This chapter examines music censorship in the People’s Republic of China and its relationship to socialist ideology. After assessing the ideology of socialist music in the PRC, the chapter provides some examples of music censorship during the country’s history. It then highlights some of the intricacies and complexities in present-day music censorship in the PRC, including censorship on the Internet. It considers the musical genres that were taken out of the PRC’s soundscape, including Shanghai pop, and the return of pop-style songs after the Cultural Revolution following the adoption of the Reform and Open Policy. It analyzes the factors that explain why rock and roll never quite overcame its marginalized status in the PRC and has always been treated with caution by the state. The chapter concludes by focusing on music censors and censored music in the PRC.
Turning Over a New Leaf: The British Government, the Cultural Revolution, and the Ethnic Chinese Community in Britain, 1967–1968