He Yong
Encyclopedia
He Yong (born in Beijing
, 1969) is a Chinese rock
musician who has been particularly active in the 1980s and 1990s]]. A self-styled punk
, He Yong's lyrics and outspoken nature have made him controversial in mainland China
and Hong Kong
. His only album, Garbage Dump, exemplified his negative, though often nostalgic perspective toward life. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of Chinese rock.
(three-string snakeskin banjo) player. In 1980, he appeared in the children's movie Four Little Friends (四个小伙伴). He Yong began playing the guitar
when he was fifteen and joined the band Mayday (五月天) in 1987. The group gave a much publicised performance for the students of the Tiananmen protests in 1989. Around this time He Yong was active in the underground rock movement and met a number of other musicians, including Cui Jian
and Dou Wei
, among others.
He reached the height of his fame in May 1994, when he released Garbage Dump. The fatalistic "Garbage Dump", written at the height of the Tiananmen protests, is the most well-known song of the album. It features repeated guitar riffs, explosive pounding of drums, culminating in the repeated primal screams of the phrase "Is there any hope?" (有没有希望?) Other songs, however, such as "Pretty Girl" and "Drum and Bell Tower", explore issues including materialism
, environmentalism
, gender
issues and heritage
conservation. Around this time He Yong became known as one of the "Three prominents of Moyan" (魔岩三杰) along with Dou Wei and Zhang Chu
, after their record company Moyan Culture (魔岩文化). His "Bell and Drum Towers", a nostalgic remembrance of life in the old quarter of Beijing, appeared in the soundtrack of the Zhang Yuan
movie Beijing Bastards
(1993).
On 17 December 1994, He Yong performed at a groundbreaking concert in Hong Kong
with Chinese metal-prog rock harbingers Tang Dynasty
and others. Interviewed before the concert, he was antagonistically critical of Cantopop
music, saying: "Hong Kong only has entertainment, it has no music. Out of the 'Four Great Heavenly Kings' only Zhang Xueyou (Jacky Cheung
) can be considered a singer, the rest are all clowns". In response Jacky Cheung is said to have retorted: "Mainland
musicians all live in caves."
The death of Tang Dynasty bass guitarist Zhang Ju (张炬), one of He Yong's best friends, on 11 May 1995 affected him in a terrible way. He Yong fell out over a record deal and sank into depression and alcoholism. In 1999, He Yong spent three months in France
and the Netherlands
, playing and recording music. Since his first album, He Yong has not produced any new material, which prompted one Chinese newspaper to question: "He Yong, do you still have energy to rock?".
He Yong has made isolated performances in Beijing clubs since the 1994 Hong Kong concert but has performed few large concerts. In 2002, he attempted to set himself alight in his Beijing apartment and was subsequently incarcerated and has been receiving medical treatment. Between 6–8 August 2004, he attended a concert entitled the "Glorious Road of Chinese Rock" (中国摇滚的光辉道路) held near the Helan Mountains (贺兰山) in Ningxia
. Accompanied by his father and band, He Yong again performed beside the veterans of Chinese rock. He has hinted that the concert will signal his re-emergence into the Chinese music scene.
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, 1969) is a Chinese rock
Chinese rock
Chinese Rock , occasionally referred as Mandorock or Cantorock depending on the language of the song in question, is commonly used to describe a wide variety of forms of rock and roll music, in connection with the rock bands...
musician who has been particularly active in the 1980s and 1990s]]. A self-styled punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, He Yong's lyrics and outspoken nature have made him controversial in mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. His only album, Garbage Dump, exemplified his negative, though often nostalgic perspective toward life. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of Chinese rock.
Biography
From the age of six He Yong began learning music from his father He Yusheng (何玉声), a professional sanxianSanxian
The sanxian is a Chinese lute — a three-stringed fretless plucked musical instrument. It has a long fingerboard, and the body is traditionally made from snakeskin stretched over a rounded rectangular resonator. It is made in several sizes for different purposes and in the late 20th century a...
(three-string snakeskin banjo) player. In 1980, he appeared in the children's movie Four Little Friends (四个小伙伴). He Yong began playing the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
when he was fifteen and joined the band Mayday (五月天) in 1987. The group gave a much publicised performance for the students of the Tiananmen protests in 1989. Around this time He Yong was active in the underground rock movement and met a number of other musicians, including Cui Jian
Cui Jian
Cui Jian is a Beijing-based Chinese singer-songwriter, trumpeter and guitarist. Affectionately called "Old Cui" , he is considered to be a pioneer in Chinese rock music and one of the first Chinese artists to write rock songs...
and Dou Wei
Dou Wei
Dou Wei is a Chinese musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Dou Wei is a multi-instrumentalist and produces music across many genres. He first came to prominence as a member of the heavy rock group Black Panther . His album Dark Dreams draws influences from The Cure and Bauhaus, was a landmark...
, among others.
He reached the height of his fame in May 1994, when he released Garbage Dump. The fatalistic "Garbage Dump", written at the height of the Tiananmen protests, is the most well-known song of the album. It features repeated guitar riffs, explosive pounding of drums, culminating in the repeated primal screams of the phrase "Is there any hope?" (有没有希望?) Other songs, however, such as "Pretty Girl" and "Drum and Bell Tower", explore issues including materialism
Materialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
, environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
issues and heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
conservation. Around this time He Yong became known as one of the "Three prominents of Moyan" (魔岩三杰) along with Dou Wei and Zhang Chu
Zhang Chu
Zhang Chu is a Chinese musician who was born in Xi'an, Shaanxi.Lauded by many as "the most lonesome singer-poet", Zhang Chu has remained a prominent figure on Chinese rock scene despite not releasing a new album since 1997...
, after their record company Moyan Culture (魔岩文化). His "Bell and Drum Towers", a nostalgic remembrance of life in the old quarter of Beijing, appeared in the soundtrack of the Zhang Yuan
Zhang Yuan
Zhang Yuan is a Chinese film director who has been described by film scholars as a pioneering member of China's Sixth Generation of filmmakers...
movie Beijing Bastards
Beijing Bastards
Beijing Bastards is a 1993 drama film by sixth generation director Zhang Yuan, and is one of the first independently produced Chinese films....
(1993).
On 17 December 1994, He Yong performed at a groundbreaking concert in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
with Chinese metal-prog rock harbingers Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty (band)
Tang Dynasty is a Chinese ethnic-art rock and prog-metal band that is often credited as being the first heavy metal band in China.-Biography:...
and others. Interviewed before the concert, he was antagonistically critical of Cantopop
Cantopop
Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...
music, saying: "Hong Kong only has entertainment, it has no music. Out of the 'Four Great Heavenly Kings' only Zhang Xueyou (Jacky Cheung
Jacky Cheung
Jacky Cheung is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor. The Chinese language media refers to him, Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings , with more than 60 million records sold as of 2000....
) can be considered a singer, the rest are all clowns". In response Jacky Cheung is said to have retorted: "Mainland
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
musicians all live in caves."
The death of Tang Dynasty bass guitarist Zhang Ju (张炬), one of He Yong's best friends, on 11 May 1995 affected him in a terrible way. He Yong fell out over a record deal and sank into depression and alcoholism. In 1999, He Yong spent three months in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, playing and recording music. Since his first album, He Yong has not produced any new material, which prompted one Chinese newspaper to question: "He Yong, do you still have energy to rock?".
He Yong has made isolated performances in Beijing clubs since the 1994 Hong Kong concert but has performed few large concerts. In 2002, he attempted to set himself alight in his Beijing apartment and was subsequently incarcerated and has been receiving medical treatment. Between 6–8 August 2004, he attended a concert entitled the "Glorious Road of Chinese Rock" (中国摇滚的光辉道路) held near the Helan Mountains (贺兰山) in Ningxia
Ningxia
Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...
. Accompanied by his father and band, He Yong again performed beside the veterans of Chinese rock. He has hinted that the concert will signal his re-emergence into the Chinese music scene.
See also
- Chinese rockChinese rockChinese Rock , occasionally referred as Mandorock or Cantorock depending on the language of the song in question, is commonly used to describe a wide variety of forms of rock and roll music, in connection with the rock bands...