This is a preprint of an article accepted for publication in Oxford Handbook of the Music of China (Oxford University Press)
The articulation of humanism is a recurrent theme in various Chinese
literature and arts over the history. One of such well-known cases is
the classic novel Journey to the West (Xi you ji ) dates
from the 16th Century which stresses the issues of
freedom, fighting with the authorities, the loss of belief, and the
importance of self-direction. Various adapted versions from this novel
popular over since then which hinted strong desire to humanism
expression under China’s tight central governance. The recent
interpretation of nation-wide impacted products is an online novelThe Wu Kong’s Biography (Wukong zhuan , written by Zeng Yu,
pseudonym Jin Hezai, 2000) which adding the ambitions to challenge the
authorities, an imaginary compensation of the young people in China
(Liao, 2017). The great popularity of the novel leads to the release of
its film version Wu Kong in 2017. Even the theme song of this
movie “Equaling Heaven” (music and sung by Hua Chenyu, lyrics by Jin
Hezai) brings a real hit in Chinese popular music scene. It was
performed by Tibetan singer Zahi Bingzuo, the 2017 winner of The
Voice of China in his final song-battle in that show (Qian, 2017: 57-8)
and then Hua Chenyu in the TV talent show Singer (Geshou )
in 2018. The humanism articulation of the song, same as in the novels
and movie, shown well in the song:
When I were young and wild, were worthy of it, who would give me a
belief? …I could still smile before dawn… ignore the fate
decided by the god and I would say the fate follows my
heart.1
Humanist articulations are part of a trend in Chinese pop song that
dates back to the 1980s, when that genre first re-appeared as an
indigenous entertainment genre within China itself. As a transitional
phrase during which multiple pre-existing and newly emerging social,
political, and cultural forces came into negotiation with one other,
it’s not surprising that the pop songs of this time drew on varied
musical and cultural inspirations.2 Indeed the ideas
of humanism were actively brought forward by two generations of pop
musicians, one middle-aged and the other younger, as an articulation of
their own generational identities.3 This chapter aims
to explore the contribution these pop musicians made in seeking to
balance self-expressiveness and political engagement in a nation
gradually materializing from a long revolutionary period but not yet
fully integrated into cultural and commercial globalization. I ask, how
did they narrate humanist issues such as personal choice, the
questioning of one’s beliefs, and the role of self-direction in pop
songs?