. The ...
in
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
.Rock and roll youth have become a small and permanent fixed group in urban youth culture in China. Despite facing opposition from mainstream culture, Chinese rock has successfully survived and continues to attract loyal audiences today. Although its exposure is not as high as pop music, in the past two decades, it has begun to move away from the margins of society and has made reasonable progress in gaining more and more organized followers. The establishment of Beijing Midi Music Academy in 1993 can be an important milestone. Beijing Midi Music School is the first modern music school in China approved by the Beijing Haidian District Board of Education. Established 1993 by Zhang Fan, it was the first school nationally to offer classes for jazz music and rock music. When the school was established in early 1993, it established a clear purpose of running the school: to spread the theory of modern music of the arts and humanities, and to educate and promote exquisite modern music interpretation techniques. Modern music covers blues, jazz, rock, pop, Latin, country, funk, and various genres of music developed from the beginning of the last century, as well as various styles of music derived from them.Started as a school festival in 1999, the Midi Modern Music Festival advanced to the largest rock music festival nationally with up to 80000 visitors and over 100 bands. Both the school and the festival supported the underground scene across the country and opened the door for over 18 foreign bands in 2006 to perform at the festival and elsewhere in the country. (i.e. Alev, Monokino, Yokohama Music Association, The Wombats, etc.). Every year, dozens of world-renowned bands are invited to perform, and tens of thousands of passionate fans flock from all over the world. More than a hundred well-known media outlets are paying attention to its dynamics and competing to report on related news. Midi, also known as China's "Woodstock“. In addition to the Midi school, the ''
Painkiller An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in s ...
'' heavy music magazine started efforts to bring bands such as
Edguy Edguy is a German power metal band formed in 1992 in Fulda by students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch, and Dirk Sauer. Initially named after their math teacher, the band faced early rejections from record labels but persevered, relea ...
,
Lacrimosa The ''Lacrimosa'' (Latin for " weeping/tearful"), is part of the Dies Irae sequence in the Catholic Requiem Mass. Its text comes from the Latin 18th and 19th stanzas of the sequence. Many composers, including Mozart, Berlioz, and Verdi have set ...
and Hatesphere to China and organized tours of the country for them. Especially in the metal and gothic genres these tours are considered milestones in China.


The 2008 Olympics and the Sichuan earthquake

A major drawback for the music scene in general was the cancellation of several events leading up to the
2008 Olympic Games The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fr ...
, as well as the
2008 Sichuan earthquake An earthquake occurred in the province of Sichuan, China at 14:28:01 China Standard Time on May 12, 2008. Measuring at 8.0 (7.9–8.3 ), the earthquake's epicenter was located boxing the compass, west-northwest of Chengdu, the provincial ...
. The 2008 Midi Modern Music Festival was cancelled and delayed to October 2008, the Soilwork gig had to be cancelled, as the band did not receive their visas and the German Esplanade in Chongqing was stopped by the organizers. The Sichuan earthquake in general shook the music scene and spawned dozens of "We are together" and "Think of Sichuan" gigs and charity events throughout Beijing and other cities. London Chinese Radio made a Special Earthquake Edition on their New Sounds of China podcast to cover this.


The Shanghai Scene

Historically more open to the outside, Shanghai is home to musicians from around the world. The unofficial home of the local jazz scene is JZ club while DJs and Electronic Producers frequently play The Shelter. Underground rock bands converge at Yuyintang. The 2010 World Expo and auxiliary events brought legal limitations to live performances and dried up venues temporarily, even censoring Shanghainese indie rock band Top Floor Circus. But since late 2010, Shanghai has seen a surge in concert goers, bands and live music venues with websites, blogs and
independent record labels An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...
in English and Chinese dedicated to promoting concerts and artists. With Shanghai being the home of the most creative young talents, high school students also became well-involved in the city's rock scene. From 2010 to 2014, BRR Shanghai High School Music Festival held by The BRR Shanghai High School Music League (a coalition of the best high school musicians in Shanghai founded by Xu Qifei) grew increasingly influential and started the trend of high school music festivals in Shanghai.


Artists


Solo


Bands


Websites


Rock in China

The Rock in China website was founded by Yu Yang. It began in April 2004 as a subsection of ''
Painkiller An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in s ...
'' titled "Metal in China" before being migrated to its own domain name in mid-2005. Focused on Chinese rock, it had a
bulletin board system A bulletin board system (BBS), also called a computer bulletin board service (CBBS), is a computer server running list of BBS software, software that allows users to connect to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, the user perfor ...
, a
wiki A wiki ( ) is a form of hypertext publication on the internet which is collaboratively edited and managed by its audience directly through a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages that can either be edited by the public or l ...
, album details, and musician biographies. According to G1, it was "among the largest websites dedicated to promoting Chinese rock groups abroad". ''The Insider's Guide to Beijing 2005–2006'' called it "a hugely informative site", while ''
Beijing Review ''Beijing Review'' (), previously ''Peking Review'', is China's only national news magazine in English language, English, published by the Chinese Communist Party-owned China International Publishing Group. Beijing Review has two overseas branch ...
''s Fu Mao Gou said it was "the most comprehensive Web portal there is on Chinese rock".Gou, Fu Mao (2009-08-13). "The Rise of Metal" (page
1
an

. ''
Beijing Review ''Beijing Review'' (), previously ''Peking Review'', is China's only national news magazine in English language, English, published by the Chinese Communist Party-owned China International Publishing Group. Beijing Review has two overseas branch ...
''. Archived from the original (page
1
an

) on 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
The website operated until at least July 2010.


Significance

Chinese rock shows a complete rebellious spirit and fearless courage, whether in terms of lyrics and music creation, performance forms, or the audience's love for it. It not only breaks away from the traditional etiquette and morality that has consumed our flesh and thoughts for thousands of years, but also from the hypocrisy and weakness that we have accumulated ourselves.


See also

* Midi Modern Music Festival * Beijing Pop Festival * Modern Sky Festival *
C-pop 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 Sinitic languages, Chinese la ...
*
Cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") is a genre of pop music sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production and consumption. The genre began in the 1970s and became associated with Hon ...
* Chinese heavy metal *
Mandopop Mandopop or Mandapop refers to Mandarin popular music. The genre has its origin in the jazz-influenced popular music of 1930s Shanghai known as Shidaiqu; later influences came from Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Taiwan's Hokkien pop ...
* Taiwanese rock


Notes


References

*Campbell, Jonathan (2011). ''Red Rock: The Long Strange March of Chinese Rock and Roll'' Earnshaw Books
Video of Campbell discussing his book.
*Jones, Andrew F. (1992). ''Like a Knife: Ideology and Genre in Contemporary Chinese Popular Music''. Ithaca, New York: East Asia Program, Cornell University. *Wong, Cynthia P. (2005). “‘Lost Lambs’: Rock, Gender, Authenticity, and a Generational Response to Modernity in the People's Republic of China.” Ph.D. dissertation. New York, New York: Columbia University, 2005. *Brace, Timothy L.(1992)
" Modernization and Music in Contemporary China: Crisis, Identity, and the Politics of Style."
Ph.D. dissertation. Austin, Texas: University of Texas, 1992. *Steen, Andreas. ''Der Lange Marsch des Rock'n'Roll, Pop- und Rockmusik in der Volksrepublik China''. Berlin: LIT Verlag. *Amar, Nathanel. (2022)
"‘We come from the underground’: grounding Chinese punk in Beijing and Wuhan"
''Popular Music'', Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 170 - 193.


Compilations

*2003 -
Beijing Band 2001: New Rock Bands from the People's Republic of China
'. Kemaxiu Music.


External links


Band forming timeline since 1984timeline of all Chinese rock/punk/metal records over the last 20 yearsChinese Rock Database
(Japanese, some English)
Rock in China
(detailed archive about Chinese rock music in English)
Rock in China - Wiki
(wiki system about Chinese rock music in English)
Heavy Metal Magazine from China: Painkiller MagBeijing Beat
Regular column on the Chinese Music Scene.
Live at the Forbidden City
Musician/author Dennis Rea's memoir of the early Chinese rock scene.
"A History of Chinese Rock: Post-Punk, Post-Politics and Post-Putonghua"
An analysis of the stylistic development of rock in China

A web video series produced by China Radio International in Beijing about underground Chinese music
"Fa Zi's Chinese Rock & Roll History"
Musician/author Kevin Salveson's memoir of the YuanMingYuan and Chinese rock scene in the early 1990s.


Radio stations playing Chinese rock

*华流另类AllChinaAlternative https://web.archive.org/web/20090222033724/http://www.live365.com/stations/bluemonty2 *伦敦华语 London Chinese Radio http://www.londonhuayu.co.uk/


Listening


Interview with Dennis Rea about early Chinese rock
from KUOW, November 9, 2006
"A History of Chinese Rock: Post-Punk, Post-Politics and Post-Putonghua" An analysis of the stylistic development of rock in China
Paul Kendall April 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Chinese Rock Chinese styles of music Rock music by country