Chinese Rock
Today’s Chinese rock-music scene persists as hard rock/punk bands such as Brain Failure, Reflector, and Yoksa find underground audiences in major urban areas, where university students form the bulk of their fans. Yet, government censorship of the media, including the Internet, continues to thwart their popularity at home and abroad. Popular music in general is still viewed with suspicion by hard-liner members of the Communist party, who continue to exert their influence on popular culture by restricting programming deemed counter to the state’s moral ideals, as evidenced by the cessation of the hugely successful talent competition “Super Girl Contest,” broadcast from 2004 to 2006. As the country continues to expand its economic interests around the world, the influx of Western media will become increasingly difficult to manage, and future opportunities for Chinese rock musicians to find success are likely to emerge.