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Cui Jian (pronounced Sway Jen), the indisputable pioneer and the paramount leader of contemporary Chinese rock
music known to millions people in China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other East Asian countries, has never been a
stranger to the American public. 

His is a self-made success story. Ethnically Korean, Cui Jian was born in China in 1961, to a music family. His
parents recognized his talents at an early age and became his first teachers. He learnt trumpet at age 14, and joined the
Beijing Symphony Orchestra (BSO) as a classical trumpet player at age 20. During his six years stint at BSO, he
began to compose his own songs. By 1986, after listening to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Talking Heads and Sting,
Cui Jian had begun expeirmenting with rock and roll music, and had composed his first rock/rap song "It's Not That I
Don't Understand". In May of that year, shortly before he left BSO, he sang what was to become his signature song
"Nothing to My Name" at the 100-singer World Peace concert in Beijing and became a celebrity overnight. 

>From there, Cui Jian embarked his rock'n' roll equivalent of the Long March. He continued composing and giving
numerous solo concerts, even though the social environment had been very harsh on him for a long time. In creating
rock for China, Cui Jian blended in Chinese folk music and traditional Chinese instruments, such as the oboe-like
Suona, the zither-like Gu Zheng with guitar, saxophone, drums and western percussion. His first rock album
"Nothing to My Name" was released in 1989, followed by his second album "Solution" in 1991. His last album "Balls
Under the Red Flag" has an eclectic sound that mixes rhythms from punk, jazz, Afro-pop, rap and Western rock with
Oriental flourishes and socially conscious themes - mature work of a world-class atrist hitting the peak of his career.
Besides, his MTV video "Wild in the Snow" made him and instant hit in Asia and the rest of the world. To date, over
10 million copies of his albums has been sold in East Asia, and he has been heard by over one billion people! Hence
his long march has crossed over the border of China, to Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, England, France, and the United
States. 

And now, having given over one hundred solo concerts almost everywhere else in the world, Cui Jian is pleased to
present his music, together with his hopes for China, to the public of the United States of America. 

Critics Reviews

"Mr. Cui's latest album 'Balls Under the Red Flag' is another cry from the anchorless youth of China for direction." 
   - The New York Times 
" The real rock'n' roll star... the best, the first and the best known rock'n'roll star in China" 
   - 22nd film festival Rotterdam 
"Cui Jian, China's No. 1 rock star, a one-man phenomenon...was one of the sparks that ignited the prairie fire of
rock" 
   - The Wall Street Journal 
"Balls Under the Red Flag...is only rock'n'roll, but they like it" 
   - Newsweek 
"China's gray culture, it seems, is gathering momentum" 
   - Los Angeles Times Magazine 
"(Even for the strong Chinese Government), Cui Jian has become too hot to handle." 
   - Washington Post 
"The major challenge to the (Chinese) Government today comes not from democratic activists, but from defiant urban
youth and their new hero a long-haired Chinese rock star - Cui Jian" 
   - San Francisco Chronicle 
"China's king of rock and roll, Cui Jian staged back...Cui's politically charged lyrics have been, and continue to be, an
inspiration for China's disenchanted youth..." 
   - South China Morning Post 

for more info, see http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~zyang/cuijian/

-- 
.....................................................................
  ____         __     __       . Zijiang "Z-John" Yang              .
 /_  /______  / /__  / /  ___  . zyang@cs.berkeley.edu              .
  / //___/ /_/ / _ \/ _ \/ _ \ . Univ. of California,Berkeley       .