SEPTEMBER 7 “THIS WEEK IN THE MUSIC OF NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE”

Li Jinhuin, a Chinese composer and musician who used popular music as subversion against the Chinese Communist Party in the 1950s, was born on September 5, 1891.

Jinhuin diverged from traditional Chinese music with a new form called “shidaiqu.” The form incorporated sexual symbolism, which the government deemed to be subversive and inappropriate. It also involved women on stage, which traditional music forbade.

Consequently, during the Cultural Revolution, he was arrested, and he died in 1967.

To listen to some of Jinhuin’s music and see how it has influenced modern musicians, check out this song.