C-pop Update: Rest in Peace, Xiao Gui
Also: The Chinese hip-hop community continues to grapple with fallout during June BLM protests, and Someday Or One Day wins big at the Golden Bell Awards
🎵 Music
Bohan Phoenix raps about finding acceptance in the Black community as a Chinese immigrant
Chinese American rapper Bohan Phoenix is perhaps best known for his frequent collaborations with Asian American music label 88rising. In fact, he even helped the label sign the Chinese rap phenomenon Higher Brothers in 2016, well before they gained any of the international fame that they have today.
However, this summer he had a bit of a public fallout with the label for its initial silence on the George Floyd protests. 88rising eventually released a statement in support of Black Lives Matter and donated $60,000 to fighting racial inequality, but Bohan continued to criticize the label and other Chinese hip-hop artists for not doing enough.
In his new song Unconditional, he alludes to this incident (2:14), then explains that he had such a strong reaction because he felt that he owed a lot to hip-hop and the Black community. The rest of the song is poignant and worth listening to; check it out on YouTube or Spotify. Proceeds from streaming will be donated to the ACLU.
JJ Lin releases new single No Turning Back 交換餘生 (jiāohuàn yúshēng)
The Singaporean pop star’s new song might sound familiar because… it sounds like many other popular JJ Lin songs from the last 10 years. Take, for example, his 2011 hit Those Were The Days 那些你很冒險的夢 (nàxiē nǐ hěn màoxiǎn de mèng), or his more recent 2017 single Until The Day 偉大的渺小 (wěidà de miǎoxiǎo). Each of these songs feature:
A swelling orchestral accompaniment throughout
A fast-paced bridge at 1min 20s before the song ends (but seriously, that’s exactly where it is for all three of these songs)
A wistful ending, usually accompanied by lingering piano notes
It’s evident that fans love this formula. Upon its release in mid September, No Turning Back 交換餘生 easily climbed all the c-pop charts, attaining the #1 spot in 21 different music charts on 6 different Chinese streaming platforms. Good for JJ.
📺 TELEVISION
Someday Or One Day 想見你 (xiǎng jiàn nǐ) dominates at 55th Golden Bell Awards
Taiwanese mystery/high school romance drama Someday Or One Day became a sleeper hit early this year, just as the world was entering quarantine and craving a good TV series to binge. Although Someday seemed quite ordinary in its premise - time travel, high school romance, disappearing characters; been there, seen that - it still managed to be innovative and packed with plot twists. It currently holds a 9.2/10 rating on Douban, a Chinese review site full of notoriously picky reviewers.
On Saturday, Taiwan’s Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development co-signed on that high Douban rating at the 55th Golden Bell Awards, where Someday swept up four major awards, including Best TV Series and Best Actress (Alice Ko 柯佳嬿). Congratulations are in order, especially for actress Alice Ko, who did a phenomenal job portraying a shy and socially awkward teenager masquerading as another identity.
The full 13-episode drama can be found with English subtitles on Viki.
📽️ FILM
Sequel to Wong Kar-wai’s internationally acclaimed Chungking Express in development
Legendary Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai has been cited as a source of inspiration by many other well-known directors such as Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction), Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) and Tsui Hark (A Chinese Ghost Story). His 1994 film Chungking Express was his first to rocket to international fame, making viewers around the world take notice of Wong’s unique visual and aural style.
Wong is known for taking a very long time in between films; his last movie, The Grandmaster, was released more than seven years ago in January 2013. There’s no timeline yet for when this sequel will come out - plus, Wong is currently busy filming his first ever TV series Blossoms Shanghai 繁华 (fánhuá) with Shanghainese hunk Hú Gē 胡歌 - but nonetheless, anticipation has already started to build. Hopefully it won’t be another seven year wait.
🌟 CELEB NEWS
Beloved TV host Alien Huang 黃鴻升 passes away at age 36
Alien Huang 黃鴻升, also known affectionately by his nickname Xiǎo Guǐ 小鬼 (“little ghost”), passed away on September 16 due to cardiac arrest. Fans and celebrities alike grieved the loss of Huang, who was beloved as the gentle and warmhearted host of Taiwanese variety show 100% Entertainment 娛樂百分百 (yúlè bǎi fèn bǎi). For many Chinese millennials obsessed with Taiwanese idols in the late 2000s (including yours truly), 100% Entertainment was a staple in our teens - we came to the show for the idols, but stayed for Xiao Gui.
The 55th Golden Bell Awards recognized Huang’s achievements on Saturday, posthumously honoring him with the Best Variety Show Host award. His father accepted on his behalf, and also got a papercraft version of the award to burn as an offering to Huang’s soul in the afterlife.
Rest in peace, Xiao Gui. You’ll be missed.