Why China’s Rock Music Scene Isn’t Bothered by a Troublesome Textbook

Crazier than you can imagine,” said Yang Haisong, one of China’s most revered indie rockers. Titled “National Security Education Readier for College Students,” it “will be used in the foundational course on national security education in universities.” Among the international outlets that jumped on the story: The Christian Science Monitor, which published an opinion column titled “Why China’s rock music is here to stay.” It summed up the four decades that Chinese rock blossomed in the underground despite looming censorship and harsh consequences from a regime notoriously intolerant of descent. David Moser, an associate professor at Beijing Capital Normal University who has worked as an academic in China for nearly 40 years, says the phrasing in that textbook reminds him of slogans from when he first arrived, back when “‘spiritual pollution’ was the bête noire of the day.” He pointed out the Chinese Communist Party hasn’t merely relaxed its outlook on everything from rock music to rap in many of the ensuing years – the government has even used hip-hop in official propaganda videos. “Everyone at every level is feeling a bit nervous these days about the increasing limits on freedom of expression, and the party’s agenda to sanitize mass media content to better accord with the official moral stances… it’s possible that the government would suddenly crack down on rock music, especially if there occurred some scandal or some offensive meme that would attract the attention of the authorities.” Ominous as all that may sound, and opposed as he may be on principle, Yang isn’t worried about the textbook’s teachings. “When they filmed Elvis from the waist up, it didn’t exactly end rock n’ roll,” said Eric de Fontenay, founder of Beijing- and New York-based music touring and promotion agency MusicDish.