culture
Rockin’ Under the Red Flag china’s thriving music scene The vermillion walls by the lake shine as the light hits the willow trees. Septuagenarians fly kites on bridges all over town. Bars and night clubs line up like stars on the northwest of the city’s central axis. The graffitiflecked walls exude an air of underground mystery. Tattooed college students and pierced fans wear anti-government and rock-themed tshirts, arms flailing vigorously to get the performing band’s attention. On stage CMCB, China’s most distinguished hip-hop/rock band, breaks into the chorus of their hit single ‘Why’, and the audience rewards them by nodding along to their words. Then the vocal rips into the opening chords of ‘This Is Beijing’, an anthem of patriotism just polished enough to give it popular appeal. Situated in Nanluoguxiang, one of Beijing’s oldest ‘hutongs’ (alleyways) lined with eclectic boutiques and hip cafes, Mao Live House takes the crown as Beijing’s premier music venue and has grown into something of a cultural landmark. The Chinese rock Mecca, located on a street of rich history, is an intriguing blend of the past and the present - the modern and the ancient. Young indie rockers flock into the Live House, making confessions of confusion and rebellion through their music and showing a new face of the Eastern behemoth to the world.
to My Name’ at a Beijing concert commemorating the Year of World Peace in 1986, the Chinese audience was stunned and moved by the new spirit of music he presented. From that moment on young people all over post-revolutionary China were deeply influenced by the new ethos and individualism introduced by the artist, and Chinese rock embraced an historic beginning. “Cui Jian’s tunes rock with an authenticity that remains unprecedented and unsurpassed,” Jiang Xin comments with her signature smile.
China’s independent music scene is still in its adolescence; alternative music has yet to break through to the mainstream. The dispersed seeds of rock ‘n’ roll have had a different effect on the Chinese soils than those of its Western origins. Renowned bands such as post-punk P.K.14 and indie-pop Perdel sing in English, creating an obstacle to the audience’s full understanding the message they convey. The explosion of music festivals and the increase of professional venues interestingly blend music and commerce. Prominent indie labels such as Modern Sky, Maybe Mars and Pilot Records have contributed to the commercial side of the music. Rock musicians survive in harmony with Chinese government’s quest for a harmonious society.
The Three Prominent Ones of Moyan Records (He Yong, Dou Wei and Zhang Chu) marked another crucial chapter for the genre in the country. The emergence of Tang Dynasty and Black Panther were highlights in an era when Chinese rock was in the ascendant. By the early 90s, its mainstream popularity began to decline and the genre created a newfound scene in the underground. Time has passed and the Chinese government has come to realise that the success of rock music does not necessarily equate to the end of single-party rule. Rather, they now see the market value it carries. Li Chi, founder of Mao Live House, remarks that “the more encouraging and permissive atmosphere for indie music has allowed rock musicians to monetise their craft, making noise at home and abroad.” Long a mysterious corner of the country, live houses have sprawled over China within the past two decades. “Music of originality deserves to be heard and respected. At Mao we pride ourselves on providing rock musicians with such platform.”
Jiang Xin, China’s most celebrated female rock singer, has recently released When the Dream Were Young (Days of Long Hair Flying), a book that documents her youth from the years 1988 to 1995. “It’s a period of time that witnessed the development of Chinese rock and my own,’ Jiang Xin claims with a grin. A fusion of American, British, Japanese and traditional Chinese music, the history of Chinese rock can be traced back to the early 80s. By the mid-1980s the bulk of Western rock music had found its way into China’s cultural underground, and the likes of Simon and Garfunkel, John Denver, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones inspired many musicians, prompting Chinese rock legend Cui Jian to embark on his long march of rock ’n’ roll. When the former trumpeter cried out his best-known and most beloved song ‘Nothing
Twenty five years after Chinese rock has soared from early obscurity to superstardom and the Beijing scene has been anointed as rock relevant in China, the esoteric language of rock music is canonising — and continuing to commercialise in the Chinese way. maolive.com Words by Yolanda Chen
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