History of Rock in China

From Rock in China Wiki

Contents 1 Preface 2 Timeline 3 Before the rock, the rise of popular music 4 1980 - 1986 4.1 Modern Music in the 80s before Rock 4.2 Cui Jian's first steps 4.3 Foreign Pop Bands in China (1985-1986) 4.4 Other musical influences 5 1986 - 1990: “Myth of the hero” 5.1 "I have nothing" 5.2 The Northwest Wind 5.3 Rock bands forming 5.4 A sharp crush in 1989 5.5 Foreign record companies get interested 5.6 The government and its media houses 6 Differences between the first two generations 7 The 1990s 8 1993-1997: "Aristocratic Elite" 8.1 Summary 8.2 The Beijing Midi School of Music 8.3 Outside Beijing 8.4 The Chinese Avantgarde 8.5 Thrash Metal grows big 8.6 The influence of Kurt Cobain 8.7 First wave of punk 8.8 Pubs open their gates 9 1997-2004: “Underground Spirit” 9.1 Summary 9.2 1997 9.3 1998 9.4 1999 9.4.1 Second wave of punk 9.4.2 New music genres and subgenres emerge 9.5 2000 9.5.1 Beijing Rocks, the Tree Village Declaration, a missed opportunity? 9.5.2 Around 2000: History of Hip Hop in Beijing 9.6 The start of rock festivals (1997-2000) 9.7 Further events 2000-2001 9.8 2002 9.9 Events 2003 - SARS strikes 10 2004-2008-today: Journey to the West 10.1 General introduction 10.2 Events 2004 10.3 Events 2005 10.4 Events 2006 10.5 Events 2007 10.6 2008 - Beijing Olypics 10.7 Events 2009 10.8 2010 - The Year of the Music Festival 11 Authorship & Copyright 12 Further reading 12.1 Special Articles at rockinchina.com 12.2 Additional Sources 12.3 Website 13 References

Preface

In the following you will find a comprehensive, yet detailed, attempt to capture the history of rock music in China, mixing in the various subgenre's, accompanying events and main figures of said history. However writing about the history of rock in China is the same as talking about the rise of rock in Europe, for as China is not only dimension-wise as large as Europe, but also culture-wise as diverse as the distinct nations and culture in Europe.

Therefore it is also quite difficult to talk about ONE history of rock in China, for as nearly every province, every city has their own story to tell on how the guitar took over and brought modern music to students, workers and music-lovers.

One will notice a certain concentration on the area of Beijing in the following article, due to the fact, that Beijing was and is a heavy force, if not the most heaviest force in the rock scene of China. Nevertheless other areas of China are considered as well and included in below history. For often than less deep links and redirects are added to articles describing certain periods, certain genres or certain regional developments in more detail, more accuracy and more length.

At the end of this preface are already stated several quick links to other overviews, timelines and sometimes also to major development descriptions.

Timeline

In order to structure the history of rock in China, we orientate ourselves on certain phases or periods defined in the Chinese rock scene itself.

Yan Jun once divided the development of Chinese rock in 4 periods^[1]:

1986-1990: “Myth of the hero”

Rock was a concept, symbolizing freedom and spirituality.

1993-1997: “Aristocratic Elite”

2nd generation of rockers emerges who were supported by Mo Yan and his Taiwanese record company Magic Stone (affiliated with Rock Records).

1997-2004: “Underground Spirit”

Third generation believes the rock stars of the 1st and 2nd generation sold themselves as they performed with pop stars.

2004-today: Today's period

For the time after 2004, the author is going to name the time Journey to the West.

However, for the years 1984 to 1992, the responsible chief editor of the national music magazine „People’s music“ (Renmin Yinyue – 人民音乐) sets the following periods ^[2]:

1984 – 1988 : The beginnings

1989 – 1990 : Cui Jian

1990 – 1992 : Rock concerts and their implications

In the following the article is divided into the above mentioned time periods and within each period major events and developments are highlightes and further explained.

Before the rock, the rise of popular music

Before even considering the rise of rock music and other contemporary forms of music, one must have a look into the later history to see the rise of popular music in general, over the course of the 19th and 20th century, as an essential and basic development. Mr. Andreas Steen has extensively written about the general outline and the specifics of this particular development in his book Der Lange Marsch des Rock'n'Roll in chapter II, for which fortunately a translation is available at Rock in China. Therefore in the following the History of Rock in China directly starts in the 70s and 80s of the 20th century.

1980 - 1986

Modern Music in the 80s before Rock

Seven-piece Puzzle

One of the first Western music influences entering China after its "Opening Up" by Deng Xiao Ping 1979 was the establishment of discos, e.g. in Shanghai as the Evening Independent reports. Foreigners were allowed more freedoms, so that in Beijing in the "International Club" regular "disco nights" were set up, similar to the events in Shanghai's Jing Jiang Hotel.^[3]

A Brit named Graham Earnshaw formed a band called BJ Allstars in 1979, bringing the sounds of rock and roll live to Beijing in the form of Santana and Rolling Stones covers.^[4] The first Chinese band ever playing modern music, rock music, in China was established in 1980 in the Beijing foreign language university. The band was called Wan Li Ma Wang and played mostly Western classical rock.

As the underground scene in Beijing at that time was in far more smaller and more underground undeveloped kind, there had been no real concerts or tours or club gigs. There was no real nightlife scene as you can find it today in San Li Tun or Ho Hai. The first gigs were held in the bar of foreign hotels in Beijing with a mixed audience of foreign students and Chinese enthusiasts.

Therefore it is also no surprising, that Philippine cover bands, playing regular in hotel bars, also had their share on influencing future Chinese rock bands, such as the manager of Black Panther: "In 1982 a Filipino surf band did a show at a park. It was all covers, Beach Boys and stuff. We stood there stunned. We had no idea a guitar could make those sounds! That was a turning point."^[5]

Before Cui Jian finally started the big breakthrough of Chinese rock, a few other bands should be mentioned, such as Alisi (1981), a band, formed by Li Li and Wang Young, mainly performing Japanese songs.^[6] Mainland band (1982), formed by Adi with some foreigners.

Cui Jian's first steps

In 1985, Cui Jian and others from the Symphony Orchestra launched another band, called "Seven-Ply Board" (sometimes called Seven-piece Puzzle and Self Righting Doll or Trumbler??), later renamed the "ADO Band," and they began writing and performing their own songs.^[7] Some sources put the forming of Seven-Ply Board to 1984.^[8]

Foreign Pop Bands in China (1985-1986)

In the beginning of 1985 the foreign band Wham performs, according to BBC News, in the People's Gymnasium Beijing in front of 15000 people and starts a pop euphoria^[9], the Time Magazine however set the concert to the Worker's stadium and downgrade the audience to rather 10000 listeners (thereof 4000 foreigners).^[10] Both reports align on the fact that the concert itself was a rather splitted event, with part of the audience going wild and part of it (in fear of repression) sitting still on their seats.

In Autumn 1986, the foreign band SheRock performed in Shanghai, China, via the help of their manager Walter Stewart and the company Shanghai Radio & Television.^{[11] [12]}

In November 1986 the foreign surfrock-Duo: “Jan (Berry) and Dean (Torrence)” (with the help of Don Altfeld) performs in China.^{[13] [14]}

Other musical influences

A much-expected live TV broadcast of the Live Aid concert on July 13th 1985 was cancelled allegdebly due to 'technical problems'.^[15]

In Guangzhou rock music was allegdebly allowed to be broadcasted on the Pearl River Economic Radio Station at the beginning of 1987.^[16]

Further info: Category:1985 / Category:1986

1986 - 1990: “Myth of the hero”

"I have nothing"

But the main event is still Cui Jian and his performance of "I have nothing / Nothing to my name" (Yi wu suo you, various English translation in use - English lyrics) during a 1987 television concert called "A Hundred Pop Stars"^[17], with which Cui Jian became more famous than maybe any other band in China. His socially critical lyrics earned him the anger of the government and many of his concerts were banned or canceled. After the Tiananmen massacre he played with a red scarf around his head to demonstrate against the actions of the government.

The song "I have nothing" became an enormous hit, and the phrase yi wu suo you (literally "one without everything) is now part of the vocabulary many young people use to describe their predicament and future prospects.

The Northwest Wind

The rock music played from 1986 to 1989 is also known as The Northwest Wind (西北风) style rock. This new style was triggered by two new songs, "Xintianyou" and the above mentioned "I Have Nothing", both of which drew heavily on the folk song traditions of northern Shaanxi Province in the northwest. They combined this with a western-style fast tempo, strong beat and aggressive bass lines. In contrast to the mellow Cantopop style, Northwest Wind songs were sung loudly and forcefully. It represented the musical branch of the large-scale Root-Seeking (寻根, xungen) cultural movement that also manifested itself in literature and in film. It also heralded the revival of musical creativity in Mainland China.^[18]

Many Northwest Wind songs were highly idealistic and heavily political, parodying or alluding to the revolutionary songs of the Communist state, such as "Nanniwan" (南泥湾) and "The Internationale" (国际歌). They reflected dissatisfaction among Chinese youth, as well as the influence of western ideas such as individuality and self-empowerment. Both music and lyrics articulated a sense of pride in the power of the northwest's peasantry. Songs such as "Sister Go Boldly Forward" (妹妹你大胆的往前走) came to represent a earthy, primordial masculine image of Mainland China, as opposed to the soft, sweet, polished urban gangtai style. ^[18]

Rock bands forming

Following Cui Jian, numerous rock bands evolved. In 1987 mainly three bands formed: Black Panther (黑豹, Hei Bao, in 1987, Guo's band; ADO Band and Mayday, a seminal group that featured He Yong , China's semi-punk guitarist. A year later, 1988, Jiang Xin, Da Niao and - most famous - Tang Dynasty (唐朝) were formed and are today known as rock legends in China. 1989 saw bands such as Cobra (眼镜蛇, Yan Jing She, in 1989), the all-female group; The Breathing (呼吸, Hu Xi, in 1989), Gao Qi's original band; The Face and 1989 being formed.

Black Panther is a good old-school rock band featuring on their first self-titled CD "Black Panther" were also English songs ('Don't break my heart') that became popular across China. "Don't break my heart" became a top ten hit in Hong Kong. They are still playing even though their first singer (Dou Wei) left the band after the first CD was released and started successfully a solo career.

As with most Chinese rock bands, they had to release their CDs in Taiwan or Hong Kong first, as no record company in mainland China wanted to take their CDs. Normally it took one year before the CDs were released officially in mainland China.

It was also in 1987 that Chinese musicians began using the phrase yao gun (摇滚), which translates into rock'n'roll.

Cui Jian's second release in 1989 Rock'n'Roll on the new long march and his famous concert at the Theater Exhibition Hall of Beijing prepared the takeoff for Chinese rock and metal music.

A sharp crush in 1989

But then happened to be the year of 1989 and the year in which most foreign countries set an economical ban on China. 1989 is the year of the Tiananmen Square Massacre as it is named in foreign media. Many bands that were living at that time in Beijing performed on the square, but most of them avoid to be directly participating in the movement as they feared to be labeled political or even counter-revolutionary.

After the incident, of which all bands, all students and all young Chinese were shocked, a wind blew. A new direction within the youth happened to be. They did not talk anymore about Women Guojia, our country, but about Women Ziji, ourselves.

Some stopped to sing about political criticism or social problems, but started to sing about how to live on and how to have a good life in the world we're already living in. Some bands however did not stop and tried to go on with what they had complained about before. But the audience had changed and wasn't interested anymore in this kind of lyrical topics.

Rock was a big thing both in political and financial terms in the late 80s, but the popularity, the audience, was limited mostly to Beijing's college and university students and some artistic circles. Because it spoke of individuality, depression, and made veiled references to the government, the state-run recording studios would not produce rock albums.

Foreign record companies get interested

But in the early 90s, as one effect of the new opening up the markets strategy to pull China out of its developing state, many state-run publishing houses lost their subsidies and had to show up with profits and real income. After the Tiananmen dust settled down and rock's popularity slowly but steadily rose in and out of Beijing, studios and publishers in China's biggest cities started to sign bands, such as The Compass or The Breathing.

Around that time, foreign music producers also began to take an interest in Chinese new music. EMI signed Cui Jian and the Taiwan record company Rock Records started looking for musicians from Beijing to sign contracts. Their new Mainland China division Magic Stone Culture signed former Black Panther singer Dou Wei, He Yong and Zhang Chu, providing them with studio equipment and even video productions.

Beginning of the 90s, bands were longing to get the chance to record CDs or cut videos. Nearly all established bands had their own records up to that time or they had at least participated in one of several compilation CDs. Videos of Tang Dynasty and Dou Wei could be seen on Channel V (one part of Rupert Murdoch's Star TV system).

But even though those rock stars popularity and success grew and grew, their own financial situation was in big contrast to this development. They were poor, some not having enough money for food or shelter. Being out of the dan wei system, that provided most of China's population with a safe work place and an apartment, these bands' members lived with their family and spent all their little money on buying new rock tapes or music equipment.

The government and its media houses

After 1987 and especially after 1989, the course of government changed. Having tried to suppress the rock development in the beginning and having forbidden rock musicians, such as Cui Jian to perform on stage, except if necessary to show an open-minded face to the foreign world (1990 Opening Concert for the Asian Games^[19], 1994 Concert in the bidding ceremony for the 2000 Olympics), they nowadays changed their tactics towards ignoring the new music scene.

Therefore, state-run media houses have been and are still promoting the so called tong su, a kind of popular music originated in Taiwan and Hongkong. The Asian pop music industry as a whole is based on love songs sung by handsome men and beautiful women. "Once a singer and a record company agree to cooperate, the company handles everything," said Wu Yue, one of Central Chinese Television's top music video directors. "The company does it all: they choose the singer's image, write the songs, shell out the money for production, make the videos, and market the record. All the singer does is sing and live up to their image."

However, what was started couldn't be stopped and Cui Jian alongside with the other bands continued to make music.

Differences between the first two generations

But what are the main differences between the rock and metal scene of the first two generations 1986-1996 and the upcoming New Sound?

Those who played in the years of the opening, such as Cui Jian or Tang Dynasty, those were strongly influenced by idealism, heroism and individualism, trying to establish a unique Chinese rock style, which can be seen at Tang Dynasty's first CD (opera-influence). They expressed their feelings and their mood within their music and used it as medium of choice to critize the social and political situation they're living in.

The Beijing New Sound Movement (Beijing Xinsheng Yundong) also called '98 Rock's New Wave ('98 Yaogun Xin Lanchao) started with Sober's first CD "It's Great!?" ("Hao Ji Le!?") December 10th, 1997. They mainly focussed on their virtueity in playing, their technique and experimenting with new sounds and influences of Western bands.^[20]

Whereas the first rockers showed their individualism, the so called third generation shared a strong realistic view of the world, knowing where they are, what they do and what they want. (Xian Shi Zhu Yi / Cheng Shi Ping Min Zhu Yi). The new generation bears the seed for a rebellion of denial.^[20]

The 1990s

Tang Dynasty, for example, had been the first real heavy metal band in China. Their first major release "A dream return to tang dynasty" combines elements of traditional Chinese opera and old school heavy metal. It was released 1991/2 and was the major breakthrough for Tang Dynasty with more than 700 thousand copies sold and an estimated 1.3 million pirate copies sold in China.^[21] Unfortunately Zhang Jun (bass) of Tang Dynasty died 1995 during a car accident^[8], so many Chinese admit that the present band is not as good as it was.

But whenever you have the chance to attend one of their concerts: Take it and enjoy living Chinese history! "Kaiser Kuo", one of the guitarists of Tang Dynasty is also playing in the band Spring Autumn.

In 1991, Red Army, The Compass, Vexing Practice and Zhen Han are formed. In February Cui Jian's record Solution is being released.

Further information: Category:1990 / Category:1991 / Category:1992

1993-1997: "Aristocratic Elite"

Summary

The years of 1993 to 1997 are marked by several events changing the face of Chinese underground rock: The Midi School gets founded, the Chinese Avantgarde concert in Berlin happens, so called "Cut CDs" emerge on the market, rock scenes outside of Beijing form, thrash metal is introduced by Overload, Nirvana and his suicide influence the DIY culture, a second wave of punk bands gets introduced to C.I.R. and rock pubs open their gates to fans and rockers. Roxette performs in China 1995.

The Beijing Midi School of Music

1993: The Beijing Midi School of Music (or Beijing Midi Music School) opened its doors at the Shuang'an Building near The People's University. It offered a three-month course in the basics of rock and blues, taught by famous musicians from the Beijing rock scene, Tang Dynasty, Breathing and the like. Zhang Fan (born 1967, Beijing) became Dean in late 1993. Zhang had studied trade at Capital University of Economics and Business, and had started playing guitar in high school, around 1983. Midi School, partly financed by the Midi company, imported and translated the teaching material themselves, and encountered a lot of problems because of lack of experience, frequent relocations throughout Beijing and funding difficulties.^[1]

Since the school was the first of its sort and had a good reputation, it attracted many aspiring musicians from all over China. Yan Jun opens his book "UnderGroundGround" (地地下) [2002] with a chapter on the history of Chinese rock called "Iron Blood or Robber Sweat: Looking back at Ten Years Rock". In this chapter Yan focuses on the marginalized development of Chinese rock rather than on the appearance of rock stars and bands such as Cui Jian and Black Panther in mainstream culture. He opens the section "My out-of-town accent" (我的外地口音) with the following sentence: "The large scale movement of musicians from outside Beijing into the capital began with the founding of the Midi School in 1993." ^[1]

In the same section Yan also writes:

"The largest contribution of Midi is, in addition to generally improving the quality of a generation of musicians, helping students from a variety of places to get to know each other and forming an extensive network of contacts that is rejected by the center. If it would change its name into Midi Music Association, I think nobody would object."

These relatively poor students lived together and rehearsed in small and dilapidated places, first in artist villages such as the one close to the former Winter Palace and later in a former peasant village in the northern suburbs of Beijing called Tree Village (树村) and the neighboring Dongbeiwang.

The background of these out-of-town musicians is very different from that of the Beijing youths that had dominated the rock scene so far. In the capital poor people from rural areas or smaller cities are called "waidiren", out-of-towners, and are frequently portrayed as having no culture, that is, being uncivilized.

Both cut CDs and the Beijing Midi school of music stimulated the growth of rock musicians in China and in the capital, until by 1997 the number of rockers was sufficient for the advent of the underground rock community.

Outside Beijing

Despite the scene in Beijing, other cities, such as Wuhan also developed their underground scene with the formation of the underground university band from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, called "The Deadly Entice" the wave of underground music started to develop in Wuhan in 1993 to 1994. Read the entire rock history of Wuhan

However Qian Wang argues that ...

... rock scenes did not really exist before 1997. Wang Lei lead local rock community in Guangzhou since 1994, and even earned himself personal credit to juxtapose with Cui Jian – Nan Wang Bei Cui (Wang Lei in the South and Cui Jian in the North, called by the media), but Guangzhou rock community’s efforts – <Rock in South of China I> in 1994 and <Rock in South of China II> in 1995 were teased as Karaoke songs by Beijing rockers. Their unsuccessful experiments became useful evidences to confirm Beijing rockers’ hegemonic position. Chinese rock was made in Beijing by Beijingers – an essentialist identity just like Beijing opera. In other words, rock music made in other places was not authentic music, but commercial products.^[22]

At least that had been the view of Beijingers, whereas rockers from Guangzhou (or other parts of China) certainly saw their rock music as true rock music. (citation needed)

The Chinese Avantgarde

The Chinese Avantgarde in Berlin

1993, several rock bands got the chance to tour in foreign countries, such as Tang Dynasty's, Cobra's, Cui Jian's and vocalists Wang Yong's Germany tour called The Chinese Avantgarde.^[5] Organized by German entrepeneur Udo Hoffmann, the four bands did perform during the China Avantgarde event in the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany. As German newspaper Die Zeit reports the bands surprised the audience.^[23]

Thrash Metal grows big

Around 1996: the first trash metal band of China Overload (超载), founded by The Breathing guitarist Gao Qi, releases their first self-titled record Overload, marking the ascend of Chinese metal into heavier genres and marking the ascend of this band to a superstar status.

The influence of Kurt Cobain

The suicide of Kurt Cobain, the frontman of the Seattle grunge rock band Nirvana, in 1994 was another major event for the underground scene of China, as the music and behavior of Nirvana influenced the Chinese rock scene thoroughly. In 1997 Hao Fang published Radiant Nirvana: The Life of Kurt Cobain which was widely read. It is remarkable that Hao Fang could write an original biography based on material in English without ever having to leave Beijing. This proves the importance of the internet and the impact of globalization in this period. Cobain's rejection of rock stardom, the DO IT YOURSELF-attitude of Nirvana, the cultural and geographical periphery of the grunge-hotbed Seattle and Nirvana's explicit glorification of the small but true underground scene can all be seen as feeding in to the underground community Beijing 1997-2004. Yan Jun writes: 'In 1997 Hao Fang's biography of Kurt Cobain came out, and the whole underground spirit represented by Nirvana became reality in an exaggerated way. By this time, explaining to others 'we are an underground band' already seemed very respectable.'^[1]

Going on to the 90's the new wave of "grunge" (Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden ...) reached China and influenced the youth, so that the face of Kurt Cobain is still omnipresent at concerts / students. You can buy Nirvana's CDs everywhere - even though most of them are fake CDs - as well as T-Shirts, bags ...

First wave of punk

Punk became famous in China around 1994 - 1996 (first Chinese punker: He Yong) and was succeeded by New Metal (influenced by Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, others). Together both movements are part of the so called "New Sound" of China.

Underbaby with Dou Yi Yang(1997)

In 1994/1995, the first two punk bands after He Yong emerge: Underbaby and Catcher in the Rye (1994).

These two bands both had similar backgrounds and similar tastes. Most members were local residents of Beijing, most were influenced by late 70's, early 80's punk bands (Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Jesus and Mary Chain, The Cure, Dead Kennedy's and several others). However, the bands had distinctly different sounds. Underbaby was speed, energy, angst and catharsis while Catcher in the Rye were bubble gum, styrofoam, Robert smith, and accapella. Both were extremely influential to the next generation rising out of the crowds that went to see these first punk shows.^[24]

Pubs open their gates

The emergence of pub culture at San Li Tun in Beijing in 1995 finally made rockers more accessible to fans. In the second half of the 1990s, San Li Tun became an important place for rockers and fans both, and even became a tourist spot. At the end of 1996 in Beijing, the “Busy Bees” (Mang Feng) pub was a regular venue for rock bands to perform. The “Howl” punk pub opened in January 1998, with a sign above the door which read “no entry for heavy metal and the elders”. Many rock pubs opened in Beijing in the late 1990s. Based on different rock sub-genres, Yan Jun (2002) wrote an article to enable people (not only rock fans) to find their favourite pubs and performances. The name of the article - “the Guide of Drifting Souls” (Youhun Zhinan) highlighted the change in rock consumption. “Youhun” indicates clubbers. Rock music has clearly become a part of all the night entertainment and social activities in urbanised Beijing.^[25]

There are also some famous rock pubs and bars in other cities. The Muzi Bar was opened by an organization named “Noise” in November 1997 in Guangzhou, for the purpose of making audiences understand the relatively noisy and wild passion of rock. At the end of 1998, Wang Lei opened his “Unplugged Bar” in Guangzhou too, and organized rock performances every night through the whole of 1999. “The Little Bar” is the centre of the Chengdu rock scene with a label representing Chengdu rock. The owner – Tang Lei is known as the "Godmother of Chengdu rock".^[25]

As Qian Wang further notes, the emergence of a pub scene had a tremendous effect on the ongoing rock scene development and its pubs can be compared to such famous venues as CBGB or The Cavern.^[25]

1997-2004: “Underground Spirit”

Summary

From 1997 towards 2004, the underground scene further matures, as the Midi School moves to a bigger school yard and establishes itself with the Midi festival; as rock festivals in general spring into life everywhere around China; as new subgenres, such as New Metal, Post Punk and Extreme Metal gain popularity; as Hip Hop emerges all over China; as SARS strikes China and the scene jumps out of the three-month break.

1997

On February 25th, 1997, Tongue reformed itself in Urumqi and started their journey becoming one of the three underground gods of Rock. In March, Nanchang underground band Punk God released their record 怎么办. In April, Xu Wei releases his debut record In Another Place, in which the word "Fantasy" (幻想) appears 14 times.

In May 1997 the Midi Modern Music School moved to a grammar school in the commercial and industrial development area Shangdi in the north-west of the capital and started a two-year course that also incorporated jazz. The school had learned about jazz through a yearly international jazz festival first held in Beijing in 1994. Every year six to eight bands of the festival would come to the school for master classes. The Midi School had established ties with music schools abroad (mainly in Japan, Australia and Scandinavia) to which they sent students and teachers.^[1]

Further in May, four cities in Southern China (Kaiping, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Shanghai) started a project to commemorate the Youth day (五四青年节). The Beijing rock circle (北京摇滚圈) gathers together and records the record A Tribute to Zhang Ju (VA) in memory of the death of Tang Dynasty guitarist Zhang Ju in 1995. On the last Saturday of November, Guangzhou's MuZi Bar saw the establishment of the first independent Chinese music community organization entitled Noise (杂音), which met thereafter every month. On December 10th, Sober's debut record "It's Great!?" ("Hao Ji Le!?") is released, thereby starting the Beijing New Sound Movement (Beijing Xinsheng Yundong) also called '98 Rock's New Wave ('98 Yaogun Xin Lanchao). Further in December, The Fly I (von The Fly), 第一册 (von Confucius Says) and Zhang Chu's 造飞机的工厂 are being named the rock classics of 1997.

1998

In January, 1998, the Scream Bar (嚎叫) opens it doors for the punk community of the capital with the famous words 金属与老梆子不得入内 (Metalheads & Old People are not allowed in) written above the entrance. Furthermore, the newspaper 粤港信息日报 published the article "音乐花园" as one of their last articles, prior to being taken over by the newspaper 南方都市报.

In April, the event "98新音乐之春" ('98 New Music Spring) in memory of the death of Allen Ginsberg was tried to be held in Lanzhou, however that was not possible, so that the organizers had to move after two weeks to Guangzhou's The New Force of Chinese Music music festival (中国音乐新势力).

Further in Apil Cui Jian releases his record The power of the powerless and holds a large-scale performance in Shijiazhuang at the Yutong International Athletic Complex.

In August, 朋克时代 (Punk Era) is established in Guangzhou, not only introducing foreign acts, but also heavily supporting the domestic underground structure.

1999

In January 1999, young The Flowers released their debut record On The Other Side of Happiness. As the lead vocal at that time was only 15 years old, Chinese rock officially entered the sphere of children (童工时代). Around that time, bands from Nanjing, Nanchang and Jingdezhen planned a concert together entitled "今天我们是来买噪音的". In March 1999, “the Spring Comes” festival was held in Tangshan.

In April the Modern Sky Magazine (摩登天空) is published for the first time.

In June the compilation record Modern Sky 3 (VA) is relesed.

In November the So Rock! Magazine is published for the first time (in Shijiazhuang) and together with the X-Music Magazine there are two nation-wide rock magazines that have a decisive role in the pread of non-mainstream music in China. In the same month, the Qingdao Beer Festival (青岛啤酒音乐节) is held with mostly 80s rock bands from China.

In December 1999 “the Rock Festival of South China” was held in Hefei.

Second wave of punk

This so called second wave of punk included bands such as Brainfailure, Reflector, 69 and A-Jerks^[24] and the release of the compilation "Wuliao Contingent" in 1999 (translated: Boring Contingent or Army of the Bored) is seen as a major impact and milestone for Chinese punk. All four bands are featured by the Scream Records release, making it to be a "Yaogun classics" as mentioned in the Insider's Guide to Beijing 2008. The all-female band Hang on the Box made its first appearance on July 20th 1998 in the Scream Club, shocking audience and punks alike, rising to fame afterwards.

New music genres and subgenres emerge

Category:1999 gives you a quick overview about which bands formed that year.

Until the end of the 90's, when foreign bands, such as Korn, Limp Bizkit or Linkin Park became known in China, dozens of New Metal bands developed within China:

• Yaksa (夜叉), rapcore later metalcore (BJ), formed 1995
• Twisted Machine, rapcore later metalcore/hardcore (BJ), formed 1998
• AK 47, electro-punk-hardcore, later more metalcore (BJ), formed 2000
• Overheal Tank, new metal (famous in Xi'an)

Chengdu underground magazine called "Wo Men" (We) [我们] that had been published in 1999 included interviews with rock musicians, literature and a section called "new diary of a madman", a reference to Lu Xun's "Diary of a madman".^[1]

Going on to the first years of the new millenia (2000-2004), Post Punk and Extreme Metal entered the Underground scene and is ascending among the fans. With the extreme metal scene being tremendous, just in Beijing more than 25 bands formed and began to develop their own style. Some of the bands that started and later released at least one record are 206 and Thinkers (206与思想者, 1999, Xi'an), Ritual Day (施教日, 2000, Beijing), Bloodbath (杀戮, 1999, Beijing) and Purgatory (炼狱, 1999, Yunnan).

Similar to the uprise of New American Heavy Metal in the US and New Death Metal in Scandinavia, this trend reached China with two years delay in Mid 2003/2004. The genre to be described as Metalcore is used by bands such as Hollow or Ego Falls, both having two vocals, one for a clean voice and one for a dark one.

1999 marked also the start of the emo rock in China with Tookoo forming in Beijing.

With the So Rock! magazine a new medium starts in late 1999 introducing underground bands from all over China to the scene.

2000

Beijing Rocks, the Tree Village Declaration, a missed opportunity?

To the end of 2000, Mabel Cheung started the works on Beijing Rocks, a Hongkong movie first understood to document the underground rock scene of Beijing at that time, but later more seen as a commercial love-story. Yan Jun thereafter read out the Tree Village Declaration on October 15th during a Tongue show and most underground bands denounced their cooperation. Later, critics such as Sun Mengjin called that^[26] a missed opportunity.

Around 2000: History of Hip Hop in Beijing

as appeared in Zai Beijing: A Cultural Study of Hip Hop

Hip Hop in Beijing emerged around the year 2000, but its roots stretch back to the late 1980s. Beijing’s first contact with Hip Hop culture came from early Hip Hop movies such as Wild Style (1982) and Breakin’ (1984). Copies of the movies often entered Beijing via trade and travel with Japan and Hong Kong. In the wake of the Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989, interest in Hip Hop waned as the government attempted to revitalize reverence for traditional Chinese culture and socialism.^[27]

Throughout the 1990s Hip Hop culture regained momentum. Hailed as the “Godfather of Rock”, Cui Jian was influenced by many musical genres including rap, which he introduced to Chinese Rock & Roll fans in the late 1980s and early 1990s (de Kloet 2005:611). Another important musical influence was the sale of dakou CDs on Beijing’s black markets. Dakou CDs were surplus CDs created in the West that were supposed to be destroyed but were instead smuggled into China and sold on the black market.^[28] The mid-to-late 90s also saw unprecedented levels of commercialization and commodification of Hip Hop in the United States, and Hip Hop came to dominate popular music markets. From movies to magazines, numerous cultural products exported from the United States bore Hip Hop’s influence. Hip Hop consumer products and mass-marketing schemes further exposed Beijing residents to Hip Hop culture.^[27]

In the 1990s improved communication, technology and migration drove Hip Hop’s expansion. Internet technology enabled the rapid transmission of music (much of which was banned in stores), movies, literature, and ideas. The Internet helped Beijing Hip Hop fans and artists access and share information. Lastly, the movement of foreigners to and through Beijing greatly aided the development of Hip Hop. All of these forces combined to see the emergence of a substantial Hip Hop scene in 2000.^[27]

This is the year that some artists also note as marking the separation of the “underground” from the “mainstream”. I (Angela Steele) found these definitions to be fairly ambiguous, but they most often meant that some artists now had the opportunity to get record contracts or perform in commercials, television programs, or state-sponsored events.^[29] Since 2000, Beijing has had many “firsts”, from the first DMC Champion^[30] to the first nation wide Hip Hop dance competition. Today Hip Hop in Beijing has a solid foundation and continues to grow.^[27]

Most famous representatives of Chinese Hip Hop are Yin Ts'ang (formed 2000), CMCB (formed 2000) and Gongfu (formed 2001).

The start of rock festivals (1997-2000)

“The New Force of Chinese Music” organized by Wang Lei in 1998 is sometimes cited as the first rock festival in China. At the end of 1998, “For the Sake of Music” festival was played in Guangzhou again. In March 1999, “the Spring Comes” festival was held in Tangshan, and “the Rock Festival of South China” was held in Hefei in December 1999. Dalian hosted “the First Environment Protection Rock Festival” in April 2000. Kunming accommodated 24 rock bands for “the Contemporary Music Festival” during the New Year of 2002. “The Lijiang Snow-mountains Rock Festival” held in August 2002 was highlighted by the media for being the first rock festival to receive financial support from the government, even though sponsorship was under the name of “environment protection”. Among all of them, the Midi Music Festival remains the most influential.^[31]

This first Midi Music Festival was hold on the school grounds in 2000 and was established as an annual event afterwards. Read the whole history of the Midi Music Festival.

Further events 2000-2001

At the end of August until Mid November 2000, the Indie Zone Festival was held in the CD Cafe on Thursday nights in Beijing, an event series that was broadcasted on Channel V and was the source for the compilation record Beijing Band 2001 (VA). There was also a special show thrown in on a Wednesday night for Chengdu bands who were all brought to Beijing by Tang Lei, the owner of the Little bar in Chengdu. After the festival for a 13th week a special show just for Tongue was made which resulted in their live record Painter.^[32]

2002

Category:2002 gives you a quick overview about which bands formed that year.

Lvzhou.net, the no. 1 website for Xi'an and Shaanxi underground bands, is started as offsping of the lvzhou guitarshop. Furthermore, Yan Jun publishes his book UnderGroundGround.

In February, female-vocalist rock band Subs is formed.

May: Mort Productions releases it's first one-band-only full-length record for Hades.

In June, the live compilation record Little Bar 1997-2002 is released, marking the 5th anniversary of the Little Bar, the top underground location in Chengdu.

July: Brainfailure performs during their Japan Tour 2002.^[33] Modern Sky releases it's first Badhead compilation.

In August the LiJiang Snow Mountain Festival 2002 was organized and held by Cui Jian bringing together several bands to celebrate Chinese rock music. Coverage by South China Morning Post, Sydney Morning Herald and Time.com. ^[34]

In September, HOTB's debut record Yellow Banana is finally released in China, two years after its Japan release.

In October, CMCB's debut record Kongfu is released.

In December, the electronic record label Shan Shui Records is established by Sun Dawei.

Events 2003 - SARS strikes

Category:2003 gives you a quick overview about which bands formed that year.

In 2003, Modern Sky's branch Badhead Records releases their second compilation titled Girl's Day featuring female punk and rock bands only (incl. HOTB and Happy Avenue) showing the scene the strong growth of female involvement.

In February, 3rd and 4th, foreign band Suede performs in Beijing.^[35][36][37]

In March, Re-TROS is formed in Beijing.

In March, Muma's EP Yellow Star was released, which strengthened their rock star status in China.

During 2003, SARS striked in China and cut deep into the social daily life of many Chinese. Dead streets, closed bars, canceled concerts and events were the result. It also struck the metal scene as it was impossible to perform in any city. The major bars were closed or didn't allow shows, bands had no chance to present themselves, business went down and some broke up. The Midi Music Festival 2003 had to be canceled in May and was postponed to and held in October. On the 2nd day Japanese band BRAHMAN played on stage, an event that arouse strong negative reactions of the audience resulting in discussions in Japan and criticsm in China.^[38][39]

Even after SARS was over and tourism slowly reestablished, the scene was still in a paralysis. Some old bars had closed down, some changed the owner due to financial reasons and others lost the customers, the flair and the atmosphere. It would need time to heal the wounds of SARS and so every small step in the right direction was cheerful anticipated, such as the first metal concert after SARS in Xi'an (206 and Thinkers, Pulse :: Bella Bar), which launched a new series of concerts and events taking place in the beginning nearby the old 8 1/2 Bar and later in the YoYo Bar.

In November, the metal compilation record Dead Night is released, featuring a second set of metal bands compared to the previous Mort Production Resurrection series bands. Furthermore, from the 1st to the 4th, the Sounding Beijing 2003 electronic music festival happened in Beijing.

2004-2008-today: Journey to the West

General introduction

West as Western civilization, see Huntington^[40]

Since the beginning of the new millennium a rising internationalization of the Chinese music scene can be observed, meaning that Chinese bands are more actively performing and selling abroad, are getting signed by international record companies and thereby distributed e.g. in Europe and the USA.

From my point of view several factors contributed to that trend or are a definite sign of this trend:

• With the break in 2003 due to SARS, a new stage opened up and many new bands entered this stage after a nearly half-year long hiatus
• The rise of MySpace pages of Chinese bands, thereby the awareness level and accessibility level of Chinese music to non-Chinese speakers rise.
• The establishment of Beijing as world metropolis, thereby attracting more powerful investors (also in the music biz). It’s “in” to be in Beijing, thereby more actively foreigners are getting aware of the music scene. E.g. D-22, as a scene club owned by Michael Pettis behind the New York club “Sin”,^[41] thereby enabling certain contracts to be signed^[42]
• The availability of English information in the web, such as Rock in China
• The amount of bands touring the West has risen steadily, including Subs, Brainfailure, No Name, Lonely China Day, see e.g. our RiC Statistics
• Both bands and record labels actively promoting their music online (Scream Records on Last.fm^[43], Twisted Machine on I-AM TV^[44])
• International festivals taken place in South-East Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong Rock it Music Festival, World's Battle of the Bands Hongkong) attract more Chinese bands (list of participants). Furthermore European festivals are engaging with China (e.g. Wacken Open Air)
• More Western record labels (Tag Team Records?, Fast Fly, available on Amazon.com etc.) signing Chinese artists compared to South-East-Asian record labels in the 90s (Taiwan, Hongkong and Japan)

With 2008 as the year in which the world looked upon China (Olympics), more activities were cancelled than ever (despite maybe SARS in 2003), but still the general trend is clear! More bands are formed, more records released. For detailed information on the numbers of bands and records please see our RiC Statistics.

In the following all major events in timeline format.

Events 2004

Beginning of 2004, Soundtoy is releasing their 2003 recorded debut The wonderful trip.

On March 15th, Xi'ans Timestring Records is releasing the first compilation record of Xi'an underground artists called Various Artist of Xi'an Rock'n'Roll Music (VA). This record is a milestone for the scene of Xi'an, as it is the first recorded evidence of the variaty of Xi'ans music development. End of March, beginning of April, Rock legends Deep Purple perform together with Cui Jian.

In April, Ashura is releasing its debut record Tomorrow never die, building the foundation of their success.

In May the fore-front of Queen Sea Big Shark is formed by several young Beijingers.

July: Black Panther release their fifth record: "Black Panther V" (黒豹V). Furthermore, the underground metal compilation Dead Night 2 (VA) is released.

In August, Brainfailure release their record American Dreamer.

In September, Joyside is releasing its critically acclaimed record Drunk is beautiful.

In October, 1st-4th, the Midi Music Festival 2004 is hold in Beijing, after being postponed from May.^[38] The accompanying double-DVD is released in mid 2005.

In late 2004, Kwanyin Records is founded by Yan Jun and his friends FM3 and Wu Quan.

November: Brainfailure performed in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka.

In December, the Yuyintang organization is organising the Give Live a Chance John Lennon tribute gig at The Ark in Shanghai, bringing not only together a dozend bands of the Shanghai underground, but also releasing the corresponding record Give Live a Chance (VA). Further in December, Mort Productions releases the death metal compilation China runs Blood (VA).

Category:2004 gives you a quick overview about which bands formed that year.

Events 2005

March 2005: The dragonradio starts with its first podcast in Hongkong. Up to March 2006 they have released 36 issues with Asian and Chinese underground music. Cui Jian's fifth record is released: "Show your colour". Between March 3rd and March 27th, Austrian punk band Sonic Bastards tours China.^[45] Furthermore, the rock band Carsick Cars is formed by Shou Wang, Darkland and Thurston, with their first gig at the Beijing Institute of Technology in May 2005. Furthermore, Chengdu's Little Bar Records releases the DVD Rock Christmas, showing a live concert held at the Little Bar on Christmas 2004. The DVD features a vide selection of the Chengdu underground.

April: Disturbance tours China. Three records are released: X.T.X & Cold Blooded Animal with "Cold Blooded Animal" | The Verse with "Tale of two cities" | Ashura with their second release You Awaken from a Deep Sleep. Furthermore, Brainfailure's record American Dreamer is being released in the USA.

June: Cui Jian's Gegentala Inner Mongolia Festival.

July: Scream Records releases the tribute compilation "Who is Cui Jian?" (谁是崔建). Furthermore the NOIShanghai event series starts in Shanghai, showcasting noise music in regular events.

In August, the Antidote collective, comprising Ozone, B6, MHP, Emcore and AMNJK is formed and starts their regular gigs in Shanghai bars.

October: 1st-4th, The Midi Music Festival 2005 was hold in Beijing, meanwhile advanced to China's largest rock festival. Furthermore the compilation record No Beijing (VA) is released featuring White-2j, Snapline, The Gar and Carsick Cars. This split record is the first statement of the new wave of Beijing rock bands, that are going to center around the D-22 in a few years time.

November, the band 24 Hour Party People is formed, which later is going to become 24 Hours.

December, 2nd - 24th: German rock band "The Lucky Punch" goes on a China tour through more than 15 cities.^[46]

On the last days of December (24th / 25th), the Guilin Rock Festival 2005 with the slogan The snow has not fell in this winter (这个冬天雪还不下) is conducted including Tang Dynasty and Zhang Chu.

Category:2005 gives you a quick overview about which bands formed that year.

Events 2006

In February, Miserable Faith's record Bu is released. Furthermore, Spring Autumn's debut record Spring and Autumn is released.

March 2006: The German power metal band Edguy plays together with Overload and Gao Qi in Beijing. Furthermore, the metal compilation Dead Night 3 (VA) is released and its successor being released only a month later. On March 11th, the oi and punk compilation Forming (VA) is released featuring Oi legends Misandao and punk veterans Demerit amonst other bands.

On May 1st, the D-22 opened its doors, famed to become the CBGB of China due to is wide-spread influence in the No Beijing scene.

May 1st-5th: The Midi Music Festival 2006 is held in Beijing. Twelve foreign bands join the festival and start China national tours.^[47] May 24th: The Gigshanghai podcasts starts service in Shanghai. Further in May, the Encyclopedia of China Rock&Roll (VA) is released, introducing hundreds of Chinese underground and major artists and featuring a CD with songs of the most prominent members of the Rock Circle of China.

June: The Deadly Vibes China Tour 2007 through 7 cities. Joyside releases its record Bitches of Rock'n'Roll. June 23rd - 28th, the CALM Expo 2006 is held in Beijing, being a showcase for many upcoming bands in Beijing.

July - September: The band Subs is touring Nordic Europe. ^[48]

On July 15th, Yaksa released their EP Keep on Fighting, its first works after 3 years, showing their breakup with Nu Metal and alliance with Metalcore music.

September 16th/17th, the 1234 Beach Rock 2006 is held in Shanghai with mostly Shanghai bands, and some Beijing bands, such as Joyside. Further, self-produced compilation Emo rocks China (VA) is released, being the first emo-centered compilation ever released in China. Late in September, on the 30th, Subs released their record Down.

September to October, foreign act From This Day toured China.

October: For the first 7 days (1st to 7th), the Beijing beer and rock festival 2006 took place in the International Sculpture Park in Beijing, starring each night another rock legend (Tang Dynasty, Zhang Chu and following up on the 9th and 10th, the Beijing Pop Festival 2006 stared international super stars Placebo and Supergrass in the Chaoyang Park, Beijing, turning the October holidays into a deluxe music festival.

October to November, German metal act Gammalux toured China.

November 25th, the 2pi Festival 2006, a noise and electronic music festival, is held in Hangzhou.

The bands AV Okubo and Guai Li were formed in 2006.

Category:2006 gives you a quick overview about which bands formed that year.

Events 2007

April: Sonic Youth performed two concerts in Shanghai and Beijing. NEOCHA.com is started.

May: The Midi Music Festival 2007 is held and attracts tens of thousands of fans from all over China. Foreign bands Liquido, The Crüxshadows, Mishkin and ten others perform.

In summer time, the record label Maybe Mars Records is set up as offspring of the D-22 focussing mainly on the indie rock scene around the bands performing regularly at the D-22 venue in Beijing. With its international connection, soon both the label and the club are well-known in the US.

July: Upcoming social network platform NEOCHA.com releases their second compilation net release entitled Post-Rock (VA), showcasting the wide-spread post rock community that has formed in China.

August: Carsick Cars tours Europe and in September they release their critically acclaimed debut record at Maybe Mars Records shortly after Snapline's debut and Joyside's Booze (...) China release.

September: Hang on the Box releases their record No more nice girls and during the release party on October 25th they announce their breakup and thereby the formal end of Hang on the Box. On September 20th, Muma & Third Party release their first record after their reforming.

October: The Modern Sky Festival 2007 is held in the Haidian Park (Beijing) featuring 4 stages and over 120 bands. Foreign acts the Yeah Yeah Yeahs perform on the main stage.

December: The Mao Live Club is holding their Mao Awards 2008 with the formal ceremony on January 23rd 2008. On the last day of the year, December 31st, Queen Sea Big Shark's self-titled debut record is released by Modern Sky Records.

Category:2007 gives you a quick overview about which bands formed that year.

2008 - Beijing Olypics

January: Several foreign metal bands visited Beijing: Dark Tranquility, Nightwish, Skylark and Prog-Rock-Legends Dream Theater.

February: Cold Fairyland heads out for their Finland Tour 2008.^[49]

March: No Name tours Europe, mainly Germany, France and the Netherlands; Tour info. Furthermore the general pop/rock scene got a setback as Björk created an incident during her concert on March 2nd in Shanghai, singing the unauthorized song Declare Independence and whispering the words Tibet in the same context.^[50] On March 15th and 16th, the D-22 hosts the first Sally Can’t Dance Festival 2008, a noise festival with numerous domestic and international artists.

April / May: The Midi Music Festival 2008 was cancelled due to developments regarding the Olympic Games 2008, the SiChuan Earthquake and the ZiBo Train accident.^[51][52] Furthermore, foreign acts, such as Soilwork cancelled their tour in China. The German Esplanade in Chongqing was stopped by the organizers (change note). The SiChuan Earthquake in general shaked the music scene and spawned dozends of "We are together" and "Think of SiChuan" gigs and charity events throughout Beijing and other cities. Also the Beijing Pop Festival was cancelled for 2008.^[53]

June: The Metal Battle 2008 China was hold in Beijing. Winner VOODOO was invited to the World's largest metal festival Wacken Open Air in Germany. Furthermore, the MicroMu record label, as part of Outdustry.com was established, releasing numerous net releases until the end of the year and afterwards.

August: P.K. 14 and Queen Sea Big Shark embark on the Converse-sponsored Love Noise Tour 2008 through Nanjing, Hnagzhou, Changsha, Wuhan and Xi'an.

October: Both the Midi Music Festival 2008 and the Modern Sky Festival 2008 happened during the holidays.

November: With the support of MicroMu, Low Wormwood releases its EP 五指 on the 11th, before releasing their major album in December.

Category:2008 gives you a quick overview about which bands formed that year.

Events 2009

January: 7th-17th, the JUE MUSIC ART Festival 2009 happened in Beijing and Shanghai. On January 10th, Maybe Mars Records releases the debut albums of both White and Ourself Beside Me.

February: Parkway Drive performs in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hongkong. Combat 77 tour 9 cities in China from Feb 11th to Feb 21st. On the 27th, Modern Sky Records releases the much-awaited second record of Re-TROS titled Watch out! Climate has changed, fat mum rises....

March: Xiao He tours Europe until end of April. Furthermore, Maybe Mars Records releases the debut album of The Gar, making it one of the finest releases in 2009. Furthermore, Casino Demon's debut is released and Hedgehog issue their third official recording. On March 21st and 22nd, the D-22 is hosting the Sally Can’t Dance Festival 2009, the second episode of last year's noise festival.

April: Mike TV tours China's cities from April 10th - May 3rd. Bonk rejoin Subs on a 10-city tour in China. Shanghai's Hard Queen releases their Holiday EP.

May: After 2008's cancellation wave for May festivals (including Midi), 2009's festival season is crammed with the Midi Music Festival 2009 in Zhenjiang, the Strawberry Music Festival 2009 and the 2009 Fun Fair Festival in Beijing and the 2009 Zebra Music Festival in Chengdu. Further in May 2009, Timeout Beijing Magazine publishes their "the 20 coolest rock stars of Beijing" list on which Bian Yuan of Joyside is leading as no.1.^[54] Furthermore the Pepsi Corporation started a Battle of the Bands all over China, however sparking sharp criticsm in Shanghai and other cities.^[55] Furthermore, on May 1st, the 6th installation in the Resurrection of the Gods series by Mort Productions is released, presenting a new round of metal artists to China's audience.

August: From the 7th to the 9th, the InMusic Festival 2009 happens north of Beijing at the Zhangbei Grasslands.

September: The American branch of Modern Sky Records organizes the Sing For China Tour 2009 with Hedgehog, Queen Sea Big Shark and Casino Demon in the USA. The Golden Beach Festival 2009 happens in Qingdao on September 12th / 14th. Joyside announces their breakup and hold their farewell gig on the 12th in the Mao Live House.

October: Low Wormwood tours through China. The Modern Sky Festival 2009 was announced with numerous foreign acts, however shortly before the opening of the festival, all international artists were cancelled by the PSB due to the celebrations for the 60th Anniversary of the PRC.^[56] On October 14th, the Midi Shanghai festival is cancelled.^[57] The Midi Awards 2009 are prepared to happen on October 23rd-24th. As of October, NEOCHA.com states that over 2000 musicians registered on their page.

November: Carsick Cars, P.K. 14 and Xiao He are send by Maybe Mars records on a tour around the Northern American continent.

December 8th, 2009, Zhu Lu He Feng was founded by Le Zi, Sonnet drummer, part of the management at Mao, as a record label / band collective involving Sonnet, Pinkberry, Joker and 21 Grams.^[58]

2010 - The Year of the Music Festival

At the beginning of 2010, the metal label Dime Records is established by the owner of the 13 Club.

On January 16th, the The North Face Film and Music on Snow Festival 2010 was held including several Beijing bands (e.g. Tookoo). On January 30th, BCR's critically acclaimed record Except for the Darkness is being released in Shanghai. Further in January and February, Maybe Mars held two showcase concerts, each with 4 of its bands, in Shanghai.^[59]

March 12th - 29th, they JUE Festival 2010 was held in both Shanghai and Beijing seeing Shanghai newcomer The Mushrooms rocking the Mao Live, and several Beijing acts visiting Shanghai. From March 11th until April 11th, Maybe Mars Records tours around some of their most popular acts during the China Invasion US Tour 2010. Furthermore on March 20th, Yaksa starts their nation-wide tour throughout 21 cities until April 28th.

In April, AV Okubo's debut The Greed of Man is being released by Maybe Mars Records. On April 27th, Rustic won the Global Battle of the Bands (GBOB) 2009 Finals in London.^[60]

In the later part of April, signs accumulated that The Expo would be a devastating strike to the local music scene of Shanghai, as the LOgO bar was threathened with shutdown^[61] and the Yuyintang had been shutdown^[62], two vibrant centers of the underground in Shanghai. Also the Beijing M.A.O. Livehouse had been shut down, allegdably due to fire safety violations, on April the 16th.^[63] On April 26th, it was announced that the Yuyintang would be open again with normal operation ongoing, leaving the whole scene in doubt, why the shutdown had been there at the first place.^[64]

On April 22nd, the folk music community in Beijing decides to hold a "Pray for Yushu" charity concert in commemoration to the victims of the Qinghai Earthquake at the Mako Livehouse.^[65]

In May both the Midi Festival and the Strawberry Festival happened in Beijing. In Chengdu, the Zebra Music Festival 2010 took place. In the aftermath of the May holidays, both the Midi Music Festival 2010 and the Strawberry Music Festival 2010 were scrutinizably analyzed and according to China Music Radar it was "art versus commerce" with Modern Sky and its Volkswagen overkill representing commerce and Midi representing art and music.^[66] Shouwang of Carsick Cars stated: Bands are not VIP, only sponsors are. Treat us like human beings. I wanted to jump on the cars, but my guitar lead was too short^[67] At the end of May, Subs started their Queen of XXXXing Everything China Tour 2010 that lead them around the country as a warm-up for the release of their latest record.

Further in May, a discussion started in the English blogosphere about the status of D-22 and Maybe Mars, originated from the controversial article Why No Beijing and D-22 are not worth the hype! on Rock in China, which spawned discussions on all major English blogs around the Beijing scene, highlighting the unique position of Maybe Mars, its efforts and the perception in the foreign media. In July, Pete DeMola displays a further glance upon the topic with his widely read article At That Moment I Thought, I Thought I Really Saw Music.

June to July, the Metal Battle 2010 was organized, a band competition that determined Raging Mob as the leading Chinese metal artists to perform at the Wacken Open Air 2010.

Mid July, shortly after the Qingyuan Niu Yu Zui Festival 2010, Chinamusicradar announces 2010 to be The Year of the Music Festival with an estimated of seventy (70) festivals happening in 2010.^[68] A discussion started on the quality of the festivals itself, as many of them share the same bands and badly organized, e.g. the Suzhou lacking promotion^[68].

On July 23rd, Subs released their 2010 record Queen of Fucking Everything with a release party in the Mao Livehouse.

Authorship & Copyright

Further reading

Special Articles at rockinchina.com

• The LAND Tour and the Rise of Jazz in China by Dennis Rea
• Dennis Rea about Cui Jian by Dennis Rea
• Liu Yuan, the CD Cafe, and Jazz in China by Tara Shingle Buzash
• Ten Years, A Snapshot For Chinese New Music by Yan Jun
• Interview with Zhang Fan (Dean of the Midi School) by Azchael
• Interviews with Chinese and foreign bands
• Collected articles at Rock in China
• Overview of regional music in China, for history and development of contemporary and folk music in various regions of China

Additional Sources

• Rockmusik in der V.R. China: Andreas Steen, Deutschland/Berlin. Der Traum von der "TANG DYNASTY", oder: Ueber die Anziehungskraft der Ehrlichkeit.
• Metal in the Middle Kingdom: Report on the Chinese Metal Scene (Part I). By Michael De Los Muertos.
• Birth of a Beijing Music Scene: By Matthew Corbin Clark.
• Beijing Rocks: Rockin' in the Not-So-Free World: By Steven Schwankert.
• New Sound aus Peking: Modern Sky und die neue Rock-Ideologie in der Volksrepublik China. By Andreas Steen.
• Download the article "Sound, Protest and Business" by Andreas Steen in original English language from their band's page Alptraum der Roten Kammer.
• Brief history of china's punk rock scene: by David O'Dell. Published in That's Beijing, August 2002
• Chinese rock at wikipedia: Article about Chinese rock from the English wikipedia project
• Tongue - Making sense of Beijing underground rock, 1997-2004: MA thesis by Jereon Groenewegen
• Der Lange Marsch des Rock'n'Roll by Andreas Steen, 32. Berliner China-Studien, LIT Verlag Hamburg
• D. Rea (2006). Live at the Forbidden City (Paperback edition). iUniverse Inc.
• History of Rock in Wuhan by Whrock.net
• G. Hirschfeld / J. Sander (1989). BAP övver China. Bonn: Vorwärts Verlag GmbH. German rockband BAP tours 1987 in China
• English lyrics of Yi Wu Suo You taken from the Article Dennis Rea about Cui Jian, lyrics from Cui Jian's website
• Chinese Records Timeline; a chronological overview of all released Chinese records in modern music
• Music of the Uyghurs by Rachel Harris, published 2002. Encyclopedia of the Turks, vol. 6. Istanbul: Yeni Turkiye, pp542-9
• CHOW Yiu Fai and Jeroen de Kloet - 'Sounds from the margin: Beijing rock scene faces an uncertain future', CHIME Nos. 10-11, 1997 (publ. March 1999), pp. 123-128.
• History of Chinese Rock 1980s-2001 in Chinese by Mosh.cn
• Overview & Timeline of Chinese rock by Xfreefun

Website

• Painkiller Heavy Music Magazine
• Modern Sky Record Company

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} Groenewegen, J. (2005). Tongue - Making sense of Beijing underground rock, 1997-2004 (pdf)
2. ↑ Steen, A. (1996). Der Lange Marsch des Rock'n'Roll (32. Berliner China-Studien). Hamburg: LIT Verlag.
3. ↑ "Disco in China - The government is hopping mad but the young love it". Timothy McNulty (Chicago Tribute / Evening Independent) (1980-08-07). Retrieved on 2008-10-19.
4. ↑ L.White, 2006, 'The Alternative Music scene in Beijing since 1989 and social change', University of Cambridge
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "Beijing Rocks: Rockin' in the Not-So-Free World". Steven Schwankert (September 1995). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
6. ↑ "Rockin' Beijing. (rock music in China)". Transpacific (1994-11-01). Retrieved on 2008-10-21.
7. ↑ Chen, Yusheng, "A Brand-New Music - Chinese Rock'n'roll," Zhongguo qingnian, v4 1988, p. 31., retrieved via "Senior thesis, Chapter V: Convention and Subversion in Popular Music". Lisa Movius (April 1998). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} "The Evolution of Chinese Rock". China Today (2002-01-01). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
9. ↑ "How Wham! brought the West to China". BBC News (Thursday, 24 March 2005). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
10. ↑ "China Peking Rock". Jaime A. FlorCruz / Anastasia Toufexis (Time Magazine) (1985-04-22). Retrieved on 2008-10-19.
11. ↑ "Walter Stewart's Bio/Fact Sheet". Walter Stewart (2003-02-25). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
12. ↑ "SHEROCK, 1986. Shanghai China". ronaldxli. Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
13. ↑ ""A STAR FOR JAN & DEAN" - Phase II: Back on the road ...". Mark A. Moore (2002-2003). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
14. ↑ "Golden boy Jan Berry, 62, overcame a strange twist of fate". Ken Barnes (USA Today) (3/29/2004). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
15. ↑ Chicago Sun-Times (1986-01-02). "China TV cancels Live Aid broadcast amid crackdown". Retrieved on 2010-01-09.
16. ↑ EDWARD A. GARGAN, Special to the New York Times (1987-03-08). "Commercial Radio Arrives in Southern China". Retrieved on 2010-01-09.
17. ↑ "Chapter V: Convention and Subversion in Popular Music". Lisa Movius (April 1998). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} "Chinese rock". Wikipedia (2008-09-27). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
19. ↑ "Return of a Rock Antihero; Cui Jian, Permitted to Perform in Beijing". Daniel Southerland (The Washington Post) (1990-01-29). Retrieved on 2008-12-29.
20. ↑ ^{20.0 20.1} "Sound, Protest and Business. Modern Sky Co. and the New Ideology of Chinese Rock.". Steen, A.. Retrieved on 2008-08-11.
21. ↑ "Rockmusik in der VR China". Steen, A. in: PopScriptum 3 - World-Music, 80 - 100. Retrieved on 2008-08-11.
22. ↑ W. Qian (2007). The Crisis of Chinese Rock in the mid-1990s: Weakness in Form or Weakness in Content. Page 128. University of Liverpool.
23. ↑ "Die Internationale erkämpft das Menschenrecht". Tom R. Schulz (Die Zeit) (1993-02-19). Retrieved on 2008-10-21.
24. ↑ ^{24.0 24.1} "Brief History of China's Punk Rock Scene". David O'Dell (That's Beijing) (August 2002). Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
25. ↑ ^{25.0 25.1 25.2} W. Qian (2007). The Crisis of Chinese Rock in the mid-1990s: Weakness in Form or Weakness in Content. Pages 323-325 University of Liverpool.
26. ↑ Conversation between Jereon Groenewegen and Sun Mengjin, May 6th 2004
27. ↑ ^{27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3} Steele, A. D. (2006). Zai Beijing: A Cultural Study of Hip Hop.
28. ↑ For an examination of dakou culture see de Kloet 2005
29. ↑ MC Webber, DJ Wordy, Gao Bo, Raph Cooper and DJ VNutz gave various definitions of the underground and the mainstream in interviews and discussions to Mrs. Angela Steele
30. ↑ The DMC is an annual DJ competition that is like the World Cup of turntablism. Participating countries hold national competitions and winners travel to London to compete in the world battle. Learn more at www.dmcworld.com
31. ↑ W. Qian (2007). The Crisis of Chinese Rock in the mid-1990s: Weakness in Form or Weakness in Content. Page 325 University of Liverpool.
32. ↑ http://www.beijingband.com/indiezone.htm
33. ↑ "People's Records CRAZY ANT Night Vol,14-20 - BRAIN FAILURE JAPAN TOUR 2002!". People's Records Inc. (2002). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
34. ↑ "Shangri-la rocks to new beat while Beidaihe dances to the same old tune". Michael Jen-Siu (South China Morning Post) at Cui Jian Homepage (Monday, August 12, 2002). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
35. ↑ "Brit Rock SUEDE 2003 in Beijing". Yu Yang (Rock in China) (Tuesday, 17 January 2006). Retrieved on 2008-08-02.
36. ↑ "Blue Suede?". CityWeekend Beijing (Dec 4th 2006). Retrieved on 2008-08-02.
37. ↑ "Anticipating Suede". CityWeekend Beijing (Dec 4th 2006). Retrieved on 2008-08-02.
38. ↑ ^{38.0 38.1} "Foreign Devil: The Four Represents". Jon Campbell (PopMatters) (23 February 2005). Retrieved on 2008-08-02.
39. ↑ "Festival goers sing the blues". China Daily (2004-10-20). Retrieved on 2008-08-02.
40. ↑ Samuel P. Huntington, Clash of Civilizations
41. ↑ "Beijing Beat: Dive Bar D-22". Mark Godfrey (CLUAS) (February 2007). Retrieved on 2008-07-27.
42. ↑ "Featured Artist: Snapline". Martin Atkins. Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
43. ↑ http://www.last.fm/label/Scream-Records+Co.Ltd
44. ↑ http://www.i-amtv.com/artistes/artiste_china.html
45. ↑ "Sonic Bastards - Tour Diary". Sonic Bastards (translation:Azchael for Rock in China) (2005-12-01). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
46. ↑ "The Lucky Punch Tour Diary". The Lucky Punch (translation: Azchael for Rock in China) (2006-06-08).
47. ↑ "Midi 2006". Azchael (Rock in China) (2006-04-11). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
48. ↑ "On the Road With Subs". Jon Campbell (YGTWO) (2006). Retrieved on 2008-08-01.
49. ↑ YouTube Playlist of their Tour: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=91C91F6DEA93AC7E
50. ↑ maths (2008-03-25). "The Irresponsibility of Bjork in China". Retrieved on 2009-04-25.
51. ↑ Midi 2008
52. ↑ "Our Final Midi Post". Paul Pennay, The Beijinger (2008-04-29). Retrieved on 2008-07-27.
53. ↑ "Breaking News: 2008 Beijing Pop Festival Called Off". Berwin Song, The Beijinger (2008-05-30). Retrieved on 2008-07-27.
54. ↑ Timeout Beijing Magazine (May 2009). "Class of '09". Retrieved on 2009-05-07.
55. ↑ Andy Best (Kungfuology) (2009-05-09). "Pepsi / SMG TV bands show a predictable fiasco". Retrieved on 2009-05-09.
56. ↑ China Music Radar (2009-10-01). "It’s true – Modern Sky Festival decimated". Retrieved on 2009-10-02.
57. ↑ China Music Radar (2009-10-14). "The shortest festival that never was…". Retrieved on 2009-10-19.
58. ↑ Jake Newby (2009-12-09). "Lezi launches a label". Retrieved on 2010-03-27.
59. ↑ see the Shanghai scene history article for 2010
60. ↑ Beijing Daze (2010-04-28). "Hell Yeah: Beijing’s RUSTIC unanimously wins GBOB 2009". Retrieved on 2010-04-28.
61. ↑ Jake Newby (2010-04-19). "Cassette at LOgO". Retrieved on 2010-04-24.
62. ↑ Jake Newby (2010-04-24). "Yuyintang shut down". Retrieved on 2010-04-24.
63. ↑ Alex Searson (Beijing Gig Guide) (2010-04-20). "Breaking News: Mao Livehouse Shut Down!". Retrieved on 2010-04-21.
64. ↑ Jake Newby (2010-04-26). "Yuyintang open again". Retrieved on 2010-04-26.
65. ↑ Beijing Daze (2010-04-22). "Live Aid for Yushu Tonight @ Mako Livehouse: Charity Folk Show to Help Earthquake Victims". Retrieved on 2010-04-25.
66. ↑ China Music Radar (2010-05-04). "Art vs Commerce – a review of the Beijing festival weekend". Retrieved on 2010-05-04.
67. ↑ Translated by China Music Radar from Shouwang's douban post
68. ↑ ^{68.0 68.1} Archie Hamilton (China Music Radar) (2010-07-23). "The Year of the Music Festival: China 2010". Retrieved on 2010-07-23.

Band Forming:

1989: Huxi (The Breathing), Tang Chao (Tang Dynasty), Yanjingshe (Kobra), Toto, Qingtongqi (Bronce goods), Xiandairen (Modern People), Miankong (The Face)

1990: Baotong (Newspaper Boy)

1991: Hongse Budui (Red Army), Ziwo Jiaoyu (Self education), Huangzhongren (Humans of a yellow race), Zuo Meng (Dreaming), Chao Dai (Overload), Again-Lunhui-YueDui (Again – Soul walking Band), ZhiNanZhen (The Compass)

1992: DD-Band, Xindi (New Sense), Xuewei (Acupuncture point), Fenwu (White Fog), Wazu Yuedui (Band of Wa minority; ethnical minority in Yunnan)

---