Beijing Music

Beijing like any other large cosmopolitan city in the world has a varied music scene ranging from traditional to electric trance to 60's style swing and everything in between.

Many international acts have performed and continue to perform in Beijing, including Sarah Brightman, Kylie Minogue, and Wham! There are several world-class stadiums and concert halls around the city.

For lovers of classical music, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, formed in 1977, is world-renowned for their renditions of pieces written by Chinese composers as well as exposing the Chinese to Western classical compositions. They travel the world performing, but if you are lucky you may see them perform in Beijing.

The Beijing Concert Hall plays host to many music acts and performers including regular performances by the Central Symphony Orchestra and Chinese National Orchestra as well as many popular Western performers.

Beijing holds a host of music events throughout the year, the largest and most famous being the Beijing Music Festival. Started in 1988 and held annually, the Beijing Music Festival attracts artists and an audience from around the world. The festival lasts for about a month and runs from mid-October through to mid-November every year.

The event is run by a not-for-profit organization that aims to put an emphasis on music education as well as provide residents and visitors with high-quality musical events. The style of music during the festival is very varied, and ranges from classical jazz and opera through to song and dance drama and chamber music concerts. There are also free children's concerts and student concerts throughout the festival.

Jazz is popular in Beijing, and the annual Beijing Jazz Festival is the first and largest in China, and is situated in the northwestern Haidian district. It has attracted international acts such as U.S. jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.

The Beijing Pop Festival held annually since 2005 in the Chaoyang district of Beijing, is one of the largest events of it's kind in Asia. Attracting many international acts, such as Nine Inch Nails, Public Enemy and the New York Dolls, as well as popular Chinese artists such as Cui Jian, The Honeys, and Brain Failure. The event attracted over 30,000 in 2007.

Western pop music has been very popular amongst the youth of Beijing for the last few years. Recently though, Beijing musicians are experimenting more with different sounds and influences and the music scene is starting to change.

World-wide music critics have recently said that the Beijing underground and experimental music scene is in the top five most exciting in the world, and has been developing at a fast rate over the past few years. One of the biggest up and coming stars of the underground music scene in Beijing is 22 year old Shouwang who has been wowing audiences around the world with his different style of music.

The Beijing Pop Music Awards are held annually at the Worker's Indoor Arena every January. This year some of the winners included: Yu Quan as the most popular mainland group; Yuan Quan and her song "Mu Jin Hua" as the golden hit of the year; pop star JJ Lin with the best album of the year; and singer Zhang Liangying winning the award for the best singer of 2008.

Nightclubs in Beijing have a range of music to suit a variety of tastes, but one of the most popular choices is techno and house both amongst the residents and visitors to the city. No matter what music you like though, you will find a nightclub to suit your taste.

There are several live music venues throughout the city. There are live bands nightly at the May Flower Bar on Chang'an Boulevard, and they are usually pop songs in Chinese and occasionally in English. The CD Cafe on the East Third Ring Road used to be a popular jazz destination but is slowly starting to play more underground music as this genre is becoming more popular amongst the Beijing population. For more traditional music, the Sanwei Bookstore has regular jazz and folk music artists performing there.

Many people listen to music on the radio, and there are dozens of different radio stations in Beijing offering a range of music to suit all tastes. The majority of radio stations are controlled by the Beijing Broadcasting Network.

With a population of over 13 million people, it is no surprise that there is such a variety of music styles and events in the eclectic metropolis that is Beijing. Attracting first class acts from around the country as well as from around the world, Beijing residents know their music and the music scene will continue to thrive.