Cui Jian
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Cui Jian | ||
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Hanyu Pinyin Cuī Jiàn | | |
IPA | [tsʰwéɪ tɕjɛ̂n] |
Transcriptions | |
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Revised Romanization | Choe Geon |
McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Kŏn |
Cui Jian (Chinese: 崔健; Korean: 최건; born 2 August 1961) is a Beijing-based Chinese singer-songwriter, trumpeter and guitarist. Affectionately called "Old Cui" (老崔; Lǎo Cuī), he is credited with pioneering Chinese rock music. For this distinction he is often labeled the "Father of Chinese Rock".[2]
Cui is an idealist who loathed money and commerce. He fantasized that rock 'n roll could rebuild young people's "red idealism". A white baseball cap with a bright red star is his symbol.[3]
Early career
Cui Jian grew up in a musical family in Beijing. His father was
In 1984 he formed his first band, Qi He Ban (七合板, literally "Seven-Ply Board," a double entendre reference to the seven-member band) with six other classically trained musicians, including the saxophonist/suona player Liu Yuan. The seminal band was heavily influenced by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Talking Heads. They performed their own works—mostly soft rock and love songs—in local hotels and bars. With his band, Cui released his first cassette Return of the Prodigal that same year. The album contained mellow, pop-oriented love songs but also showcased songs with progressive and folk-rock influences, which were fresh and innovative in China at the time. In 1985, the band released another album titled "Cui Jian with Seven-Player Band". This album featured a combination of Western pop rock as well as new original songs. It also featured more prominent use of the electric guitar, which was seldom used in Chinese popular music. Cui's departure from the band and subsequent solo career led him to become the most successful and influential musician in Chinese rock history.[citation needed]
Cui Jian first shot to stardom in 1986, when he performed his song "
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Cui created a hybrid and experimental music mix that cut across divisions between pop, reggae, funk, hard rock and punk music genres. Cui's songs drew on folk and traditional music types, such as the
His earliest works had influence from Western popular music styles, such as punk, dance and jazz; these songs also became his best-known works. With tensions rising among the students of China and the government, Cui's work was very influential among the youth.
Tiananmen and aftermath
Cui Jian reached the apex of his popularity during the
Later career
Through the 1990s Cui Jian was banned from playing major venues in Beijing,[12] although he was able to stage a number of one-set, word-of-mouth concerts at newly flourishing venues like The Sunflower Club. Elsewhere in China he was permitted to play to sell-out crowds in both large and small venues, only on occasion facing government interference. Soon, Cui's music was banned from all state-controlled broadcasting stations.
Cui toured all over the world including the United States and Europe four times each and has played numerous shows in East and Southeast Asia. Cui's ability to fuse western styles of music and introduce local influences on it, made him a very prominent figure internationally to this day. In 2000 Cui was awarded the prestigious Dutch
In 2002 Cui and his manager Paul Fry co-organized the Lijiang Snow Mountain Music Festival (China's Woodstock) in Lijiang, China. Cui followed this with a 10-city tour in Germany and performances with Udo Lindenberg (Godfather of German Rock & Roll), performances with Deep Purple in China and a 13-city sold-out tour of the United States.
Bai Qiang produced a 3D concert film and documentary on Cui.
Political rehabilitation
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On 8 September 2000, Cui and his band performed at the Ministry of Culture-sponsored "Oppose Piracy, Support Copyright" concert held at Workers' Stadium in Beijing. [15] It was his first large-venue performance in the capital in 7 years.
In 2002, Cui initiated, produced, and played at a major rock festival in the mountains of Yunnan. The "Snow Mountain Music Festival" was a major media attraction and was reported by the international press as "China's Woodstock". This experience started a trend of outdoor music festivals in China.
In early 2003, Cui was authorized to open for the
On 24 September 2005, Cui was finally granted permission to headline his own show at the Beijing Capital Stadium, which signified the end of the unofficial ban on his performances in China's capital. It also confirmed a major turn-around in government attitude towards rock music in general.
Cui did finally play with
Following the performance, Cui was quoted as saying, "This is the 20th anniversary of Chinese rock 'n' roll... We have an appointment. In the near future, they will be back, and we'll rock again in Beijing."Cui performed in Taiwan on 8 July 2007 after numerous attempts in previous years to perform there had been derailed by governments on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Cui's entourage to the island comprised 18 people including his 75-year-old mother. Headlining on the last day of the Hohaiyan Rock Festival at Fulong Beach, Cui's participation was promoted on the festival's website[19] with the slogan: "He's really coming!"
In September 2007, he performed at the
On 4 December 2009, Cui returned to Taiwan for his second concert there in three years, for the grand opening of the Legacy Taipei.
Prior to the January 2014 Spring Festival gala, Cui was invited to perform on the China Central Television variety show after years of being excluded from state radio and television because of the political connotations of his work. Ultimately, Cui did not make it because he would not change the song lyrics.[20]
Discography
- 1984: Return of the Prodigal (浪子归; Làngzǐ guī)
- 1989: Rock 'N' Roll on the New Long March(新长征路上的摇滚; Xīn chángzhēng lùshàng de yáogǔn)
- 1991: Solution (解决; Jiějué)
- 1994: Balls Under the Red Flag (红旗下的蛋; Hóngqí xià de dàn)
- 1998: The Power of the Powerless (无能的力量; Wúnéng de lìliàng)
- 2005: Show You Colour (给你一点颜色; Gěi nǐ yīdiǎn yánsè)
- 2015: Frozen light (光冻; Guāng dòng)
- 2021: A Flying Dog (飞狗; Féi gǒu)
Filmography
- 1993 – Beijing Bastards (北京杂种; Beijing Zazhong), directed by Zhang Yuan, as himself
- 2003 – Roots and Branches (我的兄弟姐妹; Wo de xiongdi jiemei), directed by Yu Chung, as the father/music teacher
- 2007 – The Sun Also Rises (太阳照常升起; Taiyang zhaochang shengqi), directed by Jiang Wen, as Tang's friend in Beijing
- 2010 – Zhang Lu, as Chang-ho
- 2012 – Transcendence 3-D concert, directed by Bai Qiang
- 2013 – Promise, directed and written by himself
- 2013 – Blue Sky Bones
See also
- Chinese rock
- Tang Dynasty (band)
- Viktor Tsoi, Russian rock singer of Korean descent
- Music censorship in China
References
- ^ "金曲33/「陸搖滾教父」崔健擊敗盧廣仲 封歌王坦言:沒寫過得獎感言". China Times (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2 July 2022.
- ^ ISBN 0-313-30876-4
- ^ Zhaoxi Liu (2016). "Cui Jian: Extolling Idealism Yet Advocating for Freedom Through Rock Music in China" (pdf). Trinity University.
- ISBN 978-0-415-77716-2.
- ^ "www.cuijan.com – NEWS". cuijian.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-78660-926-7.
- ISBN 978-0-8223-8022-1.
- OCLC 52763644.
- ^ DeWoskin, Rachel (14 January 2010). "Power of the Powerless". Words Without Borders. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
- ^ "Cui Jian: The man who rocks China". The Independent. 14 November 2005. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
- PBS Frontline. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
- ISBN 978-1-257-88003-4.
- ^ "Cui Jian Gets a 3D concert film and documentary". Asia Pacific Arts. 24 March 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ Jonathan Landreth (17 May 2012). "Echoes of Tiananmen, on Film, Face Hurdles in China". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
- ISBN 9789090148021. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "Stones Roll in for Historic Tour". China.org. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
- ^ "Rolling Stones tests China's waters". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones Concert Hotwire". Pollstar. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
- ^ "Hohaiyan.com". Archived from the original on 19 May 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
- ^ Tian, Luo (15 January 2014). "Spring Festival Gala Performance by Chinese Rock Icon in Doubt". Sinosphere Blog. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- Wei, S. Louisa (2006). "Cui Jian: Rocking China" (DV). Music documentary.
External links
- Cui Jian's Official Website (in English and Chinese)
- "Birth Of A Beijing Music Scene" by Matthew Corbin Clark – companion article to PBS Frontline's "China in the Red".
- Cui Jian on Rockinchina.com
Interviews
- Cui Jian interview from Global Rhythm magazine, August 2008