Shidaiqu

Singer Zhou Xuan remains an icon of the Shidaiqu era

Bai Guang played a prominent role in Shidaiqu music

Shanghai in the 1930s represented the center of the Shidaiqu music phenomenon

Shidaiqu (

The term shídàiqǔ (時代曲) literally translates to "songs of the era" in Mandarin Chinese. When sung in Cantonese, it is commonly referred to as 粵語時代曲 (Jyut Jyu Si Doi Kuk). In Amoy Hokkien, it is known as 廈語時代曲. The term 'shidaiqu' is believed to have originated in Hong Kong to describe a genre of popular Chinese music that gained prominence in Shanghai during the early to mid-20th century. This genre emerged as a fusion of traditional Chinese melodies, Western musical elements, and influences from jazz and popular music of the time.

Musicality

Shidaiqu is a kind of fusion music that makes use of jazz musical instruments (castanets, maracas). Songs were sung in a high-pitched childlike style.^[3][4] This early style would soon be replaced by more sophisticated performances from better-trained singers. The songs of the period often use the ABA or ABCA form, which were new to Chinese audiences and are still used by modern composers. Melodies were simple and the songs are still sung today, such as "Wishing You Happiness and Prosperity" (恭喜恭喜) performed by Yao Lee and Yao Min.

History

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Shidaiqu music is rooted in both traditional Chinese folk music and the introduction of Western jazz during the years when Shanghai was under the

Shanghai shidaiqu songs are sung in Mandarin, regarded as a symbol of fashion and progressive culture however, a large part of the audience is not fluent in Mandarin. Shanghai dominated the Chinese movie industry in the 1930s. Song of the Fishermen, a famous movie from the 1930s, marked the beginning of musicals (歌舞片). Pop singers such as Zhou Xuan, Bai Guang, and Gong Qiuxia among others also participated in these films.^{[citation needed]}

Mainstream

Shidaiqu reached peak popularity during 1940s. Famous jazz musicians from both the US and China played to packed dance halls.^[10] Chinese women singers grew in celebrity. Additionally, nightclubs such as the Paramount Dance Hall became a meeting point for businessmen from Western countries and China would meet. The western jazz influences were shaped predominately by American jazz musician Buck Clayton. Shidaiqu has inspired Gary Lucas for his album The Edge of Heaven and DJs such as Ian Widgery and his Shanghai Lounge Divas project. On the other hand, if cinema was the origin of many songs, Wong Kar-wai used them again for illustrating his movie "In the Mood for Love"; Rebecca Pan, one of the actresses in this film, was also one of those famous shidaiqu singers.^{[citation needed]}

Political connotations

Shanghai was divided into the International Concession and the

Throughout the decades leading up to the Great Leap Forward, the reputation of Shidaiqu outside of its target audience was degrading. Despite some of the songs intended to nation build, the government deemed Shidaiqu as "yellow music"^[11] and described it as "pornographic and commercial".^[5] In 1952 the Chinese Communist Party banned nightclubs and pop music production. During this time period, western-style instruments were sought out and destroyed. Chinese jazz musicians were not rehabilitated until decades later.^[12] The tradition then moved to Hong Kong and reached its height from the 1950s to the late 1960s, when it was replaced by Taiwanese pop (sung in Mandarin) and later Cantopop (Cantonese popular music). While it is considered a prototype, music enthusiasts may see it as an early version of Mandopop (Mandarin popular music).^{[citation needed]}

Revival

While the tradition continued to thrive in Taiwan and Hong Kong, Shidaiqu gained popularity in mainland China once more during the 1980s. Shanghai opened up for the first time after WWII and interest in what used to be forbidden music peaked. Surviving musicians were invited to play once more in hotel lobbies^[12] and pop musicians began writing covers of famous songs such as Teresa Teng's 1978 cover of Li Xianglan's The Evening Primrose.^[13] In more recent years, a group called the Shanghai Restoration Project uses both the 1980s and 1940s pop songs to create electronic music.^{[citation needed]}

Representatives

See also

• C-pop
• Seven Great Singing Stars
• Music of China
• Music of Hong Kong

Notes