The Underground Music in Beijing
By admin on 2014-12-29

Every rock musician who comes to Beijing has a dream. Even poverty cannot prevent the musicians from pursuing the dream. However, the reality is cruel, as the impoverished and unstable life brings all sorts of pressures over time. Therefore, while many people join this community, many others are defeated in this "battlefield" and disappear forever. In Shucun (树村 tree village), this kind of scene is staged every day.

Shucun, even unable to be found on the map, is situated at Beijing's northern suburb. This is an ordinary hamlet, with muddy paths, trash, and old cottages scattered everywhere. However, in this ordinary village, there actually lives a group of passionate music-loving and freedom-yearning youths. Like solid seeds, these young people take root here and struggle for a future blossom.

The not-so-big Shucun is composed of local inhabitants, temporary workers, and several dozens of rock musicians, who come from different provinces, like Shanxi (North China), Jiangsu (East), Hebei (North), Henan (Central), and Yunnan (Southwest), as well as South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and many other areas in China. Some bands that have produced albums, like Elephant Tongue and Wooden Horse, came from Shucun.

In the northeast of Shucun is the famous Beijing Midi Music School, which is recognized as the springboard for the people who want to develop music in Beijing. Along with the northwest's Dong Beiwang, Xi Sanqi, and Huang Tudian, which all gather many musicians, this place, taking Shucun as the center, has already formed a special underground music group.

Musicians live in poverty in Shucun. They spend 100 or 200 Yuan (US$12 or 24) per month on renting a small room. Besides sleeping and eating, practicing musical instrument occupies most of their time. When the Chinese Spring Festival(the Chinese Lunar New Year) comes, in order to buy a ticket for going home, some musicians have to sell their clothes and musical instrument.

Because these musicians often do not have a lot of money, wearing long hair has become the cheapest and most unique way of expression. Eating is even simpler to them. While those with a better condition can eat instant noodles, most of them only have vegetable baozi (Chinese steamed buns that cost 5 jiao or 6-7 US cents each). According to them, spending 2 Yuan per week is not rare for them.

Generally, people in Shucun can be divided into two groups. One kind is called gan chang zu 赶场族, who perform at bars several times a week. Another kind is those singers who intently create original music. Although they scorn the people who are busy singing at bars, their living conditions often are worse.

At present, there are at least 1,000 rock bands in Beijing, giving the capital city special scenery. However, because China does not have a foundation and tradition for rock music, people's recognition and even acceptance of rock is still not high.

Although the Shucun musicians' living standard is very low, they almost never consider doing something to improve it. Maybe this is worth admiring, even if difficult for one to accept.

The life experience of typical Shucun musicians is usually like this: They like to listen to music and so begin to play a musical instrument while in their hometown. If they have a stable job, they get rid of it. Then they come to Beijing and study at the Midi Music School. After they finish his study (if they finish their study, as not all do so), they move to live in the nearby Shucun, hence starting a new life.

No one is able to say clearly who was the first musician in Shucun. However, many have shared his experience. In 1995, with the decline of the first generation of Chinese rock players, Chinese rock suddenly lost its direction. Thereupon, all the rock lovers started to make their own music and form their own band.

Moreover, many bands in other provinces began to flow into Beijing and take root in Shucun, which helps them infiltrate into the underground rock circle and find opportunities to gain "fame and fortune" under their rock dream.

In fact, the "fame and fortune," in their eyes, is just a way for more people to know their music, or for them to obtain some performance opportunities. Although these band musicians were educated by the reality, their present situations are far from their original intentions.

In Beijing's rock circle, underground bands have emerged one after another. Because each player is not signed to just one band, or because of the various contradictions between players, bands in Beijing are created, broken up, and reorganized in a quick and vicious circle. Therefore, many bands painstakingly sigh, " Making a band is too difficult." This is nearly the incurable illness for each rock band.

Even the musicians in Shucun cannot say how many bands there are, as it being quite common for one person to be in two or maybe even three bands.

In Shucun, the distance between dream and the reality is so difficult to close. Fortunately, in the heart of those musicians, dream is always in the upper hand; therefore they do not despair in the reality.