The Beatles Have Come

by Zhao Yong

On March 22， 2018， all albums by The Beatles， the most influential and successful British band of all time， were released in China in digital form， available on the countrys major online music platforms. At the same time， their final album Abbey Road went on sale in physical shops in China， which will be followed by many others. Abbey Road sold over 20，000 copies on one digital platform in a single day.

The exhibition titled “The Beatles， Tomorrow” has been on display at the Today Art Museum in Beijing since March 24. The exhibition features classic music as well as hundreds of precious photos， videos， memorabilia and personal items once owned by members of the band.

Formed in the early 1960s， The Beatles exerted direct influence on the evolution of rock music in the 1960s and later. The band was also tremendously influential on the birth and growth of Chinas rock music in the 1980s and 1990s.

Cao Jun was once guitarist for the Chinese band The Breathing. His experience absorbing The Beatles speaks volumes. In 1980， he chanced upon a cassette tape of The Beatles. At first he didnt understand the lyrics， but still remembered the song“Yesterday.” “It was so wonderful that I continued to listen to it despite not understanding the lyrics，” he recalls.“Probably the biggest single influence on my career was The Beatles.”

Xu Wei， born in 1968， is another famous Chinese rock singer who pursued a music career because of passion for The Beatles. “British rock culture influenced my composing most，” he says.

Renowned rock singer Wang Feng， born in 1971， regards The Beatles as a significant part of his life. “When I feel helpless I listen to their songs and think，” he says. “They make me feel hope.”

In the early 1980s， soon after China implemented the reform and opening-up policy， few on the Chinese mainland had access to music from the West. Pop music from Hong Kong and Taiwan， which imitated its peers in Europe and America， became the window for the Chinese mainland to learn. Cui Jian， considered the“founding father” of Chinese rock music after releasing Chinas first rock song “Nothing to My Name”in 1986， once said： “In the 1980s， hardly anyone knew anything about Western pop music.” However， those who became familiar with Western pop music have been leading Chinas music scene and helping the rise of Chinese music throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Following the trends of “red songs” and “songs of revolution，” lyrical ballads became popular in China in the 1980s， and Chinas rock music emerged during the same period. The dramatic change was inspired by introduction to bands from Europe and America.

Cui Jian， for example， found his language and expression through“chemistry” with Western music.“Every single song of mine was influenced by Western bands，” he admits. “After listening to their music， I got the impulse to compose immediately. The difference was that I changed the core to Chinese things.”Cui employed traditional Chinese instruments such as the zither， suona（a Chinese woodwind instrument） and flute in his music， which became an exploration of rock music with Chinese elements. A flute solo in Cuis“Its Not That I Dont Understand”（1989） not only serves as a louder Chinese expression， but also echoes the theme of the song—that the world was changing so fast. In the later stage of his career， he began releasing hiphop-style songs such as “Hun Zi” in 2014 and “The Blue Bone” in 2015， which are considered two of the best of Chinese rap songs.

Another example is Faye Wong， the queen of Chinese power ballads， who started her career in Hong Kong. In the 1990s， she captured the fashionable elements of Western pop culture with good sensitivity and imitated them， through which she turned “weird Western music into mainstream Chinese music.” She gradually became one of Chinas best pop singers. As noted Chinese music critic Wang Xiaofeng said， Faye Wong“went past Hong Kong and Taiwan and straight to the West. She adopted the image of Bjork and imitated the Pharyngeal tone of The Cranberries. The designs of her album covers were increasingly sexier. It was her faster imitation that gave her a unique edge.”

As Cui said， the success of The Beatles can largely be attributed to their ability to make rebelliousness mainstream. Rock music and jazz from Europe and America provided Chinas rock music with critique and liberalization. However， after a short period of prosperity， Chinas rock music has declined since the 1990s. Today， most youngsters listen to fluffy pop music downloaded online. Rock songs that pierce the soul and make pulses race are rarely heard.