Mandopop
Mandopop is Mandarin-language popular music originating from 1930s Shanghai.
Mandopop, also known as mandapop, is a genre of popular music sung in Standard Mandarin, primarily originating from Mainland China and Taiwan. It emerged from the jazz-influenced popular music of 1930s Shanghai called Shidaiqu, and later incorporated influences from Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Taiwanese Hokkien pop, and the 1970s campus folk song movement. Mandopop is a subgenre of commercial Chinese language music within C-pop and was the first variety of popular music in Chinese to establish a viable industry.
The roots of Mandopop trace back to the early 20th century, when the gramophone arrived in China. The first recording in the country was made in Shanghai in 1903 by Fred Gaisberg of the Victor Talking Machine Company. Early recordings were manufactured abroad and re-imported. The Moudeli Foreign Firm dominated sales until Pathé Records, founded in 1908 by a Frenchman named Labansat, took over. Pathé built the first record-pressing plant in Shanghai in 1914 and became the industry's backbone, initially recording Peking opera before expanding into Mandarin popular music. Although most Shanghai residents spoke Shanghainese, pop recordings from the 1920s onward were made in Standard Mandarin, based on the Beijing dialect. Mandarin was seen as the language of the modern, educated class, and a national movement promoted its use for unity. Songwriter Li Jinhui was central to this effort. Sound films in Shanghai, beginning in the early 1930s, were also required to use Mandarin due to a government ban on dialects, further cementing the language's role in popular song.
The first Mandarin popular songs, called shidaiqu, emerged in 1920s Shanghai. Li Jinhui, regarded as the father of Chinese popular music, established the Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe, whose stars included Wang Renmei and Li Lili. His 1927 hit "Drizzle," recorded by his daughter Li Minghui, is often considered the first Chinese pop song. It fused jazz with Chinese folk music, using a pentatonic melody and American jazz orchestration, though its high-pitched childlike style was criticized by writer Lu Xun. This style soon gave way to more polished performances. Over the following decades, Western genres like Latin dance music were incorporated, creating a hybrid sound that defined shidaiqu. The 1930s and 1940s saw the rise of the "Seven Great Singing Stars," with close ties between
- Origin
- Shanghai, China
- Key centers
- Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing
- Foundational figure
- Li Jinhui, 'Father of Chinese Popular Music'
- Notable early stars
- Zhou Xuan, Gong Qiuxia, Bai Hong, Yao Lee, Bai Guang, Li Xianglan, Wu Yingyin
- Dominant early label
- Pathé Records
Lore & Background
It initially recorded Peking opera but later expanded to Mandarin popular music. Early recordings were in Standard Mandarin, based on the Beijing dialect, due to a movement to popularize Mandarin as a national language and a ban on dialects in films by the Nanjing government. Mandarin popular songs starting in the 1920s were called shidaiqu, and Shanghai was the center of production. Li Jinhui, who worked with American jazz musician Buck Clayton, established the Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe. The 1930s–1940s saw the 'Seven Great Singing Stars'—Zhou Xuan, Gong Qiuxia, Bai Hong, Yao Lee, Bai Guang, Li Xianglan, and Wu Yingyin—who secured the shidaiqu genre. Zhou Xuan is considered the most notable pop star of the era. Stars from Shanghai continued recording in Hong Kong, but the music moved away from its Shanghai roots due to a lack of songwriters and the employment of Filipino musicians. Some songs of this period were adaptations of English-language songs.
Reader's Guide
Mandopop holds significant historical and cultural importance as the first variety of popular music in Chinese to establish a viable industry. Originating in 1920s Shanghai with the shidaiqu genre, it blended Chinese folk melodies with Western jazz and Latin influences, creating a unique sound that defined modern Chinese popular music. The genre's development was closely tied to the film industry, with many singers also becoming actresses, and it was shaped by linguistic policies promoting Mandarin as a national language. The 'Seven Great Singing Stars' of the 1930s–1940s elevated female singers from 'song girls' to stars, and their recordings dominated the market, with Pathé Records holding about 90% market share. The political turmoil of the mid-20th century, including the Japanese occupation and the Communist takeover, forced the industry to relocate to Hong Kong, where mandopop continued but evolved away from its Shanghai roots. Mandopop's legacy includes its role in establishing a commercial Chinese-language music industry and influencing later genres like Cantopop. Today, it remains popular in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Did You Know?
- Pathé Records held about 90% market share of Mandarin pop songs in the late 1930s to early 1940s.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mandopop?
Mandopop is a genre of popular music performed in Standard Mandarin Chinese, with roots tracing back to the jazz-inflected Shidaiqu scene of 1930s Shanghai. It later absorbed influences from Japanese enka, Cantonese pop, Hokkien pop, and the 1970s campus folk movement.
Where did Mandopop originate?
The genre's earliest roots lie in Shanghai, China, where jazz-influenced popular songs flourished in the 1930s. Key centers that shaped its development include Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Beijing.
Who is considered the father of Mandopop?
Li Jinhui is widely regarded as the foundational figure of Chinese popular music, often called the 'Father of Chinese Popular Music.' Other early stars who helped define the genre include Zhou Xuan, Yao Lee, and Bai Guang.
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