Xiaorong Yuan
Published: 2016
Total Pages: 169
Get eBook
This study reviews the history and present state of ethnic minority popular music in Mainland China. A primary focus is on the influence of government policy with regards to authenticity in association with ethnic minorities and mainstream popular music artists. The indie popular group, Shanren, which has strong ties to minority music and culture in China, is used as a case study to examine how authenticity is achieved through visual, aural, and linguistic connections to the social reality of the rural ethnic minority community, as well as migrant workers who are drawn to major urban centers in China, such as Beijing. Perceptions of authenticity are important considerations for their major audience, the Wenyi qingnian (“literary youth”), which refers to urban youth born primarily in the 1980s and 1990s. This demographic generally appreciates indie rock music and is a fundamental audience for indie minority bands, categorizing popular musicians as either Tu (raw, folk, native and authentic) or Chao (fashion, artificial and modernized). This study offers a model for examining how authenticity with regards to these categories is determined and its implications for future public perception.