The first, and possibly only, Chinese band that I heard before attempting to write this column was a heavy metal band called Tang Dynasty. No one I knew took them seriously back then but I've now learned that they form a vital link in the chronology of Chinese rock music, a music culture in China that has been around for well over twenty years.
China's experiment with popular music began late. Largely considered to be the godfather of contemporary music in China is a man named Cui Jian, a musician-activist whose rebel-rousing performances including protests of the government's actions in Tiananmen Square, helped label him China's Bob Dylan and earned the wrath of government officials.
The rest of the world might not see contemporary Chinese music as revolutionary yet, but Chinese music labels like the independent Modern Sky Records promote a handful of adventurous new artists like HedgeHog and New Pants, and popular artists like Wan Xiaoli and Queen Sea Big Shark.
The music industry does show promise and might well be on its way to tapping into international markets.
And hopefully, that will happen soon. Because while the showcasing of Chinese classical music and the Peking Opera are enjoyable, they only expose audiences outside of China to one side of Chinese music, the more traditional side. There certainly needs to be more avenues for Chinese pop, rock and even hip-hop.
Music festivals and major international concerts are now common occurrence in the country. The Midi Modern Music Festival, organized by the Beijing Midi School of Music, was one of the first major music festivals in the country while the Beijing Pop Festival had the Nine Inch Nails and Public Enemy headlining among other major Chinese artists in 2007, and even the annual Beijing Jazz Festival drew internationally renowned jazz musicians.
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Not surprisingly, the Chinese music scene must deal with a government that alternates between heavy restraint and strict allowance.
The most recent example of this was the cancellation of concerts and events leading up to the Beijing Olympics due to a performance by Bjork in Shanghai where she made public her support of Tibet.
But while the music scene in China constantly evolves and progresses some things will probably never change.