MUSIC

Wildest Dream: What Taylor Swift Means To Her Chinese Fans

Five Chinese “Swifties” explain how they fell in love with the American popstar, and what she taught them about life

MUSIC

The Stories That Shaped China’s Music Industry in 2023

AI singers, lip-synching, wars over tickets, chaotic music festivals…the biggest music news of the year in China

MUSIC

East Meets West Africa: The Growing Popularity of Afrobeats

From the first Afrobeat album to the first Afrobeat festival, the genre has been quietly making inroads in China’s music market

MUSIC

For the Record: How a War Refugee Built His Vinyl Haven in Hong Kong

Record store owner Paul Au has escaped the Vietnam War, slept in the streets, and weathered two pandemics to pursue his passion for vinyl

MUSIC

How Joanna Wang Redefines Mandopop in the TikTok Age

Fourteen years after debuting with a cover album, the singer-songwriter stays relevant to Gen Z with eclectic sounds and experimentation

MUSIC

Rainbow Chan’s Love Song to Cantopop

Rainbow Chan remembers the beauty and cheese of the golden age of Canto and Mandopop, acknowledging its mark on her identity while also stamping it with her own

MUSIC

JIHU Bridges East and West with Contemporary R&B

Rising singer-songwriter fuses Yi language, Han lyricism, and sounds of nature in new single

TRADITIONAL CULTURE

Regional Harmonies

China and Southeast Asia have adapted many of each other’s pop hits

IDIOMS

Choice Chengyu: Musical Phrasing

Sayings about music, good and bad

ARTS, MODERN HISTORY

Sound of a Century

A singular museum in north China offers a rare insight into its musical history