Beginning of recording industry in China The Chinese-language music industry began with the arrival of the
gramophone. The earliest gramophone recording in China was made in Shanghai in March 1903 by
Fred Gaisberg, who was sent by the
Victor Talking Machine Company (VTMC) in the U.S. to record local music in Asia. The recordings were then manufactured outside China and re-imported by the Gramophone Company's sales agent in China, the Moutrie (Moudeli) Foreign Firm. The Moudeli Company dominated the market before the 1910s until the
Pathé Records () took over the leading role. Pathé was founded in 1908 by a Frenchman named Labansat who had previously started a novelty entertainment business using
phonograph in
Shanghai around the beginning of the 20th century. The company established a recording studio, and the first record-pressing plant in the
Shanghai French Concession in 1914, and became the principal record company to serve as the backbone for the young industry in China. It originally recorded mainly
Peking opera, but later expanded to Mandarin popular music. Later other foreign as well as Chinese-own recording companies were also established in China. Early in the 20th century, people in China generally spoke in their own regional dialect. Although most people in Shanghai then spoke
Shanghainese, the recordings of the pop music from Shanghai from the 1920s onwards were done in
Standard Mandarin, which is based on the
Beijing dialect. Mandarin was then considered as the language of the modern, educated class in China, and there was a movement to popularize the use of Mandarin as a national language in the pursuit of national unity. Those involved in this movement included songwriters such as
Li Jinhui working in Shanghai. The drive to impose linguistic uniformity in China started in the early 20th century when the Qing Ministry of Education proclaimed Mandarin as the official speech to be taught in modern schools, a policy the new leaders of the Chinese Republic formed in 1912 were also committed to. Sound films in Shanghai which started in the early 1930s were made in Mandarin because of a ban on the use of dialects in films by the then
Nanjing government, consequently popular songs from films were also performed in Mandarin.
1920s: Birth of Shidaiqu in Shanghai Mandarin popular songs that started in the 1920s were called
shidaiqu (時代曲;
Pinyin:
Shídài Qǔ – meaning music of the time, thus popular music), and Shanghai was the center of its production. The Mandarin popular songs of the Shanghai era are considered by scholars to be the first kind of modern popular music developed in China, and the prototype of later Chinese pop song. Li Jinhui is generally regarded as the "Father of Chinese Popular Music" who established the genre in the 1920s.
Buck Clayton, the American jazz musician, also worked alongside Li. Li established the
Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe, and amongst their singing stars were
Wang Renmei and
Li Lili. There was a close relationship between music and film industries and many of its singers also became actresses. Around 1927, Li composed the hit song "
Drizzle" recorded by his daughter
Li Minghui, and this song is often regarded as the first Chinese pop song. The song, with its fusion of jazz and Chinese folk music, exemplifies the early
shidaiqu – the tune is in the style of a traditional
pentatonic folk melody, but the instrumentation is similar to that of an American jazz orchestra. The song however was sung in a high-pitched childlike style, a style described uncharitably as sounding like "strangling cat" by the writer
Lu Xun. This early style would soon be replaced by more sophisticated performances from better-trained singers. In the following decades, various popular Western music genres such as Latin dance music also become incorporated into Chinese popular music, producing a type of music containing both Chinese and Western elements that characterized
shidaiqu. Popular songs of the time may range from those that were composed in the traditional Chinese idiom but followed a Western principle of composition to those that were done largely in a Western style, and they may be accompanied by traditional Chinese or Western instrumentation. An example is "The Evening Primrose" by
Li Xianglan, a Chinese composition set to a Latin dance beat.
1930s–1940s: The Seven Great Singing Stars era In 1931, the first
sound film was made in China in a cooperation between the
Mingxing Film Company and Pathé. The
film industry took advantage of the sound era and engaged singers for acting and soundtrack roles, and Li Jinhui's Bright Moonlight Song and Dance Troup became the first modern musical division to be integrated into the
Chinese film industry when it joined
Lianhua Film Company in 1931. Amongst the best-known of the singer-actress to emerge in the 1930s were
Zhou Xuan,
Gong Qiuxia, and
Bai Hong. Although later singing stars need not also have an acting career, the close relationship between the recording and film industries continued for many decades. Later
Yao Lee,
Bai Guang,
Li Xianglan,
Wu Yingyin also became popular, and collectively these seven stars became known as the "
Seven Great Singing Stars" of the period. Other notable singers of this period include
Li Lihua and
Chang Loo (張露;
Pinyin:
Zhāng Lù). In 1940 Yao Lee recorded "
Rose, Rose, I Love You" which later became the first Chinese pop song to be covered by Western singers that was a hit. The "
Seven Great Singing Stars" in the
Republic of China period secured the place of the
shidaiqu genre in East Asian society.
Zhou Xuan is generally considered the most notable Chinese pop star of the era for her highly successful singing and film career. This generation saw the rise in popularity of female singers from mere "
song girls" to "stars", The era was a tumultuous period, with the occupation of Shanghai by the Japanese armies during the
Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937 and to 1945, followed by continuation of the
civil war between the
Nationalists and
Communists. In response to the turmoil, productions began to shift to Hong Kong, and after the Communist takeover in 1949, many stars moved to Hong Kong which then replaced Shanghai as the center of the entertainment industry in the 1950s.
1950s–1960s: The Hong Kong era In 1949, the
People's Republic of China was established by the
Communist party, and in 1952 popular music was denounced by the
PRC government as
Yellow Music, a form of
pornography. In the mainland, the communist regime began to suppress popular music and promote revolutionary marches.
China Record Corporation became the only music recording industry body in China, In 1952, Pathé Records moved its operation from Shanghai to Hong Kong. Stars from Shanghai continued to record songs in Hong Kong, and Shanghai-style music remained popular in Hong Kong until the mid-1960s. The Mandarin pop music developed in Taiwan that would become modern Mandopop is a blend of traditional Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, as well as Western musical styles. was the earliest of the Taiwan-based stars who achieved success outside of Taiwan in the late 1950s with the song "
Green Island Serenade", followed by other singers such as and
Yao Su-jung in the 1960s. The 1960s however was a highly politically tense era, many songs such as "Not Going Home Today" ("今天不回家";
Pinyin:
Jīntiān Bùhuí Jiā) by Yao Su-jung were banned in Taiwan. In the 1960s, regional centres of Chinese pop music also started to emerge in overseas Chinese communities in Malaysia and Singapore, and singers from the region such as also achieved wider success.
1970s–1980s Rise of Taiwanese Mandopop In the 1970s, Taipei began to take center stage for Mandopop while Cantopop took hold in Hong Kong. Contemporary commercialized Mandopop is generally recognised as beginning around 1980. It evolved from Taiwan's
campus folk song movement of the 1970s, and drew on several previous or coexisting musical traditions in
East Asia, including
Shidaiqu,
enka,
Cantopop, and
Hokkien pop. In 1966, the Taiwan music industry was generating US$4.7 million annually, and this had grown exponentially through the 1970s and 1980s, and by 1996, it peaked at just under US$500 million before declining. The success of the Taiwanese film industry also helped with the popularity of its singers. Taiwanese stars such as
Tsai Chin,
Fei Yu-ching, and
Fong Fei Fei became increasingly popular, with
Teresa Teng the best known.
Teresa Teng made Mandopop a true mainstay by crossing over to mainland China after
Deng Xiaoping came to power and instituted the
open door policy in 1978 that allowed cultural products from Hong Kong and Taiwan to enter China. Teng's song became popular there despite an early ban on her songs by the PRC government for being "
Bourgeois Music". Her "soft, sweet, often whispery and restrained" singing style in romantic songs such as "
The Moon Represents My Heart" (月亮代表我的心;
Pinyin:
Yuèliàng Dàibiǎo Wǒde Xīn) made a strong impact in mainland China where revolutionary songs were previously prevalent. A common expression then was "By day,
Deng Xiaoping rules China. But by night, Deng Lijun (Teresa Teng) rules". The ban on Teng was lifted in 1986 and songs from Hong Kong and Taiwan, called
gangtai music, became more popular within mainland China. During the 1970s and early 1980s, a different generation of Taiwanese singers and/or songwriters such as
Chyi Yu,
Hou Dejian, and
Lo Ta-yu emerged, some of whom were influenced by folk rock and whose music may be termed
"campus folk music". One of the most successful songs of the era was Lo Ta-yu's 1985 song "
Tomorrow Will Be Better", which was inspired by the American song "
We Are the World" and originally performed by 60 singers. It quickly became a hit throughout Chinese in Asia. Another song soon followed in 1986 in mainland China called "Let the World be filled with Love" (讓世界充滿愛;
Pinyin:
Ràng Shìjiè Chōngmǎn Ài). Hou Dejian's song "
Descendants of the Dragon" (龍的傳人;
Pinyin:
Lóng de Chuánrén) also became an anthem for the period. Unlike previous eras dominated by female singers, male singers became popular. Other popular male singers included
Liu Wen-cheng,
Johnny Yin and
Dave Wong. Wong released his debut album A Game A Dream (一場遊戲一場夢;
Pinyin:
Yìchǎng Yóuxì Yìchǎng Mèng), which sold over 700,000-copies in three months in December 1987. By around 1980, the term Mandopop began to be used for the Chinese popular music that had emerged in this period, and by the mid-1980s, Taiwan's booming music industry was the source of around 90% of Mandopop sold in Southeast Asia. In South East Asia, popular local stars from the late 60s to the 80s included Sakura Teng (樱花;
Pinyin:
Yīnghuā), Chang Siao Ying (張小英;
Pinyin:
Zhāng Xiǎoyīng) and Lena Lim (林竹君;
Pinyin:
Lín Zhújūn) from Singapore, and Wong Shiau Chuen (黃曉君;
Pinyin:
Huáng Xiǎojūn) and Lee Yee (李逸;
Pinyin:
Lǐ Yì) from Malaysia. Some such as Lena Lim achieved some success outside the region, and the local labels also signed singers from outside the region such as Long Piao-Piao (龍飄飄;
Pinyin:
Lóng Piāopiāo) from Taiwan. The recording industry in Singapore in particular thrived. In 1979,
Singapore launched the
Speak Mandarin Campaign to promote the use of Mandarin over the range of Chinese dialects spoken by various segments of the ethnic-Chinese population. Mandarin songs, already a strong presence on radio stations and on television, further eroded the popularity of Hokkien and Cantonese songs in the media. In the 1980s, a genre of Mandarin ballads called
xinyao developed in Singapore by singers/songwriters such as
Liang Wern Fook.
Mandopop after the Cultural Revolution In mainland China, the music industry was freed from state restriction in 1978, and regional recording companies were established in
Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing in the 1980s with local singers.
Homeland Love (乡恋) performed by
Li Guyi in 1980 is considered to be the first pop song created within
mainland China after the
Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), which echoed
humanism and the
New Enlightenment movement in the 1980s. The song was written by Ma Jinghua and Zhang Peiji, but was briefly banned by the Chinese authorities due to criticisms from some critics and audiences who labelled the song as "decadent music". In 1983, Li Guyi performed the song at the
China Central Television's first
Spring Festival Gala, when the ban was lifted and the song became widely popular in the Chinese society.
Nothing to My Name later became the unofficial anthem of students who
protested on Tiananmen Square in 1989, and is considered a symbol of the 1980s of China. Early leading rock musicians such as Cui Jian and
He Yong created a mix of music that was so hybrid and experimental that it cut across genre divisions of established pop.
1990s A number of singers originally from mainland China such as
Faye Wong and
Na Ying began to record in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Faye Wong, referred to in the media as the Diva, first recorded in Cantonese in Hong Kong, later recorded in Mandarin. She was one of the few Chinese singers to perform in
Budokan, Japan. During this period, many Cantopop singers from
Hong Kong such as the "
Four Heavenly Kings" -
Aaron Kwok,
Leon Lai,
Andy Lau and
Jacky Cheung - also began to dominate Mandopop. Many Cantopop songs of the period were also sung in Mandarin by the same singers, say Faye Wong. Nonetheless, Taiwan has their own popular singers such as
Stella Chang,
Sky Wu,
Wakin Chau (formerly Emil Chau) and
Jeff Chang. Independent labels such as
Rock Records began to establish themselves in this period as some of the most influential labels. Towards the end of the 90s, other singers such as
Leehom Wang and
David Tao became popular, and some also began to perform in the
R&B and/or
hip-hop genres. In the period from the mid-1990s to early 2000s, Shanghai and Beijing became centers of the music industry in mainland China, with Shanghai focusing on music record publishing and distribution, while Beijing focused on music recording.
2000s-2010s: Growth in Mainland China In Hong Kong, the Four Heavenly Kings faded in the 2000s, but many other new artists such as
Nicholas Tse and
Eason Chan came to the fore. Among this new wave of talent,
Khalil Fong (方大同;
Pinyin:
Fāng Dàtóng), an American-born Hong Kong singer-songwriter and producer, played a pivotal role in integrating R&B and soul elements into Mandopop. Debuting in 2005 with his album
Soulboy, Fong introduced a sophisticated blend of Western musical styles to the Chinese music scene. His subsequent works, including
This Love (2006) and his 2011 album
15, further cemented his reputation as a genre innovator. Fong's contributions were recognized with multiple Golden Melody Awards, including Best Male Artist in 2017 for his 2016 album
Journey to the West. His unique musical approach has been influential in shaping the contemporary Mandopop landscape. The 2000s also began with an explosion of pop idols, many of whom were from
Taiwan. Mainland China also saw a rapid increase in the number of Mandopop singers, bands, and idol groups as pop music becomes increasingly mainstream by mid-2000s. The growing
Mainland film industry and
Chinese television drama also increased demand for Mandopop. Since the 2000s, the emergence of
indie rock in mainland China and Taiwan had exploded into a flourishing indie music scene in mainland China and Taiwan, adding various new diversities into Mandopop. Entry of popular Taiwan-based bands such as
Mayday and
Sodagreen while in mainland Chinese-based bands such as SuperVC and
Milk Coffee had brought a new phase of rock fusion into Mandopop. The music industry in Taiwan, however, began to suffer from music piracy in the digital age, and its revenue plummeted to $US95 million in 2005. The primary revenue sources in Taiwan music industry shifted to advertising, concerts, KTV (karaoke) and movie. The dramatic decline of CD sales shifted the market in favour of mainland China. While piracy was also severe in mainland China, the percentage of its digital sales is higher compared to most countries. 2005 was known as 'The First Year of Digital Music' in China as its digital music sales of $US57 million overtook CDs in 2005, and it also overtook Taiwan in term of the retail value of its music sales. However, while mainland China became increasingly important in generating revenue, the pop music industry itself in mainland China was still relatively small in the decade of 2000s compared to Taiwan and Hong Kong as popstars from Taiwan and other overseas Chinese communities were still popular in mainland China. There was increasing crossover appeal of Taiwanese
bubblegum pop boybands and girl bands in the mainland Chinese scene, such as the very commercially successful acts like
S.H.E and
Fahrenheit. Several new boybands and girl bands also have emerged in mainland China such as
Top Combine,
TFBOYS,
NEXT and
Idol Producer and
Produce Camp boy and girl groups including
Nine Percent,
UNINE,
R1SE,
INTO1,
THE9 and
Rocket Girls.
2020s In early 2020s,
Jay Chou,
JJ Lin and
Eason Chan, who had debuted for more than 20 years, continued to lead the Mandopop scene. They were ranked among the top three most-streamed Chinese artists on Spotify in 2023. Chou's
Greatest Works of Art was
IFPI Global Album Sales Chart No. 1 album in 2022. Short video platforms like
DouYin gained popularity and had increasing impact on the music market. In November 2021,
Eason Chan released “Lonely Warrior” (孤勇者;
Pinyin:
Gūyǒng Zhě), the opening theme for
Arcane: League of Legends, which became super hit not only among the usual Mandopop fans, but also mega hit among the children, becoming an annual phenomenon in the Mandopop scene. Although Chan did not make any appearance for promotion (except one online performance ten months after the release), this song still gained huge popularity in mainland China, Taiwan and Malaysia. There were numerous short videos using the song as background music, playing the song with various adaptations, and hand gestures dance etc. Children, in particular, were attached to these. The popularity spread from children to their parents, gaining widespread attention. Short video platform had emerged as a contemporary media for music promotion. In August of 2021, it was announced by the
Cyberspace Administration of China that online forums for popularity rankings for celebrities would be banned across all digital platforms. This was the start of a 2 month process for the new campaign called "Clear and Bright" that would be used to crackdown on fan culture sites. It was issued for the controversy of cyberbullying, starting rumors, inducing minors to raise funds, fraud, vote rigging, and causing agitated behavior to flaunt lifestyles. This was backed up by the incident in May with the fans from idol survival show
Youth With You 3, where a promotion for buying milk with special QR codes attached could be used to support their favorite on the show. This led to mass buying for the codes and viral videos showing fans dumping out the milk into drains. It was estimated that over 270,000 bottles were dumped out in this "Milk Waste" scandal. The backlash fell so far back that
iQiyi suspended the show and eventually the government banned all talent and idol reality shows for a while. Artists such as
G.E.M. and
Joker Xue also continue to make an impact on the Mandopop scene. G.E.M.'s "
Light Years Away", the Chinese theme song for the sci-fi film
Passengers, is the most-viewed Chinese music video on YouTube at 291 million as of February 2025. While Xue's
Extraterrestrial World Tour is one of the
most attended concert tours of all-time and ranks first among C-pop artists with more than 4.9 million tickets sold as of July 2024. ==Characteristics==