Mandopop
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Mandopop (simplified Chinese: 华语流行音乐; traditional Chinese: 華語流行音樂; pinyin: Huá Yǔ Liú Xíng Yīn Yuè) is a colloquial abbreviation for "Mandarin popular music". It is also referred to as Mandapop. It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop. Mandopop was the first variation of popular music in Chinese. True resemblance to western pop only came later in its progression. Mandopop songs are almost invariably performed in Mandarin. While Mainland China has the largest Mandarin-speaking population, Taiwan is the most significant hub of the genre.
History
Origin
The origin of Chinese popular music in general began with a western technology called gramophone, which was brought over to Tibet Road Shanghai by a Frenchman named Labansat[1]. Baak Doi (Chinese: 百代; pinyin: bǎi dài) was the first record company to serve as the backbone for the young industry.
1920s: Birth of shidaiqu
Mandarin pop songs in the 1920s were called shidaiqu (時代曲 - meaning music of the time, thus popular music). They are considered the prototype of any Chinese pop songs[2]. Location wise, Shanghai was the center and quintessential hub for mandopop. Li Jinhui is generally regarded as the "Father of Chinese Popular Music" having established the genre in the 1920s[3]. Buck Clayton, the American jazz musician also worked alongside Li. Some music enthusiasts, however, may suggest that Shidaiqu is the basic form of all mandarin pop songs up until the transition to cantopop. The Bright Moonlight Song and Dance Troupe established by Li, is also the first modern musical division to be integrated into the Lianhua Film Company in 1931, making it the first pop music division to enter any Chinese film industry.
1930s–1940s: The Seven Great Singing Stars era
The original "Seven Great Singing Stars" of the Republic of China essentially paved the way for the industry. Their individual style was unique to any Chinese music before it. The young film industry benefited greatly with their acting and soundtrack roles. Zhou Xuan (Chinese: 周璇; pinyin: Zhōu Xuán）is generally considered the most remarkable Chinese popstar of the era due to her successful dual singing and film career. By the end of this generation, female singers went from "song girls" to "stars"[3]. The era, however, would be short lived as Shanghai became occupied with the Second Sino-Japanese War and eventually World War II.
1950s: The split
In 1949 the People's Republic of China was established by the communist party. One of the first actions taken by the government was to denounce popular music as pornography[4]. In the mainland, the communist regime would begin suppressing pop music to promote revolutionary songs.
Taiwan would continue mandopop expansion. It was considered a new genre for the youth, and mandopop music had the edge, since the KMT government discouraged existing Taiwanese Minnan.[5] As a result, enka origin Taiwanese pop was phased out by mandopop.
1970s–1980s: Rise of the industry
Mandopop became more popular within mainland China after Deng Xiao Ping opened China's doors to the world. More young people in China started to enjoy pop music. In 1979 Singapore was under the Speak Mandarin Campaign. Many TV and radio stations including Singapore Broadcasting Corporation would stop broadcasting cantopop songs to promote mandopop[6].
Teresa Teng (simplified Chinese: 邓丽君; traditional Chinese: 鄧麗君; pinyin: Dèng Lìjūn) made mandopop a true alternative by crossing over both subgenres. Even in the height of censorship, the mainland lifted the ban on Teng in 1986 and proclaimed that "By day, Deng Xiaoping rules China. But by night, Teresa Teng rules"[7]. Her songs were considered "Bourgeois Music" by mainland officials.[8]
New artist like Lo Ta-yu (simplified Chinese: 罗大佑; traditional Chinese: 羅大佑; pinyin: Luó Dàyòu) expanded the scene to new heights, and many would credit him for modernizing mandopop. One of the most successful song of the era was Lo Ta-yu's "Tomorrow will be better" (明天會更好). The song was originally performed in 1985 by 60 singers.[9] The song was popular all across Asia. It would be re-performed for years to come by different generations. Another song soon followed in 1986 in mainland China called "Let the World be filled with Love" (讓世界充滿愛).[10] At the time these songs were inspired by the United States song We Are the World.[9][10]
1990s
Faye Wong (王菲) became the first singer of China to sing in Budokan, Japan; for this reason she is also called the Diva of Asia.[citation needed]
Current
2000s
The 2000s began with an explosion of pop idols, mainly from Taiwan. A growing mainland film industry was also hungry for mandopop. Jay Chou led the popularity of rhythm and blues and rap music in the scene. Other successful singers include David Tao, Jolin Tsai and Wang Lee Hom. Recent years also saw the rise of bubblegum pop boybands and girlbands from Taiwan to the Chinese music scene, with commercially successful acts such as S.H.E and Fahrenheit.The national-scale Singing competitions such as Super Girl contest greatly boost mandopop's influence. Since the new millennium, cantopop stars frequently cross over into the mandopop industry in order to increase their fan base. However, it is rare for a mandopop star to cross over into cantopop because it is generally more difficult for a native Mandarin speaker to learn Cantonese than it is for a Cantonese speaker to learn Mandarin. After the incoming of S.H.E and Fahrenheit, the next two popular groups are Channel V's Lollipop and Hey Girl. They are backed by celebrity groom shows of their own.
Characteristics
Instruments and setups
The guqin and pipa are some of the first instruments used during shidaiqu's early mandopop era. Today's mandopop arrangements are quite westernized, covering many musical styles, including rhythm and blues, ballads, Pop. A few Chinese pop musicians, most notably Jay Chou, Lin Jun Jie, and Wang Lee-Hom, have experimented with fusing traditional Chinese instruments with western influence.
Influencing artists like Lee-Hom Wang, who uses both traditional Chinese instruments and mainstream western hip hop melodies has influenced many Asian singers world-wide.
Lyric
Taiwan and Hong Kong write with traditional Chinese characters. Mainland China writes with simplified characters. Mandarin mainly sounds the same when sung. Scholar Dr. Larry Schulz has explored the melding of American popular music with works by such Chinese poets as Li Bai and Du Fu to offer new insight into the tonal structure of classical poetry and approaches to translation.
Industry
Mandopop stars
While China has the largest mandarin-speaking population, Taiwan is the most significant hub of the genre[11]. The trend is that most artists are branded by where they come from regardless of where they were actually marketed.
Labels
There are many labels such as Rock Records, HIM International Music. Subsidiaries of major companies like Virgin Records Taiwan are also in the market.
Overseas
Mandopop titles are also available outside of Asia. Chinese communities established in North America have made mandopop music accessible through local businesses. In the United States and Canada they are easily found in many major urban areas, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, Vancouver, as well as Toronto.
Artists
Male
Female
Groups/Bands
Mandopop radio stations
| Station | Location | Frequencies and Platform |
|---|---|---|
| All Chinese Hits Internet Radio | Silicon Valley, USA | Internet radio station: live365.com/stations/bluemonty |
| Kiss Radio Taiwan | Taiwan | 99.9 FM, 99.7 FM, 97.1 FM, 98.3 FM and Internet live streaming |
| Hit Fm | 90.1 FM, 91.5 FM, 91.7 FM and Internet live streaming | |
| Beijing Radio Stations | Beijing | 97.4 FM and Internet live streaming |
| Shenzhen Radio Station | Shenzhen | 97.1 FM and Internet live streaming |
| Shanghai Media Group | Shanghai | 101.7 FM and Internet live streaming |
| KAZN | Los Angeles | Sometimes |
| Yes 93.3 | Singapore | 93.3 FM and Internet live streaming |
| 883 JIA FM | Singapore | 88.3 FM and Internet live streaming |
| MY FM | Malaysia | Frequencies vary according to location |
| Yekaroo | Internet live streaming | |
| afRadio | ||
| MandarinRadio.com | Internet live streaming (also available on iTunes Radio) |
See also
References
- ^ Jones. Andrew F. [2001] (2001). Yellow Music - CL: Media Culture and Colonial Modernity in the Chinese Jazz Age. Duke University Press. ISBN 0822326949
- ^ Shoesmith, Brian. Rossiter, Ned. [2004] (2004). Refashioning Pop Music in Asia: Cosmopolitan flows, political tempos and aesthetic Industries. Routeledge Publishing. ISBN 0700714014
- ^ a b Kakisensi web. "Kakiseni article." An introduction to shidaiqu. Retrieved on 2007-04-26.
- ^ Broughton, Simon. Ellingham, Mark. Trillo, Richard. [2000] (2000) World Music: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides Publishing Company. ISBN 1858286360
- ^ Taiwanese Pop Songs History. "Taiwanese Pop Songs History." Article. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
- ^ Welch, Anthony R. Freebody, Peter. Knowledge, Culture and Power. Routledge Publishing. ISBN 1850008337
- ^ Reed, Barbara Edith. Davison, Gary Marvin. [1998] (1998). Culture and Customs of Taiwan. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313302987
- ^ China.org.cn. "China.org.cn." Chinese pop music since the 1980s p2. Retrieved on 2009-01-05.
- ^ a b Lotayu.org. "Lotayu.org." 歷史報道 : 《明天會更好》幕後. Retrieved on 2009-01-06.
- ^ a b China.org.cn. "China.org.cn." Chinese pop music since the 1980s p3. Retrieved on 2009-01-05.
- ^ Keane, Michael. Donald, Stephanie. Hong, Yin. [2002] (2002). Media in China: Consumption, Content and Crisis. Routledge Publishing. ISBN 0700716149
External links
- C-Pop Fantasie - Online resource for c-pop, providing lyrics, downloads, video shows, and more.