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The 6 Chinese Alternative Bands That Should Be On Your Playlists
These underground bands represent the best of new Chinese music.
The notoriously strict People’s Republic of China might not be the first place you’re looking to for new music but as always, the best underground scenes are born out of adversity.
In the past few decades, China’s alternative scene has boomed.
After years of protectionism, the government introduced the “opening up” policy of the 1980s — a period of reform which focused on engaging with the rest of the world, economically and culturally. Amongst other things, this would expose the next few generations to a world of influences. China’s music scene is now bursting with creativity.
The entertainment and culture industries are still tightly controlled by the Communist Party and a burgeoning alternative scene has emerged in spite of this. The need to avoid the censorship issues faced by mainstream labels has pushed independents to find new ways to get their artists out.
The censorship issue is a constantly shifting obstacle with live venues and magazine publishers being closed down by the government, as well as new releases being blocked.
