China/Hong Kong
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cantopop and protest singers
Amongst the Chinese - and particularly the Cantonese-speaking population of southern China and
Hong Kong - by far the biggest names in popular music are the singers of Cantopop, Hong Kong's
pherlomenall.y succ~ful creation. Chinese roe~· is a rarer beast, but one as rooted in China as the
west, and with a strain of protest - through the figure of Cui Jian, whose songs were taken up by the
students in Tienanmen Square, and whose performances in a red blindfold caught the world's
imagination. Joanna Lee sketches the history. and introduces the stars.
Cantopop
Western-influenced music first came to China in
the 1920s, and with the rise of the middle-class in
urban areas, especially in Shanghai, local singing
stafi emerged. One of the most famous was Zhou
Xuan (1918-57), who acted in films and record-
ed popular songs with salon orchestra accompani-
ment, on amorous or urban themes. One can only
imagine the change in the landscape in 1949 when
the Communist Party took control of the city.
Shanghai was purged, and all such entertainment
forms of the corrupt capitalist world denounced
as 'pornographic'.
In many ways, Hong Kong's Cantopop owes
its existence to Shanghai's popular music - thanks
to the influx of Shanghai composers and singers in
the t 950s, not to mention the transplanting of
nightclubs, dance halls, and a major film industry.
However, the catalyst for the Cantopop boom was
the meeting of East and West in the t 970s.
Cantopop beginnings
Back in the t 960s, there were two popular music
scenes in Hong Kong: Western music - Elvis,
Johnny Mathis and The Beatles (who visited in
1964)- imported for the Western-educated youth,
and Shidaiqu (contemporary song) which fol-
lowed the tradition of t 930s Shanghai and was
sung in Mandarin (a second language for Hong
Kong's 95-percent Cantonese population).
But as the British colony transformed itself into
an industrial-cum-financial mecca, it built its own
music industry. Cantopop (Cantonese pop) began
to appear in the 1970s - an amalgam of W estem
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Pop and rock
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soft-rock and mellow Cantonese lyrical singing -
'Southern China-meets-the West', a musical equiv-
alent of Hong Kong itself. It developed around
the time when TV became a household fixture in
the mid-1970s, and stations commissioned music
for prime-time soap operas. Radio stations were
also important in advancing careers, holding song-
writing competitions and talent contests.
Joseph Koo and James Wong were the
groundbreakers, composing Cantopop song for
TV themes in the t 970s. If you want to relive the
aura of those days, try and get compilation discs
including singers Adam Cheng (Cheng Siu Chau)
and Lisa Wang (Wang Ming Chuen), famous
prime-time soap opera stars who sang much of this
material. The scene then took off further with
bands such as Lotus (a definite Asian connection
there) and the Wynners (initially named the Losers
- the change of name paid ofl), who sang Abba
covers and original songs in English.
Glory Days
It was in the t 980s, when singers changed from
English to Cantonese, that things really got going.
The glory days of the early 1980s saw the creation
of a raft of stars, all in their twenties. They includ-
ed Anita Mui, Sam Hui, Leslie Cheung, Jacky
Cheung (no relation), Danny Chan, Kenny Bee
and Alan Tam (these last two formerly of the
Wynners). Almost all of them combined a singing
career with roles in prime-time soaps, and went
on to make movies. Often new songs were fea-
tured in the films to further boost the singer/actor.
By the end of the 1980s, four male stars - Jacky
Cheung, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok and Leon
Lai - dominated the Cantopop scene so
Chin••• Pop 49
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 completely that they were known as Say dai tin
111tmg (the Four Gods). These rival deities created
a boom in sales of their respective solo albums. as
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film roles. Jacky Cheung, the most accomplished,
even premiered the first-ever Cantonese Broad-
and HMV, sample a few tracks and pick h
like. Ifyou want a better bargain try the ~at You
kets in Temple Street and Tung Cho~ t n1ar.
Kowloon. Go into little shops and St treet itJ
reet
where they sell VCDs, CDs, tapes and 1
and pick through their selections. Adase.r discs,
stal11

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........ way show in 1997. At time of writing, they remain attractive packaging and look through th~;~e t.he
::z: major players, though rivalled by hot new teen posters of the stars on display. e-sile
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z idols such as Andy Hui, Miriam Yeung, Sammi If you want to experience Cantop
. .. T 1 .. op as li..
C') Cheng, Karen Mok and Eason Chan. entertainment, v1s1t e evmon City (an flS •t
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~ They have brought Cantopop to a new pinna- of Universal Studios) in Clearwater Bay hO<it
.ortryad
0 cle of sophistication: in marketing, packaging, and track down any Cantopop concerts at th Ii n
z production. Yet the music itself is often haphaz- Kong Coliseum. Tickets for Coliseum cone e 0 ng
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ard: the hit process tends to involve rushed com- from HKS100 to $400 which will get y~rangc
u corn
missioning of composers and lyricists, and fortably close to the singers. Or you can sampJ .·
. erad10
producers selecting Japanese and American cov- d Ii h
programmes an sten to t e quick pitter patt
. er of
.-~----~;:--------,-r,iiilJ~1ft--Ull~i.ljilliJ,-l o DJs (~ost m their early
I ~ twenties). Call up the
~ local radio stations
5; (Commercial Radio 2
§ Radio ~ong Kong 2:
en and Hit Radio) and
ask if they have any
special public evenis in
parks or shopping malls
with star appearances.
In any of these live
events, you'll be sur-
rounded by screaming
teeny boppers trying to
present bouquets to
their idols. Soak up the
There·s something about Miriam get tip<> fro•1 1 M v <>unq sugared quality of the
music, wallow in the
ers, and singers recording for long sessions to beat soothing voices of those stars, and swing and wave
production deadlines. and clap and hold candles (or little electric torches)
But what does it sound like? Well, Cantopop the same way as everyone else around you.
remains a close cousin to Anglo-American soft Cantopop is marketed worldwide and sells wher-
rock and a younger sister ofJapanese pop, a bit ever there are Chinese communities; indeed, the
heavy on synthesizer and drum machines. The large HK emigre populations in the North Amer-
songs are always in a moderate tempo and the lyrics ica are major concert tour stops for Cantopop
are formulaic (happy/ sad love) . A few English singers. It is the epitome of Hong Kong's enter-
phrases remain amidst the " oohs and aahs" of the prising spirit and it looks well poised to take over
backing vocals: "I love you", "You love me", and the motherland. A recent trend in Cantopop,
"Oh yeah". beginning during the countdown to Hong Kong's
return to China, is the proliferation ofstylistic Can-
H ear ing Cantopop to pop music with Mandarin lyrics for the mark~
in Taiwan and mainland China. And the mogu
It's hard to escape the synthesized acc.o mpaniment ce have
are pretty sure of themselves. Pop may on
of Cantopop songs on the streets of Hong Kong, been banned as , pomograp h 1c . ' b ut 1.t no longer.
blasting from shops and car radios. On TV you raises an eyebrow in post-Deng c~nsm~e~ ~~
can surf the channels for music videos, pop music Oh - and Cantopop, as you nught unagut ' 5
programmes (and on cable, Asian MTV). If you has a big presence on the Internet, with fan ~age
loranons.
are interested in buying Cantopop, just take your devoted to all the major stars. To start exp
chance, scan what's displayed at the local Tower try http: I lhkpop.com.

50 Chlneae Pop

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