Mandarin
Pop Songs
History
C-Pop, or Chinese popular music (时代曲), is a musical genre for songs originating from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In 1927, Jinhui composed the song "毛毛雨", regarded as the first ever Chinese pop song. After WWII, C-pop was marketed and introduced it regionally for each dialect. In 2000, EolAsia.com was founded, becoming the first online C-pop website. From there, Chinese pop music has been a driving force of individualism and self-expression for the people of China.
Cultural Shift
The rule of the People's Republic of China led to a fundamentally gated society where nationalism and socialism were placed in priority over an emphasis on liberalism and individualism. This has caused music in Mainland China to be different from Western music. However, as conditions changed throughout the past few decades, C-pop has shifted to become a powerful force among people to push the boundaries of cultural norms to create change. The frenzy of cultural shifts has particularly caused a renaissance of romantic pop songs, creating some of the most beautiful pieces in human history.
Teresa Teng
Very possibly the most famous Chinese singer in history, 邓丽君 started singing professionally as a teenager in the 1960s and her career stayed strong until she died at age 42 in 1995. She’s known for romantic ballads and folk songs. Although most of her songs were covers, her interpretation of many songs is still the most recognized version.
月亮代表我的心
The Moon Represents My Heart
The Moon Represents my heart
Teresa Teng
Jay Chou
周杰倫 broke into the Taiwanese music scene in 2000, and is part of the younger generation of pop stars. Like other Chinese pop singers, he has a stable base of popular romantic ballads, but unlike many pop stars, he also has many songs that address societal issues like urban sprawl, drug addiction and domestic violence.
算什麼男人
What kind of man
What Kind of man
Jay Chou
Andy Lau
刘德华 is a Hong Kong Cantonese pop singer and actor. In the 1990s, Lau was branded by Hong Kong media as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop along with Aaron Kwok, Jacky Cheung and Leon Lai. He has recorded hundreds of songs.
一起走過的日子
Days of walking together
Days of walking together
Andy Lau
LuHan
鹿晗, better known by the mononym Luhan, is a Chinese singer and actor. He is a former member of the South Korean-Chinese boy group EXO and its sub-group EXO-M. A major star in popular Asian music, Luhan has a tremendously large fanbase.
致愛
Your Song
Your Song
Lu Han
Hebe Tien
田馥甄, more commonly known as Hebe, was born on 30 March 1983 in Hsinchu City, Taiwan. She is Taiwanese, and most notably a member of Taiwanese Mandopop girl group S.H.E.
我的少女时代
Our Times
Our Times
Hebe Tien
JJ LIN
林俊杰 is a famous singer, songwriter, and music composer. In 2004, with his self-composed song Jiang Nan, his career began to take off and his name became quickly known throughout China and Taiwan. JJ Lin’s undeniable talent in composing has earned him numerous awards every year.
可惜沒如果
If Only
If only
JJ Lin
Theme
The main theme that comes across almost all traditional Chinese songs is the theme of love. Love, found traditionally in most poetry, is the predominant symbol or message that is found in popular Chinese songs. As Western songs sway away from the concept of romance and become a sexualized portrayal of women, Chinese songs have more or so stayed stagnant, as a medium for romantic expression.
Citations
Hebe Tien. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebe_Tien
Hebe
Jay Chou. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Chou
JJ Lin. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JJ_Lin
Top 10 Chinese Pop Singers. (2014). Retrieved October 26, 2017, from http://www.chinawhisper.com/top-10-chinese-pop-singers/