Do you think there exists a possibility of visual kei taking off in china?

[lichtlune 915]

 

 

 

I don't know much about the scene there or if the music industry makes it possible for a strong rock scene to develop there but it sure would be interesting. Do you think there could be a big visual kei or other similar waves developing in China? Or is it already starting? How interested would you be if a true visual kei scene started to develop over there? Would you be any more or less interested? 

 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2017 by lichtlune

[suji 8317]

gurl look what happened to lilith

[itsukoii 1300]

nah, i bet it'll just be like how the western crowd is trying to make vk "take off", but nothing more.

 

Scarlet Horizon are a Chinese visual kei band, but they learned Japanese and pretty much just blend in as if they were actually Japanese... i wouldn't be surprised if more Chinese bands tried that tactic, but no i can't see it becoming "big" in China

Edited May 26, 2017 by itsukoii
on mobile, typos

[Himeaimichu 1535]

Well, there is a subculture in China that is inspired by Vkei called Shamate, but they're hated by the general public, since, well, it's like any alternative counter-culture. 

They're mostly made up of Rural Young Adults who go out into the city to work and make a living for themselves. They're generally closely knit and consider themselves to be family. Mostly because the entire public hates them xD. 

As far as I know, there doesn't seem to be a Shamate music scene, they just stick to American Rock and Japanese VisualKei. 

Even though there are literal millions of Shamate out there, they're not really a big, vocal movement. They just want to live how they want to, despite how much the public hates it. 

Vkei itself is interesting though because it's an indie-based scene (For the most part) that has a huge following. It's a rare occurrence, since most indie music scenes have small, online followings. 

 

Rock music in general that isn't Pop Rock is quite rare in Asia outside of Japan, especially in China and Korea, with their Confucian based conformity culture. Japan also has this especially, but not to the extent of China and Korea. China also has a strict government that enforces conformity (i.e the government trying to force Mandarin in Guangdong and other non-Mandarin speaking areas). As with the Shamate movement, it's really hard for any counterculture movement to get their expression out. Also, knowing how much China controls their internet and media, it's likely that the government could even easily suppress a rock music movement if they wanted. China itself isn't known much for having any sort of underground music movements that gain ground. 

 

Basically, it'd be much easier to try in either Taiwan, or Hong Kong, especially since Hong Kong is famous for having one of the biggest thriving underground music scenes. 

 

Though, one crazy idea is for a band with a good enough following and a record label they own to support some Chinese VisualKei bands and sponsor some tours, but the last occurrence of that kind of band with that kind of label with that kind of following is Kisaki and his label Undercode... and well... we all know what happened to that... 

BP records could try, since their bands already perform in China, and there could be potential money to be made, but I doubt they've thought of it. 

 

I'd really like to see Vkei become a "thing" somewhere else though, so it'll last longer. But, when looking into the reality of things, Vkei seems like something that could only exist in Japan (And Sweden but what doesn't exist there?)

 

[The Moon 989]

Didn't Silver Ash try, but were forced by the government to tone it down? Or  was that just typical 2000s-era gossip that was never verified? 

[cvltic 1482]

i'm pretty sure it was real, there were a lot more native chinese speakers than native/high level japanese speakers in the fandom so the turnaround/accuracy of Silver Ash info was overall better
& i think everyone's favorite sugizo stan kuri tried to bring them to the US since con bands were the big hotness then but then SARS happened... and after that + being banned from festivals and the like they never really fully recovered
apparently they never officially disbanded and kuri's marketing business tried to relaunch them but then they fell off the planet again

[nekkichi 6043]

doesn't visual kei tick off most checkboxes in light of those news from last year with its typical XIII近親相姦SUICIDES☥ aesthetics????

 

"No television drama shall show abnormal sexual relationships and behaviors, such as incest, same-sex relationships, sexual perversion, sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual violence, and so on," the document states. It also frowns upon a range of other content ranging from witchcraft to historical depictions “harmful to the unity and sovereignty of the country and its territorial integrity.”

Though the document does not technically have the force of law, several shows that might not meet the requirements have recently disappeared from streaming sites. These include a web series called “Addiction” about gay teenagers, which was blocked last week. It is also a powerful signal to the industry that producers should self-censor in order to avoid running afoul of authorities.

 

src

 

I'm p sure once media censoring kicks off in one segment of entertainment industry, it's realistic to extrapolate on tha others as well.

[TrentReznor 362]

On 2017-5-27 at 5:12 AM, The Moon said:

Didn't Silver Ash try, but were forced by the government to tone it down? Or  was that just typical 2000s-era gossip that was never verified? 

 

 

I remember a few years ago, one morning going to class and saw and ad from them in the street (I live in Beijing)...at that moment I was running late so didnt have time to check it, 3 hours later when going back home the ad was already gone...it was a shame because at that time I used to listen to some of their music frequently so I was hopping to be something about lives or similar. Maybe it was a coincidence that only their stuff was removed...

 

As for VK taking off in mainland China I doubt it very much, anything that is not the typical pop or very soft rock is not going to appear in the media, sometimes there may be some exceptions like Dir en Grey coming to Beijing, but I feel the most normal will be (specially with the anti foreign/a bit racist orientation the gov has taken in the last times) that the bands find any kind of problems (like X-Japan when tried to come to Beijing).

 

 

Is a bit old, but if any one is interested in the underground punk/rock scene can try to watch "Beijing Bubbles".

 

[Himeaimichu 1535]

16 hours ago, TrentReznor said:

 

 

I remember a few years ago, one morning going to class and saw and ad from them in the street (I live in Beijing)...at that moment I was running late so didnt have time to check it, 3 hours later when going back home the ad was already gone...it was a shame because at that time I used to listen to some of their music frequently so I was hopping to be something about lives or similar. Maybe it was a coincidence that only their stuff was removed...

 

As for VK taking off in mainland China I doubt it very much, anything that is not the typical pop or very soft rock is not going to appear in the media, sometimes there may be some exceptions like Dir en Grey coming to Beijing, but I feel the most normal will be (specially with the anti foreign/a bit racist orientation the gov has taken in the last times) that the bands find any kind of problems (like X-Japan when tried to come to Beijing).

 

 

Is a bit old, but if any one is interested in the underground punk/rock scene can try to watch "Beijing Bubbles".

 

I know that BP Records bands like Kiryu often do tours of Asia, preforming in Beijing and such. But yeah, within mainland China, there is an extreme lack in Rock Music in general, and alternative cultures are generally viewed as "lowly" (i.e my Shamate example I said earlier)