This year's Super Girls are definitely pretty, but can they sing?
A brief overview of the top 300 of this year’s Super Girls. Note that I haven’t watched every competitions, or even half of it. I watched most of Chengdu, Changsha and online. The rest are viewed only if someone on baidu tieba recommended them. And though there are a lot more good singers, I’ve only picked some that really stood out to me. All opinions are mine.
Best English singers: Yu Kewei and Pan Hongyue
I really love what judge Wu Qixian said about the two of them:
Right now, among those who can sing Western songs so beautifully, but still maintains the identity of Chinese, one is Qi Yu, and the other one is Yu Kewei. Pan Hongyue, you have even more techniques and things to show off than Yu Kewei. Unfortunately, when you sing Western songs, you become no longer Chinese but a foreigner. We can only see an imitation, not a Chinese who can understand the essence of Western music and culture. That’s the difference between Yu Kewei and you. Many may be wowed by your glamour today, but what we really seek is the uniquely Chinese way of expressing our values,spirit and culture, and you need more careful thought on that. I hope you can grow, and understand how much we expect of you.
Yu Kewei singing “Gloomy Sunday:”
Pan Hongyue singing “Prelude to a Kiss” and the judge’s comments
Celebrity Lookalikes: Yao Yao and Gong Mi.
Yao Yao became famous at the age of 10 after winning a singing competition. Since then, she’s been on and off the radar. Unfortunately, she seems to sing better when she was 12 than she does now. She’ll be nice for the Super Girl group since she also has a dancing background. Gong Mi is the Cecilia Cheung look-a-like that everyone’s been talking about. She probably has the worst voice of the top 300.
Most Zhong Guo Feng: Dong Zhen and Wang Mengran
Dong Zhen has gained popularity for composing and singing many songs for popular video games. She’s quite talented, though she seems to be too nervous on stage. Wang Mengran from Inner Mongolia also composes zhong guo feng and Mongolian styled songs.
Dong Zhen’s self-composition, theme of Zhu Xian
Prettiest: Luo Zhenhuan and Liu Xijun
The good thing is, neither sings terrible. Luo Zhenhuan’s okay, but she probably won’t go solo anytime soon. Liu Xijun, sings better, but not amazing.
Dancers of the group: Yue Liang and Zeng Sixuan
Yue Liang was the dance teacher for the Super Boys competition, but now she’s a competitor in Super Girls. Yue Liang breezed through the competition, much to the dismay of many who complained about her singing. Zeng Sixuan majors in modern dance and sings a lot better. Definitely an eyecatcher.
Other recommendations: Jane Zhang girls and Huang Ying
Other than English songs, Jane Zhang seems to be a favorite among the girls this year. Though they both sound way too much like Jane Zhang for my liking, my two favorite performances of Jane’s songs are Wang Lulu’s “We’ve agreed” and Li Ling’s “Only for love.” Huang Ying’s voice seemed like screaming at parts, but for some reason, her voice touched me. Most renditions I’ve heard of this song were sad, but hers was agonizing:
Ending note: Pan Yuehong and Zeng Zixuan are two of the eleven current Sichuan Conservatory of Music students in the top 30. There are also more alumna, but no one made a list, and I wasn’t going to baidu all 300 of them. Over the next two weeks, the top 300 will be split into 6 groups of 50, and those 50 will compete for 10 spots each, forming the top 60.
Words of Wisdom by Judge Ding Wei
Ding Wei, the singer-songwriter who mainly now composes for others has stated in the past that she is afraid competition singers results in an excess of young aspiring hopefuls that the market may not be able to accommodate. I wasn’t really sure what to think of those words when she first said them, but after reading more about her she seems like someone who really cares about the growth of these young artists, rather than someone who wants to discourage them, or is afraid of them ruining Chinese music.
She was a judge for Kunming’s 30 to 10 round (which we haven’t found videos off) and praised the girls for being very sincere in her blog.
I loved how in her blog entry she chose to praise in particular someone who didn’t make it rather someone who did:
A girl ran up to me and said:
“Ding Teacher, I was one of the contestants that was eliminated today. After seeing today’s contest and hearing your critiques, I know why I was eliminated. Thank you, I will continue to work hard. “
I was very happy to hear these words, not because she thanked me, but because she learned from the experience, and thus her entry into the competition was not wasted.”
One of the nicest things about running Cfensi is discovering people like Ding Wei. For some reason I had never heard of her before, but she’s someone I definitely admire now. I hope she gets to judge in later rounds and I hope all the girls listen to advice from this woman, who’s already gone through the route that they hope to travel.
Tags: Ding Wei, Dong Zhen, Happy Girls, Huang Ying, Liu Xijun, Pan Hongyue, Super Girls, Yu Kewei, Yue Liang, Zeng Sixuan
June 6, 2009 at 11:10 pm
I really love both Dong Zi and Wang Mengran’s compositions. I think I’ve listened to drunken love more than four times already. I like how there are so many female composers in Cpop.
I really think they probably have enough talent for two different “rounded” girls groups, like 1 dancer, 1 composer, and then 3 more singers of different ranges. And then perhaps another 5 girls that would be solely chosen on singing and harmonization, and could do lovely acapellas. So three groups total.
But if they plan on making only one girls group from these contestants, I expect something phenomenal.
June 7, 2009 at 1:33 am
lol i liked the fact you included a celebrity look-a-like section. The cecillia look-a-like is ridiculously similar!!!!
June 7, 2009 at 1:33 am
haha. wow. gongmi and cecilia look identical to one another. btw are there any other particular standouts besides the contestants from sichuan? Maybe Shenyang, Xian, Nanjing, Hubei etc. i know you havnt payed much attention to other regions but have you read anything on sina or read any comments about other interesting people from other regions?
June 7, 2009 at 2:02 am
^ theyre like twins O_o
thanks for posting this, I haven’t watched any of it
June 7, 2009 at 3:33 am
Just wondering where I can watch these online? My timezones different so I can’t stay awake to watch it at particular times.
I saw the picture of Gong Mi and though huh? what’s cecilla doing in the competition lol
June 7, 2009 at 4:11 am
The person who did Gong Mi’s makeup was actually the one that promoted Cecilia. Honestly, I think she only looks like Cecilia because he made her eyebrow quite thick similar to Cecilia. Honestly, she has the worst voice and alot of people online are complaining how the hell she even got into Top 300… it’s pretty obvious that she got by with her celebrity lookalike!
here’s the article about the person who has been preparing everything for GongMi.
http://bbs.ent.sina.com.cn/thread-133-11/table-221143-3196.html
Oh yes, there was another girl that looks like Edison Chen. Haha, I was on youtube and the person who uploaded said, now we are just missing Ah Gil from Twins and Nicholas Tse. I’m so looking forward to this year’s super girl.
Cfensi： Dong Zhi and Wang Mengran’s song is fantastic! ive been listening to it nonstop.
i have a feeling that Gong Mi will become popular due to her celebrity look.
——-darklight took out this part because I didn’t want anyone to be tricked. Deng Guangshi could be telling the truth, but I doubt it. One is enough, and there’s already someone spilling the beans on Hunan, even if incorrectly half of the time. And netizens are not to be trusted. —-
June 7, 2009 at 4:17 am
thanks for the recap idarklight!
I’ve been gone for soo long…
Around when will the national competition start do you think?
June 7, 2009 at 4:33 am
@everyone
If you download Mango TV on Hunan TV, they have a program (fairly fast, too) that cycles around the performances of the top 300. I was really surprised by how many singers wore their ethnic outfits. It made me happy.
@yelei
I really don’t like the manager…he’s too smart. He obviously made her look like Cecilia for a reason. And if he doesn’t want her to become a Super Girl, then there’s a high chance he’ll make her drop out later, after they have gained all the fame.
I thought about putting Edison on there, but I can’t figure out whether that person was in the top 300 or not.
Oh, and I’m the one who uploaded the Super Girls videos…I don’t think there’s anyone else crazy enough to do that.
@cfensi
I think they wanted a 7 member girlgroup…I think they should have an acapella and then another one.
@Mrpeng
There are a lot of talented artists everyone. I think in terms of emotions, everyone’s the same. However, Sichuan artists have the vocals advantage.
Neither of the zhongguofeng artists(both internet) are from Sichuan. Nor is Liu Xijun (Guangdong), who I hear sings well live.
Liu Xin, who really should be in the top 13 simply because almost everyone else (Lu Hu, Guo Biao, Zhang Yafei) in this video is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYZTxep8QaE
Shijiazhuang (Hebei)’s Ding Shuang, who won My Show in 2007, also has a quite good and versatile voice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muYwhOQeN60
Shen Dandan from Gui Yang won CCTV’s “xing guang da dao:”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIkfNjKuMHE
Guangdong’s Lai Lihuan, who’s voice I really like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C35wM3nL7JQ
Zhu Meimei, a composer, from the internet region:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnPeYnuBDIk
Changsha’s Zuo Xueqin’s rendition of “Maze” was the first performance that caught my eyes. But her later performances have not been up to par, so I don’t know if she’ll keep it up.
June 7, 2009 at 6:27 am
Hi first time post here!
I think Ms.Pan 潘思贝 IS THE PRETTIEST xD
June 7, 2009 at 9:27 am
I was just watching a bit of the show just now and was slightly annoyed at this: There were three people singing: 1st one was really pretty but had a horrible voice. Second one was not very pretty but had a pretty good voice. Third one sang wonderfully and looked plain but nice. Guess who the judge chose? The pretty but bad voiced one. urgh
I really hope this isn’t what the rest of the competition is gonna turn out like… (thinks of Chris Li slightly regains confidence)
BTW, the Gong Mi girl only looks like Cecillia at some angles and only sometimes. I saw her on TV and she looks nothing like.
June 7, 2009 at 11:28 am
what is the name of the person you think yaoyao looks like? I recognize her but forgot her name…..
June 7, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Thank you yelei.
haha. I visit your YouTube account practically everytimr i have the chance to use the computer.
June 7, 2009 at 1:26 pm
@mr peng – ? The person who has been laboriously uploading to the Supergirls 2009 account is idarklight.
She is the go-to person for Supergirls news.
@idarklight – That should be interesting. 7 girls? They should choose lucky number 8. I’m really glad they changed the format of this years supergirls, because it makes it a bit newer.
June 7, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I uploaded a thread called on Soompi called Chinese JYP trainees but apparently some people thinks that the girls’ looks are too Chinese and that they don’t have the nude look. I was annoyed that people thinks most Chinese net idols have that smokey/wears lots of mascara makeup. I think China has the most natural looking girls. (yes, that was so off topic)
idarklight: oooh so its you! haha, thanks for uploading.
mrpeng: i’m not the uploader, it’s idarklight.
June 7, 2009 at 3:36 pm
@yelei
I always find it odd how on Soompi people think Chinese people must look different from Koreans when it is adjacent to North Korea.
Or the fact that Chinese people have to look a certain way when China is so big, and the gene pool is so incredibly large. There can be so many different combinations of looks just within the Han ethnicity. You can take the best of the stereotypical Northern look (tall, pale) and combine it with the stereotypical Southern look (big eyes, delicate features) and you can get great mixes.
My own family is a perfect example of that with my grandfather from the north and my grandmother from the south, and frankly, I think my family is gorgeous.
Some people on Soompi can be really racist, and they ruin it for the rest of the Koreans on there who are total sweethearts, and probably the majority. I stopped going to Soompi as much as I used to because it ticked me off to see the ignorance. And while I still like the K-celebs that I liked, this particular barrier has stopped me from learning about the new Kcelebs. Although frankly it’s ok, because learning about new Chinese celebrities (they pop up like daisies!) fills up my time enough as it is, and it’s more useful in helping me learn Chinese.
/rant
It is so odd that the Korean companies have so many foreign trainees. I have never seen a country put so much effort into foreign ventures as the Koreans or trying to tap into foreign talent. Isn’t that bad for their own industry on the whole?
June 7, 2009 at 8:00 pm
@cfensi
I think it’s good I mean, think about how many foreigners there are in the US. And Korea is a limited market, they need to reach out to earn more money.
@shoups
Alan, her picture is the right one. Yao Yao’s the one on the left
@Lenn
I really like Pan Sibei, too. I was surprised she didn’t get into the Changsha top 20, but she got through the internet region, so it’s okay.
@ml
which one did you watch? I think the judges were looking for uniqueness. Because there are so many people who can sing, but the feeling and personality isn’t there.
and it depends on the judge. I think the latter Chengdu judges did a really good job. Chengdu’s prelims had this really annoy guy who kept talking about everyone’s outfits.
I hope eventually they’ll eventually weed out the pretty but can’t sing ones because there are so many prettier ones who can sing in the top 300.
@yelei
nods…China’s so diverse. I mean, think of the Uighur actresses who don’t look Asian at all.
June 7, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Thanks for uploading these, idarklight! I comment spammed a few of them. (And, no, I don’t know which language to comment in half the time, LOL!)
June 7, 2009 at 9:39 pm
idarklight: I totally agree! Uighur are gorgeous, but some ignorant people probably think they can’t be Chinese.
cfensi: That’s why I love China. Ｉ was a bit disgusted that people think Chinese people only have smokey looking makeup. Although i like certain ulzzangs, most of them try to achieve that innocence look.
-> Are you in college?
June 7, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Firstly, these singers… Hm. I really like Dong Zhi and Wang Mengran, but that probably goes without saying. The others, though… a lot of them sound pretty generic, if, well, vocally pretty and clear. The main exception to me was Zhu Meimei, but her voice doesn’t seem to suit pop, from what I’ve heard. I’d LOVE to follow her if she ends up unconventional/indie, though. And I dunno, I think it kinda makes sense, in some cases, to choose the pretty but “average-voiced” ones over contestants who are plain but sing well, because vocal talents aren’t always readily apparent in untrained singers, whereas someone’s facial structure isn’t. An idol, especially a pop idol, does bank on looks as much as anything, so there’s some logic behind it, especially if there’s a difference in personal charisma as well.
And I agree with everyone – even within regions, there’s a diversity of looks in China, and that’s part of what makes it so great. Every look can look good and can appeal when presented properly, and sometimes, the “unmixed”, distinct look can be really striking, too. The differences in accents, looks, culture, ethnicity… I hate it when people try to homogenize China.
As for Korea, it’s hard to say whether the effects of that kind of practice is good or not – it depends on the degree to which the practice is being done. The possible negative effects are bidirectional – domestically, they are essentially outsourcing their entertainment field opportunities, because they’re essentially investing in another nation’s development; it’s not as though their foreign artists are staying in Korea. It’s not just the stars, but the people who work to set up the concerts, the venues that benefit from carrying the merchandise, the contractors, etc; I doubt they’d go the more expensive route and manufacture everything in Korea, then ship it, rather than just manufacture what isn’t native to the company in the other countries. At the same time, the money that is made is funneled into those Korean companies, to be reinvested wherever they want to – which self-perpetuates, because at the moment, it moves back outwards.
In the end, the ones who win out are the companies who make the ventures; the overall effects are probably mixed at best, because companies native to the countries Korea is marketing at gets the burden of competition from veterans in the business, often with more capital, while domestically, the Koeran industry as a whole doesn’t benefit from what’s earned because it’s reinvested elsewhere, plus native talent and work may get passed over in outsourcing. This is hardly limited to Korea, being one of the biggest concerns of globalization in general (the US has quite some trouble with this in almost every industry, for example), but the Korean entertainment industry is starting to seem like a pretty good example of it, SME in particular.
June 7, 2009 at 11:55 pm
@Nepheliad
but it also has a great cultural effect. Although the native country also benefits in the ways you states, the one who is credited for it is still Korea. and that really makes everything Korean better. It’s sort of like how they say the best way for you to fall in love with a country is to fall in love with someone from that country.
Culture is really the thing I’m worried the most about China, and why I was so happy to see all those ethnically dressed singers at Super Girls. Korea, Japan, and India have both managed to modernize without forgetting many of their traditions, something that really distinguished and permeates through their entertainment. Though that might not be true in kpop, but it’s still pretty obvious in korean variety shows and dramas. China seems to have a distinct divide, and no in between. It’s not uncommon to see ancient dramas, but it is very rare to see those elements in modern dramas.
Even Taiwan does a better job. I wish mainland could follow suit with Taiwanese Ye-Shi. Because those use to be so much fun, but now they’re all gone (in my hometown anyways). I really want China to begin setting up small marketplaces for street vendors. They’re so awesome, but also illegal….Yet if they’re chased away, then China will lose so much. (for me, anyways…I live for food, and steet vendors’ “xiao chi” wins over restaurant food anytime)
What troubles me is that eeMedia especially seems to be taking a 180 degree turn. Hunan TV has done a great job in the past of Chinese-lizing everything it brings from the outside. I hope that eeMedia will remember that, and not simply embrace everything foreign and popular.
June 8, 2009 at 1:06 am
true, China is soooooooooo big you get all sorts of looks. Especially in Si chuan, hang zhou where you find a lot of good looking people as those places are in the middle of china where the north is mixed with the south lol. Places like sichuan close to india you get people looking quite western and that goes for xin ziang as well as its next to russia, but xin ziang people tend not to mix as their tradition is not to marry to another ethnic society.
People on Soompi probably have not been to china so they don’t really know the diversity of the population, their idea of a chinese person is probably the geeky kid sitting in the corner, where as the fact is when I went back to china last summer(Xi’An) there were plenty of 美女和帅哥lol….slightly disappointed in the number of 美女和帅哥in beijing but hilariously a good number in Shan Dong(Qingdao) hahahahahahahaha
JunJun is a great example as he looks pretty mixed despite the fact he is 100% chinese.
IMO I think people from Shanghai looks the best lol.
June 8, 2009 at 1:14 am
I personally think Hong Kong’s entertainment industry is getting worse and worse and the mainland industry has already over taken them……Hong Kong still rely on the oldies such as andy lau and jackie chan, they are legends……but I don’t see any young people from Hong Kong flourish anymore.
The only reason why Kpop is doing so well, is because this is the right era for them, the type of music is right for them at the moment, Kpop was not that popular 10 or 20 years ago….. the other reason is their record companies are like factories that constantly produce, train, manufacture stars…it is like a conveyabelt. Right now Kpop seems to set the trends…….so….
June 8, 2009 at 1:25 am
@shoups
I think the Shanghainese simply knows how to dress more. It’s usually considered the “hippest,” and also the snobbiest and most materialistic, city of mainland China.
Shandong produces a lot of famous actors and actresses – Huang Xiaoming, Fan Bingbing, Chen Hao, Ni Ping, Ma Tianyu…and if you go back to origins, also the Da&Xiao S sisters, Gong Li, and both of BOBO (thanks to swingsily for that information. I didn’t know that JBR’s ancestors were also from Shandong, yay Shandong!).
I always wanted to be either Uighur or Tibetan when I was little, which people probably think is crazy since they’re the biggest separatists (the Uighurs in Guatanamo is getting all the attention these days). I really want to visit Xinjiang this summer.
June 8, 2009 at 1:35 am
@yelei Yeah…I’m still in college. Unfortunately next semester is going to be really rough.
@shoups
I disagree. There’s still a lot of great HK newbies –
Jason Chan, G.E.M Tang (great singer-songwriters), Pauko Chau (he’s super hot, and he composed one of the songs on his first EP)
And even though it’s harder for me to get find out about Canto-pop bc of the language barrier I still find out about a lot of great artists
@everyone
Sorry for veering so off-topic! I just really hate it when people think Chinese = one look. Even within the Han ethnicity, and I must stress this, because it seems these topics veer towards the minorities, even within the Han ethnicity, there is so much diversity. My family has typically “Caucasian” features and we’re all Han, so I guess it irks me to see that stereotype..
@idarklight
When I was little I wanted to be native american…
June 8, 2009 at 1:44 am
@idarklight
Fu Xingbo is from Xi’an hahahaha
I agree people from ShangHai are pretty arrogant lol
You seem to love ShanDong to bits hahaha
@cfensi
Never heard of any of the artists you listed lol….well i am not a big fan of canto music…..it does not seem to evolve with time.
The best new(fairly) artist that i know of from HK is fang da dong…is he from HK? My knowledge of canto songs are from going to K with friends…..my only source
June 8, 2009 at 1:49 am
I see a lot of xing jiang people where i come from in china. They all look mixed hahaha, lots have green eyes!. I have never been to xing jiang, I think its famous for its grapes and stuff. The only thing i dont like about xing ziang is that they eat too much lamb, i hate lamb lol.
June 8, 2009 at 2:05 am
@idarklight – Hey! Don’t forget Jing Dong! He’s from Shan Dong and so, so, so incredibly hot. And soulfull when he acts. Gong Li is from Shangdong too I think.
@shoups – yeah….I don’t think you should throw around generalizations about HK music if your source is karaoke.
June 8, 2009 at 2:06 am
@cfensi
right, Jin Dong and Gong Li. Gong Li’s from Yantai, I think.
@shoups
like I said, originwise. Sort of like how you can be American-born Chinese and still Chinese. My mom is Jiangsu-nese because that’s where her dad’s from, but she was born and grew up in Shandong. Jing Boran and Fu Xinbo’s ancestry both leads to Shandong, though Jing Boran’s also from Dongbei and Fu Xinbo from Xi’an.
Province, even city/town, relationships seem more important to the Chinese than in the West, probably because of how different people are from one town to another. People will feel more connected with you if you’re from the same area.
I was just thinking a few days ago that I wasn’t proud of my own province at all…I think I just got over that.
I love Xinjiang lamb kabob. And they have the best raisins ever. And pretty dresses, music and dances. It’s also a beautiful place.
Are you from Xi’an? Because I know Xi’an has a huge Muslim population. When I lived in Beijing, there was a Uighur street right between where my parents worked and where we lived, so we ate there a lot. When I lived in Shandong, there was a Muslim section, but they were all Han Muslims (Hui) instead of Uighur.
June 8, 2009 at 3:31 am
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I was watching a snippet (was about to leave the house) and it was the one with the girl Lai Lihuan from Guangdong singing. She’s the one I said sang wonderfully but didn’t looks as pretty as the “pretty girl” and in the end the judge chose the “pretty” girl with the bad voice. Pleeeasse tell me I miss-watched it—
Lol, I’m originally from Shanghai and I agree with the snobbiness. If you don’t speak in Shanghainese they go all snobby on you. Heck, even if you don’t speak shanghainese to “wai di” people they go snobby on you-If you ever go there, just speak in English- lol.jk.
BTW I’m also really happy to see all the ethnic minority competitors. It really highlights the diversity of China which is soo beautiful.
June 8, 2009 at 3:47 am
@ml
haha that’s what Guo Jingming said. He hated Shanghai at first because everybody spoke in Shanghainese and looked down on him. He forced himself to learn Shanhainese.
You’re right. I thought all three sung okay, and none of them were that pretty, but I would’ve picked Lai Lihuan, too. Urgh. Luckily, she’s still in the top 300.
June 8, 2009 at 4:12 am
cfensi: I stopped being a fan of Super Junior, DBSK, and SNSD because I seriously feel like they’re overrated. Sometimes I really dislike the mainstream kpop. I also visit the health and fashion section regularly and most people classfied Korean as the tallest amongst the Asians. Alot of Chinese girls definitely became taller than the previous generations.
GEM is definitely a great singer, but I have to agree with shoups. The music in HK isn’t as great as it was 5-10 years ago. China definitely has been catching up.
idarklight: I never met an Uighur or Tibetan in the US before. I actually always wanted to be an Uighur too. They have such an western look, and I’m pretty sure people will think they’re mixed.
Sometimes I wonder what if China uses the strategy of breeding young trainees for at least 2-5 years. The think about Kpop is that it has became so popular over the last few years and attracted different races to audition. China being such an enormous country, I’m sure there are a tons of talented people. I don’t know if its just me, but one thing I notice about China vs Korea/Japan is that they have foreign connection. Korean/Japanese singers&actors aim to enter the Western market. As of right now I know China is not ready for this, but I hope to see it happening very soon. Having Jane Zhang on Oprah Show was definitely a boost for the Chinese industry.
I think this site definitely made me change my views about Chinese entertainment. To be honest, I knew more about actresses than singers because not many singers stood out for me. I have to say I was pretty negative about singers in China because there weren’t many young&talented artists. However, I’m glad to see more idol groups and young singers popping up.
June 8, 2009 at 4:14 am
btw I think Gong Mi definitely will become famous even if she does not win. This competition really made her famous and that man behind her is a true genius.
June 8, 2009 at 4:18 am
cfensi: oh cool well good luck. I actually just graduated from high school today. Thank god it’s over. People tells me that Shanghainese are pretty snobby because they think they’re so much better (materialistic wise). But I have to say Shanghai is like the modern Beijing.
June 8, 2009 at 4:25 am
@yelei
well, there are currently 17 Uighurs locked up in Guantanamo right now. I wouldn’t suggest visiting them, though. The were almost released, until one of the senators blocked their release due to fear they might attack Chinese civilians in the US.
I think Gong Mi will succeed, too. But I’m not too fond of her. Cecilia was so straightforward and bold. She’s somewhat of the opposite. A bit too conniving for me.
Probably because I’ve been reading too many Guo Jingming writings, but Shanghai seems so hollow, like there’s nothing behind the iron skyscrappers and shiny prada bags. But again, too much Guo Jingming. I love Beijing. It’s such a beautiful city, filled with modernity and history. And they have such a great elementary school in Beida. If you are looking for good schools for your kids, this is the place to go.
I’m worried about SM or Johnny like breeding because they block out so much originality and creativity. This is probably a terrible comparison, but it’s like China and their athletes. Unfortunately, unlike sports, music needs creativity as much as discipline. Training means high qualitied workers who can dance, sing and act celeb-like. But it also means that those workers are refrained from being themselves and trying new things. While that works for idols, it doesn’t help the industry develop as a whole because in addition to the idols being standardized, so will the music. And standardized music just doesn’t sound pleasing to me.
I want to have my cake and eat it, too. I want the Chinese music industry to have more people like Shawn Johnson, who excels in her sport, has good grades and enjoys life. And less like Tian Liang, who doesn’t seem to even like diving that much.
but of course, some wouldn’t hurt. I just don’t want the music industry to be dominated by cookie-cutter idols.
June 8, 2009 at 4:43 am
@ idarklight – I feel like most of the time when we differ on something, it comes down to looking at something from an economic versus cultural point of view, haha…
I suppose? I mean, the entertainment industry is different from most industries because individual artists are recognized for themselves and their personas, not for their labels, unlike most commodities. If a Chinese artist gets popular under a Korean label without making herself “Korean” (which would be counter-productive to her fame, anyway), she’s a popular Chinese artist – that’s why I wasn’t taking more of the cultural aspect into account. SJM is anomalous because SJM has Korean members and a preexisting popularity. Zhang Liyin would, but she’s kinda demonstrates why the cultural aspect works against Korea gaining fame for Chinese artists, anyway. After all, many Taiwanese artists are under Avex/Sony/etc labels, but they don’t gain Japan any cultural influence…
And I kinda disagree about Chinese dramas. It might have to do with how many you’ve watched, but when I watch a Chinese drama, I get a very strong sense that it’s Chinese. The method of acting, the storyline, the characters… I couldn’t mistake those coming from any other culture.
Huh. I’ve actually been seeing more street vendors in my, er, “hometown”. Digression: you’re right, Cfensi – I was born and lived for seven years in Shandong, but my ancestral line up to my parents is from Hebei, and I’m more apt to identify with Hebei, culturally, though I feel ties to both areas. And I’m feeling like I’m weird, now, ’cause I’ve always been somewhat proud, I guess, of my mixed Han-Manchu heritage, and used to get offended if anyone even mentioned otherwise… ^^;
I’m also concerned about eeMedia, but with their and Hunan TV’s track record, I think it’ll be fine. China, as a whole, seems to be becoming more proud of its ethnic diversity and national identity, and I think the auditions are a show of that spirit, even if the cynical part of me wants to say it was just those girls wanting to stand out.
Gong Mi’s lucky to have her manager. Guy’s put her out there in a way that really didn’t seem like it would be possible.
June 8, 2009 at 4:48 am
Ah, I started writing before I saw your last post, idarklight, and I think I get what you were talking about with the cultural aspects. However, I still think that the fact that outside of SJM, artists that aren’t “themselves” – that conform to foreign molds – haven’t gotten a firm foothold shows that the cultural aspect won’t be too much of a problem.
Oh, and I forgot to say that IMO, it won’t really help Korea’s own cultural interests in addition to being a possible detriment to their economy because they’re spreading standardized material, like you mentioned.
June 8, 2009 at 5:00 am
@Nepheliad
I miss the Ye Shi my “hometown” used to have. It used to be so much fun at night, and they had yummy food. But now they’re all gone. There are still street vendors, but a lot less, and most are still illegal.
In terms of cultural influence, I was thinking mostly of Korean dramas, which show a lot of pride in Korean culture and heritage. And the fact that Korea has managed to blend modern and ancient dramas so that both has the same appeal is amazing. The semi crazy and pro-Chinese cultural invasion side of me thinks it unfair that people are watching ancient kdramas with pop stars wearing Chinese clothes (the more-ancient set dramas) and reciting Chinese poems and think Koreans invented them.
On the other hand, I am being too shallow. Whereas you looked at the guiding Chinese values and mindsets that is exhibited throught the dramas, I was only thinking of the more obvious cultural elements.
June 8, 2009 at 7:31 am
Fun show to watch… I also really like how the competitors were wearing their ethnic costumes. But I don’t like the whole lookalike thing that’s going on. I find it incredibley shallow. But hey, it sells.
With the whole chinese culture thing, or the lack of…I was thinking, and I could be wrong…but I always felt the Cultrual Revolution had a lot to play in that part. A lot of the traditional values/culture were lost, and they sort of never really came back, not properly anyway. Korean society is still so much based on Confucianism (like my korean neighbor whos only a month younger than me and always bows very low every time she sees me) their films/dramas reflect that. They’re not so much trying to emphasize this culture because it’s already embedded in them, it comes out naturally.
June 8, 2009 at 7:40 am
BWT I really am not like Korean music at the moment. too commericalised for my tastes. I hope China won’t follow suit. Pop idols are one thing, but pop idols EVERYWHERE is another.
June 8, 2009 at 10:32 am
@yelei
I think you got it the wrong way round lol, modern Beijing is like shanghai.
@Idarknight
Yep, I am from Xi’an. Xi’an is pretty famous for lamb kabob and lots of 小吃which is really cheap they are just small stands on the streets, have to watch out for hygiene though lol. 凉皮, 羊肉泡馍 etc。。。。are food that xi’an is famous for. Its true Xi’an has a really big muslim population probably because Xi’an is the closest most developed big city to Xing Jiang. Depends where you are in Xi’an you see quite a few Xing Jiang people, I always see lots by the train station lol.
I am in London now and I know 3 people from xin Jiang hahaha, but I don’t think they are Uighur
June 8, 2009 at 4:10 pm
@jemma
I’m hesitate to blame everything on the cultural revolution because everyone else does, and it’s not true. It did have that negative effect, but even before that, was it really there? China under the Ch’ing dynasty wasn’t completely “cultural,” at least materialy. But although the traditions have gone long since, the values are still there.
Not really. Like earlier, I said that perhaps whereas Nepheliad looked at the values, I looked at surface emphasizes. Like dramas about how great Korea is and how Hanboks are prettier than other dresses, even at inappropriate times ( there’s no way you can think that Hanboks are more fit than other dresses to show a women’s figures).
What bothers me is the Chinese who calls mianren “su/unfashionable” and cheongsams “xiang ba lao/from the country.” It’s like they’re so desperate to modernize that they must deem everything “not modern” as outdated, when that’s not true. I can’t say whether those are common, but they’re certainly annoy.
June 8, 2009 at 5:18 pm
There is something about Korean Entertainment Industry I dont like, their excessive idol bands and their weird nationalism. When I went to Chinese thread in Soompi, I’ve met a lot of dumb people who think *good looking* Chinese doesn’t look Chinese which really irritates me off. Aside from that, some of the ancient Korean drama used Chinese clothing (hanfu) which really really pissed me off and I got some Korean who even say those are the clothing of old Koreans (lmao). I’m not saying all of them but some of them. Anyway I really hope Chinese Entertainment Industry would develop and make more Idol and Ancient Drama too =].
June 8, 2009 at 5:28 pm
The Cultural Revolution was devastating in many ways, no doubt about it, but a few decades cannot erase a diversity of culture built up over millennia. The traditions, too, are no more “gone” than they are in any other country – if anything, look at all the period television programming that sometimes represent China’s multi-ethnic background, the rush to reclaim Chinese artifacts (the strong message sent by the Chinese “buyer” to the Swiss auctioneer recently made me feel very prideful, haha), the historic sites where they’ve started putting in reenactments, etc… It’s not as though many people still walk around wearing kimonos in Japan, or corsets in Europe.
Aside from the superficial, the cultural values have definitely remained intact – even the regional cultural biases. Everything from the emphasis on the ties of family, to the very Confucian ideal of being righteous for fear of losing honor rather than fear of repercussions, to even a liking of moralistic, often bittersweet stories have carried down.
And there’s a second different reason for the bias against cheongsams (BTW, you don’t call them qipao?) – the ethnic Han are still unhappy about the Manchu takeover, and now, being the vast vocal majority, want to bring back the hanfu as the emblem of traditional Chinese clothing, as it had been for many centuries before the Qing. Frankly, I agree with them – the rest of the world ought know where the hanbok and the kimono originated, and I’m sick of them gushing over the two, especially the latter, without even knowing that hanfu existed; qipaos should hardly be seen as the main traditional dress of China. I’d love even better for the various ethnic dresses of China to all share some of the spotlight, though, of course.
As for the K-drama thing… well, South Korea has gained a reputation internationally for, uh, claiming to have invented things from other cultures. Whether that reputation is deserved, I don’t know, but as China grows more important economically, its culture will spread far beyond the scope that South Korea’s has. Already, non-Chinese people (the general public, not just the fangirls), seem more interested in China than SK, which might also explain the recent SK commercial blitz on cable television. Consider that they had registered their version of the Dragon Boat Festival with UNESCO back in 2005, while China only did this year – but everyone abroad who knows about the festival knows about the Chinese one. That whole thing caused quite a hubbub, too, showing that China is starting to rise and claim its cultural heritage. Given China’s influence, others will take notice, so though those misattributions are a little annoying, they won’t be for long, I imagine.
June 8, 2009 at 5:57 pm
@lenn
welcome! hope you come back again.
@nepheliad
I was actually thinking of Joe Cheng when they were filming the wedding scene in They Kiss Again. He sincerely told Ariel she should wear something else because the cheongsam looks old-fashioned. And frankly, it wasn’t the most glamourous one, but it seemed a bit rude.
I tend to use more common English translations when possible.
Kimonos are still worn on special holidays in Japan, and they show up often in Japanese dramas (on the other hand, so do cheongsams for some reason). I live in the Midwest, and for school photos last year, there were random Americans wearing kimonos.
I’m a bit worried about the hanfu movement’s homogenization of China and backlash from other ethnicities, who might feel they’re not as valued. Granted, I love hanfu’s and think they’re beautiful and should be reclaimed. But instead of a hanfu movement , I would prefer a cultural revival movement that involves all ethnicities. For one, I wish Hankyung and our Yi group would all learn their languages and more about their cultures. I think right now, only Ji Jie (and maybe 70?) knows his ethnic language. Hankyung’s one of 3000, he should be promoting his ethnicity a bit more before it goes extinct.
June 9, 2009 at 12:20 am
Of course I’m not blaming the CR for everything. But it did change just the little things… like when chinese people meet thay shake hands… when korean/japanese meet they bow. The “comrade/equality” mentality is still around at times. (which I like because it really put women forward)
And as for the whole Hanbok/kimono wearing in the dramas. In real life they take the same value to their costumes as they do on film. You’ll see Kimonos/Hanboks being worn more commonly during national holidays or speical occasions than you will the Qipao or Hanfu among the Han ethnic group. I’ve lived in Japan and a lot of my friends there owned their own custom made Kimono and wear a Yukata during Golden Week.
Korea is patriotic (a little too much for my liking sometimes, the Koreans I’ve come across are never aware the Hanbok originated from the Hanfu, some even thought Chinese characters were invented by Korea *smacks head*)… Anyway, maybe as time goes on China people will take more to wearing and expressing their cultures. I’m not so much about having Qipao being replaced by Hanfu. But identifying more with all the ethnic groups.
Hankyung SHOULD promote his ethnicity more, but I have a feeling it’s already been completely lost to him- language wise, apart from maybe the dances.
June 9, 2009 at 12:55 am
just checked out Liu Xijun, shes sooo pretty and i like her mv
June 9, 2009 at 4:03 am
Qipao is more casual, Hanfu’s more formal. Both can survive. The hanfu people annoyed me when half of them complained that Shu Chuang was manchu when she wore hanfu for duanwujie when I thought they should be happy that she’s taking up their cause.
This is so random, but Li Shaohong’s from Shandong, too!
Gong Mi looks really pretty in here. In some of the pictures, her face looked caked with makeup.
June 9, 2009 at 5:46 am
It’s sad, but minor ethnicities are lost globally at ever increasing rates. All things considered, at least China is attempting to retain that heritage with some success, unlike some nations’ indigenous ethnicities. I don’t support the hanfu movement’s blanketing and sometimes discriminatory ways; the reason I want it to gain popularity is because its heritage is, IMO, more important as a show of how influential China had been, and because out of all the ethnic dress styles, it’s historically the most prominent one. The qipao represents a far smaller segment of people and a far shorter span of time. It ought have its place like any other ethnic style, but it shouldn’t be the most prominent international style.
And Korea and Japan both have their ethnic minorities with distinct dress styles – the hanbok and kimono were derived from hanfu, after all. Those don’t cease to exist, even as the hanbok and kimono are respected as the main traditional clothing. That’s kind of the status I want the hanfu to have, proportionately less to account for the wider range of Chinese ethnicities.
Hmm, I’m really starting to wish Gong Mi’s manager had chosen or was given a more talented contestant, because the guy’s obviously very good at generating buzz.
June 9, 2009 at 8:43 am
sorry to butt in guys, but i just really want to express my opinion here.
as you can tell that im a HUGE fan of dbsk, and do definitely do enjoy listening to kpop. but recently what i’ve found with kpop is that everything is just so much based on looks, singer who have the best looks but can’t sing, actors or actresses who have looks but can’t act. there are just practically no decent singers, which can REALLY REALLY sing, even if they can sing, they will be underpromoted bcoz of there LOOKS. yes there are catchy songs, but there is just no one really out there who can sing. and everyone is like gosh they can sing so well, it’s only bcoz dey can sing well bcoz there is no one good for them to b compared to, especially girl groups. i mean people say that snsd are excellent at singing, well peronally i know they aren’t bad, but really they can’t be classified as singers, they can only be classified as entertainers.
sometimes wot i hate about people is that they over-rate kpop and jpop. they juz think OH bcoz it’s kpop or jpop den it’s good.
that’s exactly wot happened to my friend, i made her listen to a mainland song and she was like nah not as good, but clearly it was better dan kpop or jpop. wot people are doing now is not giving cpop a chance, yeh it was not that good once, but it doesn’t mean that it will continue to b like that. people need to give cpop a decent chance to grow and mature.
and even sometimes with like chinese people, they just think korean and japanese things are good. i don’t mind them saying that, but sumtimes wen im on the dbsk baidu forum, chinese people are constantly criticising the chinese entertainment market, if chinese people don’t support it, then wot’s the chance of foreigners supporting it?! yes, there are lot of piracy, but i mean still it doesn’t mean it can’t succeed. jay chou still managed to sell 3 million+ albums with piracy, and with kpop even without piracy they still can’t reach the one million mark, people are under-rating the chinese market juz TOO MUCH.
sorry guys, if u feel im really random and talked too much about kpop, but really i wanted to express my opnions and wot i realised with everyone here has got really similar opinion to me!
June 10, 2009 at 11:17 pm
@ dbskholic . I agree. I think the exact same thing.
June 11, 2009 at 12:00 am
@ dbskholic – Well, what did you expect from the DBSK part of Baidu Tieba? It’s not unlike a sector of the rabid US “Otaku” that swear Japanese entertainment is godly… But it’s only a sector, and it’ll probably be a shrinking one at that. Browse by the mainland section and it’s obviously a huge difference. There’s plenty of enthusiasm for mainland music – it’s just that the DBSK forum is probably the worst place for it right now, especially after China launched its own boy bands, which incited flame wars between their new fans and the Chinese Cassies.
June 11, 2009 at 12:23 pm
@Nepheliad
yeh, i understand what you are trying to say, yes it is only a minor sector, but it is just as important. tt doesn’t mean just because it’s a minor sector it’s not important. we need everyone of the china to support mainland music, not just the people who already are into mainland music. the real success of mainland music, is to get the people who are obsessed with foreign music to go back to chinese music, that is the REAL success. what is the whole point of forcing people who already listen to mainland music, to listen to mainland music? everything will stay the same, not like anythin is going to change.
June 11, 2009 at 5:25 pm
@Nepheliad
It’s not just the dbsk forum. It’s pretty prevalent everywhere. Most mainland singers(not actors, though) are looked down upon, especially the competition singers.
June 11, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Well, for most people outside of China, their exposure to Chinese things (language/people/culture), come from Southern China. And it’s hard for them to recognise the differences between different types of Chinese people. I guess you can’t really blame them for that, though.
Soompi isn’t really a great place, however. It kinda runs like a high school, with different cliques and social groups; and just about every second person there seems to be Filipino.
And I don’t like to say this, but Koreans, in general, are actually pretty racist. Same with Chinese or Japanese, to be honest (what are your parents’ thoughts on black people? ><
Super Girls is pretty much 'the' thing for me, so I'm glad it's being covered here. *hoping for lots of future updates*
Though I'm not too sure about any of these contestants in the videos. Some of them sound good, and some of them could be better, really. I guess Super Girls is about finding the 'unique' talents, and the producers don't seem too keen on "recycling" contestant types, so how long will it be before another Jane Zhang shows up?
I'm excited to see what this season comes up with, but I kinda get the feeling that the production and format of the show stifles exposure of actual talent. : (
June 12, 2009 at 2:18 am
yeah..Shandong fails in the pop music department. Jinan got killed in the round. All 10 competitors got kicked out, almost all of them in the first try. And in 2007, the best Jinan competitor was Yao Zheng, which is..ehh.
June 13, 2009 at 7:57 am
Hmm… I think I’ve found my place for Chinese entertainment =D
Though I agreed with the judging that Pan Hongyue sounds not-Chinese, damn~ she’s got some singing skills, man!! That was a crazy clip…
June 16, 2009 at 11:47 pm
@dbskholic
This reply is a little late in coming because I simply didn’t have the time to write out a response, but I agree that Chinese people need to understand their entertainment and culture.
I see it with everyone else, with places that have even less established entertainment spheres than China. Koreans are fully supportive of kpop, and Thai people know their artists, as do Filipinos. Vietnamese people know Paris by Night, and the Viet singers.
But with Chinese people, they have no clue who the most popular artists are in China, and it’s just odd.
I suppose partially it’s CCTV’s fault for promoting certain artists and not others. And partially I blame the media outside China for creating a Pavlovian response to “China” and “communism”. In searching for Chinese news, through web portals like yahoo, you find that for the bad news regarding China, it sells to many, many newspapers. It spreads like wildfire. Whereas when I come across a positive article, it is limited to one newspaper usually. It simply doesn’t sell. In such an environment, I suppose Chinese Americans would find little motivation for wanting to find out more.
I find it so odd that every single English review of Nanking Nanking! is a positive one, praising Lu Chuan for not falling into the “Communist trap” of showing the Chinese as victims and Japanese as aggressors. Except that it’s supposed to be showing a Holocaust.
June 16, 2009 at 11:59 pm
right, communist trap.
that’s like going to Israel and releasing a movie about a bunch of stupid Jews being freed by their awesome Nazi friend and praising it for not following the “Zionist trap.”
or going into Armenia and then releasing a movie about how kind and sweet the Turks were during WWI.
Some movies do a great job of picking out the different, but sometimes, you just shouldn’t do it. Movies should avoid cliches, but not for the sake of avoiding them.
June 26, 2009 at 1:24 am
[...] Kewei (23) and Pan Hongyue (19), both of whom I touched on last time. Pan Hongyue is young, fun, pretty-ish, can dance, can sing and has a very strong personality. I [...]
July 7, 2009 at 9:17 pm
[...] many composers in Supergirls this year which makes me happy. From long ago eliminated girls like Dong Zhen and Wang Mengran, to the beautiful compositions of of the heart-wrenchingly eliminated Wang Zixin, this [...]
July 8, 2009 at 8:12 am
offffffffffff
i am sorry