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| Vocal artist Zhang Chu, noted for his melancholy style. |
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Singer He Yong and his father perform.
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| The main stage at night. |
The clear skies and pleasant temperatures of what Beijingers like to call “Golden Autumn” set the ideal climatic stage for the return of the grand-in-scale Modern Sky Music Festival to Haidian Park, in the city’s northwest.
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| Visitors take photos with artwork on display. |
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Good times.
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During the festival’s three-day run, the first element encountered upon entering the park was I-Mart. Nearly 100 stalls offered 200 kinds of original and second-hand creative commodities, including top domestic brands. While original products displayed the beauty of creativity, the second-hand business embodied environmentally-friendly concepts.
A publicity campaign launched by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) attracted crowds of young people, with several young women in panda costumes posing for photos. Not far away, several skateboarders maneuvered around and above a steeply-sloping U-shaped track. Indeed, this music festival seemed more like a carnival, rather than simply a gathering of musicians.
Begun in October 2007, the annual Modern Sky Music Festival is the largest gathering of young music lovers in China. But attendees can also shop, play games and enjoy varying exhibitions, along with live performances of the latest tunes.
Yet music remains the core of the festival. The 2008 event had two stages for orchestras, and one electronic stage. The main stage was set up in the square west to the Haidian Exhibition Hall. On the lawn south to the main stage were several interaction zones with “Music +” as the theme, where music fans could get close and sometimes meet their favorite performers. The other two stages were set up inside the Haidian Exhibition Hall, each capable of accommodating more than 3,000 audiences.
Those who attended Modern Sky Music Festival 2007 still recall the scene: Thousands of fans reveled in the rain when the American rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs performed onstage. No foreign bands were there this year, but more than 60 domestic groups performed over the course of three days. A symbol of China’s avant-garde music, Zhang Chu appeared on the night of September 30. When he sang his magnum opus Sister, his fans shrieked in excitement. A rock singer long gone from Beijing stages, He Yong performed such songs as Pretty Girl and Bell and Drum Tower at this year’s festival. His father, He Yusheng, played sanxian (a three-stringed plunked instrument) in accompaniment when He Yong sang Bell and Drum Tower. Many fans could not help but shed sentimental tears as the father and son performed.
During the three-day festival, many eminent Chinese rock bands, including Carsick Cars, Privilege of Re-sculpture, Houhai Shark, Joyside and Wandering Caravan, revved up the audience with their high-velocity melodies.
The concept “Music +” integrated the music festival with elements beyond music. WWF staff held events and set up exhibits to spread awareness of environmental protection and call for people’s care of nature. Environmental protection was taken into account in the planning of the event. The organizer introduced renewable materials, energy-conserving lamps, signs advocating environmental protection and trash classification recycling, while encouraging visitors to take public transportation.
An invention of the music festival, “Chǎ Stage” was not set up for professional bands, but offered a platform for ordinary young people to show their talent. The winner was rewarded with the title “Super Modern Youth.”
Much more than just a music event, the Modern Sky Music Festival is now a carnival with elements encouraging personal engagement in worthy causes and good will.
