Mandopop, also called mandapop, is a type of music sung in Standard Mandarin. It began in the 1930s in Shanghai with a style of music called Shidaiqu, which was inspired by jazz. Over time, Mandopop was influenced by Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Taiwan's Hokkien pop, and the student folk song movement of the 1970s. The term "Mandopop" is often used to describe popular songs in Mandarin. Although Mandopop started before Cantopop, the word "mandopop" was created around 1980 after "cantopop" became a common term for Cantonese songs. At that time, "Mandopop" referred to Mandarin songs, some of which were versions of Cantopop songs with new lyrics to match Mandarin's different sounds.

Mandopop is a type of commercial Chinese music that is part of C-pop. Music in Mandarin was the first kind of Chinese popular music to become a successful industry. It began in Shanghai, and later, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Beijing also became important places for Mandopop. Today, Mandopop is most popular in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore.

History

The Chinese-language music industry started when the gramophone arrived in China. In March 1903, Fred Gaisberg made the first gramophone recording in Shanghai. He was sent by the Victor Talking Machine Company (VTMC) in the United States to record local music in Asia. These recordings were made outside China and then brought back to China by the Gramophone Company's sales agent, the Moutrie (Moudeli) Foreign Firm. Before the 1910s, the Moudeli Company controlled the market until Pathé Records took over. Pathé was founded in 1908 by a Frenchman named Labansat, who had earlier started a novelty entertainment business using phonographs in Shanghai around the start of the 20th century. Pathé built a recording studio and opened the first record-pressing plant in the Shanghai French Concession in 1914. It became the main record company supporting the growing music industry in China. Initially, Pathé recorded mainly Peking opera, but later expanded to Mandarin popular music. Other foreign and Chinese-owned recording companies also opened in China later.

In the early 20th century, most people in China spoke their own regional dialects. In Shanghai, many people spoke Shanghainese, but pop music recordings from the 1920s were made in Standard Mandarin, which is based on the Beijing dialect. Mandarin was seen as the language of modern, educated people in China, and there was a movement to promote Mandarin as a national language to unite the country. Songwriters like Li Jinhui in Shanghai supported this effort. The push to use Mandarin started in the early 20th century when the Qing Ministry of Education declared Mandarin the official language for schools. This policy was continued by the leaders of the new Chinese Republic formed in 1912. Sound films in Shanghai, which began in the 1930s, were made in Mandarin because the Nanjing government banned the use of dialects in films. As a result, popular songs from films were also performed in Mandarin.

Mandarin pop songs that began in the 1920s were called shidaiqu (時代曲; Pinyin: Shídài Qǔ), meaning "music of the time" or popular music. Shanghai was the center of shidaiqu production. Scholars consider these songs the first modern popular music in China and the prototype for later Chinese pop songs. Li Jinhui is known as the "Father of Chinese Popular Music" for creating this genre in the 1920s. He worked with American jazz musician Buck Clayton. Li founded the Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe, which included singers like Wang Renmei and Li Lili. Music and film industries were closely connected, and many singers also became actresses.

In 1927, Li composed the hit song "Drizzle," recorded by his daughter Li Minghui. This song is often considered the first Chinese pop song. It combined jazz and Chinese folk music, with a traditional pentatonic melody and American jazz-style instrumentation. The song was sung in a high-pitched, childlike style, which some, like writer Lu Xun, described as sounding like "a strangling cat." This style was soon replaced by more skilled performances. In the following decades, Western music genres like Latin dance music were also included in Chinese pop songs, creating a mix of Chinese and Western elements that defined shidaiqu. Songs from this time varied, some using traditional Chinese styles with Western composition methods, while others followed Western styles with either traditional or Western instruments. An example is "The Evening Primrose" by Li Xianglan, a Chinese song set to a Latin dance beat.

In 1931, the first sound film in China was made through a partnership between the Mingxing Film Company and Pathé. The film industry used the sound era to hire singers for acting and music roles. Li Jinhui's Bright Moonlight Song and Dance Troupe became the first modern musical group integrated into the Chinese film industry when it joined Lianhua Film Company in 1931. Notable singer-actresses of the 1930s included Zhou Xuan, Gong Qiuxia, and Bai Hong. Although later singers did not always act, the close relationship between the recording and film industries continued for many years. Other popular singers included Yao Lee, Bai Guang, Li Xianglan, Wu Yingyin, Li Lihua, and Chang Loo (張露; Pinyin: Zhāng Lù). In 1940, Yao Lee recorded "Rose, Rose, I Love You," which later became the first Chinese pop song covered by Western singers and became a hit.

The "Seven Great Singing Stars" of the Republic of China period helped establish shidaiqu in East Asian society. Zhou Xuan is often considered the most famous Chinese pop star of the era for her success in singing and film. This generation marked the rise of female singers from "song girls" to "stars," and for the next few decades, female singers dominated the Mandarin pop music industry.

During this time, Pathé Records controlled the recording industry. From the late 1930s to the early 1940s, it held about 90% of the market for Mandarin pop songs.

This era was difficult, with Shanghai occupied by Japanese forces during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), followed by the civil war between the Nationalists and Communists. Because of the turmoil, music production shifted to Hong Kong. After the Communist takeover in 1949, many stars moved to Hong Kong, which became the entertainment industry center in the 1950s.

In 1949, the People's Republic of China was established by

Characteristics

Shidaiqu began as a mix of Chinese traditional music and European popular music. From the start of Mandopop, instruments from both styles were used. Songs in the traditional style used instruments like the erhu, pipa, and sanxian, such as in the recording of "The Wandering Songstress" (天涯歌女; Pinyin: Tiānyá Gēnǚ) by Zhou Xuan. Other songs, like "Shanghai Nights" (夜上海), also by Zhou Xuan, used Western instruments such as trumpets, violins, and pianos. In the early years, big band and jazz instruments from the swing era were common. Some recordings combined Chinese and Western instruments.

In the 1960s, the electric guitar was introduced. Around the 1970s, electronic organs and synthesizers became widely used, defining Mandopop music of that time. Today, Mandopop arrangements are mostly influenced by Western styles, including R&B, hip hop, ballads, and pop. Mandopop changed quickly from copying Western styles to creatively adjusting melodies and lyrics. Some pop stars became famous because their music matched Chinese cultural standards and aesthetics. In recent years, musicians like Jay Chou, Lin Jun Jie, David Tao, and Leehom Wang have blended traditional Chinese instruments with Western styles, such as hip hop beats and progressive rock. This new style, called China Wind music (Zhōngguófēng), has influenced many Chinese singers worldwide.

Industry

Popular music record labels include independent companies such as JVR Music, Linfair Records, and B'In Music. They also include branches of larger companies, such as Sony Music Taiwan, Universal Music Taiwan, and Warner Music Taiwan. In recent years, labels from mainland China, like EE-Media, Huayi Brothers, Taihe Rye Music, Show City Times, Idol Entertainment, and Tian Hao Entertainment, have also started to exist.

Historical record labels in Shanghai include Pathé, Great Wall, and New Moon. In Hong Kong, historical labels include Pathé Records, EMI Records, Philips, and Diamond Records. Modern record labels in mainland China include EE-Media, Huayi Brothers, Taihe Rye Music, Show City Times, Idol Entertainment, TH Entertainment, Yuehua Entertainment, and Wajijiwa Entertainment. In Taiwan, labels include Rock Records, HIM International Music, Linfair Records, Avex Taiwan, and B'in Music. In Hong Kong, labels include Gold Typhoon and Emperor Group. In Singapore, labels include Ocean Butterflies International and Hype Records.

Mandopop music is available outside of Asia. Chinese communities in North America have helped make Mandopop music available through local businesses. In the United States, Canada, and Australia, Mandopop music is found in many large cities, such as San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York City, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, and Melbourne.

The Global Chinese Pop Chart is a music ranking started in 2001 by seven radio stations in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, and Kuala Lumpur.

In Taiwan, the G-Music Chart (Chinese: 風雲榜 Fēngyúnbǎng) is the most popular music ranking. It was first published on July 7, 2005. It lists the top-selling physical CDs in Taiwan, including both albums and singles. Only the top 20 positions are shown, and each release is listed with a percentage ranking instead of sales numbers.

Awards

• Beijing Popular Music Awards (Mainland China)
• CCTV-MTV Music Awards (Mainland China)
• Chinese Music Awards (Mainland China)
• Four Stations Joint Music Awards (Hong Kong)
• Golden Melody Awards (Taiwan)
• HITO Radio Music Awards (Taiwan)
• Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards (Hong Kong)
• M Music Awards (Mainland China)
• Metro Radio Mandarin Music Awards (Hong Kong)
• RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards (Hong Kong)
• Singapore Hit Awards (Singapore)
• Freshmusic Awards (Singapore)x
• Top Chinese Music Awards (Mainland China)
• Ultimate Song Chart Awards (Hong Kong)
• V Chart Awards (Mainland China)