Rocking ’N’Rolling

Since the first public performance of Nothing to My Name by Cui Jian in 1986， Chinas rockn roll scene has come a long way.

Not long after China began its reform and opening up in the late 1970s， people in China， who had lived in a society largely cut off from the West， became increasingly exposed to Western popular culture. The then totally exotic rock music enabled people to look inward， explore their dreams， and showcase their personalities. With the social transformation taking place， which was characterized by emancipation of thought， rock music became popular in the early 1990s.

The attraction of the genre， however， gradually faded as development of the countrys market-oriented economy progressed because the music became increasingly unable to evoke peoples passions as well as it had done previously. The fervor for rock nroll has now become a distant memory in the minds of an aging generation.

Rock n roll was once a source of contention in China， but attitudes have changed with the passing of time. In the past， most music troupes sent to perform around the world focused on classical and folk tunes. Today， though， rock music is also believed to be able to communicate with the world， as it typically reflects contemporary themes.

Chinese artists of the genre， some of whose stories can be regarded as great songs of life， have never given up their efforts to spread rock music. Some of the most renowned rock musicians in China have committed themselves to embedding rock into Chinas musical legacy. Cui Jians Nothing to My Name， for example， features the traditional Chinese flute. And， veteran rock singer Xu Wei devotes much attention to systematically learning traditional Chinese music， which he intertwines with his own style， in order to display the“uniqueness of Chinese splendor” in his compositions.

Music event promoters， furthermore， are pushing rock music forward by fostering new talent and organizing music festivals. In recent years， rock music has captured 10 percent of the Chinese mainlands performance market.

Over the last two decades or so， Chinas rock n roll community has grown， and nowadays， promising bands and singers have more chance of getting noticed and becoming successful than in the past.