Mandopop
It originated in Shanghai; later, Hong Kong, Taipei and Beijing also emerged as important centers of the Mandopop music industry.
[4] Among the regions and countries where Mandopop is most popular are mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore.
The Moudeli Company dominated the market before the 1910s until the Pathé Records (Chinese: 百代; pinyin: Bǎidài) 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.
[7] 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.
Although later singing stars need not also have an acting career, the close relationship between the recording and film industries continued for many decades.
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.
[22] In the mainland, the communist regime began to suppress popular music and promote revolutionary marches.
[20] This in turn gave way to pop songs recorded in Cantonese as Cantopop became the dominant genre of music from Hong Kong in the 1970s.
[28][29] The 1960s however was a highly politically tense era, many songs such as "Not Going Home Today" ("今天不回家") by Yao Su-jung were banned in Taiwan.
[35] The ban on Teng was lifted in 1986 and songs from Hong Kong and Taiwan, called gangtai music, became more popular within mainland China.
[40] In South East Asia, popular local stars from the late 60s to the 80s included Sakura Teng (樱花), Chang Siao Ying (張小英) and Lena Lim (林竹君) from Singapore, and Wong Shiau Chuen (黃曉君) and Lee Yee (李逸) from Malaysia.
[43] 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.
[44] After the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), Homeland Love (乡恋) performed by Li Guyi in 1980 is considered to be the first pop song created within mainland China, which echoed humanism and the New Enlightenment movement in the 1980s.
[50][52] A number of singers originally from mainland China such as Faye Wong and Na Ying began to record in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
[53][54] 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.
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.
[23] 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.
The growing Mainland film industry and Chinese television drama also increased demand for Mandopop.
The primary revenue sources in Taiwan music industry shifted to advertising, concerts, KTV (karaoke) and movie.
From the show One Million Star and Super Idol, new talented singers entered the Mandopop market, including Aska Yang, Yoga Lin, Lala Hsu and so on.
In Taiwan, the new term "quality idol" (優質偶像) referred to artists who were good-looking, talented and highly educated, among them Wang Leehom and William Wei.
[61] 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.
In early 2020s, Jay Chou, JJ Lin and Eason Chan, who had debuted for more than 20 years, continued to lead the Mandopop scene.
[64] 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.
Songs performed in the traditional style employed traditional Chinese instruments like the erhu, pipa, and sanxian, such as in the recording of "The Wandering Songstress" (天涯歌女) by Zhou Xuan, whereas more Western orchestral instruments such as trumpets, violins, and piano were used in songs like "Shanghai Nights" (夜上海), also by Zhou Xuan.
Today's Mandopop arrangements are generally westernized, covering many musical styles, including R&B, hip hop, ballads, and Pop.
Chinese communities established in North America have made Mandopop music accessible through local businesses.
In the United States, Canada and Australia they are easily found in many major urban areas, such as San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York City, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, and Melbourne [citation needed].
