Wuhan gets back on its musical feet

Touching messages

People in the city have welcomed the return to normality, with restaurants, shopping malls, factories, and transportation and delivery services gradually recovering.

VOX, although unable to stage live performances, reopened in May for customers wanting to have a drink or drop by to relax.

"I received many touching messages of support from people who said they were looking forward to attending a show at VOX again," Zhu said.

Born and raised in Panzhihua, he became interested in music when he was a boy after watching a Sichuan Opera troupe perform at the machine factory where his father worked.

Zhu learned to play drums as a child, and as the country's rock music scene emerged in the 1980s, he listened to bands such as Black Panther and Tang Dynasty, as well as rock pioneer Cui Jian.

In August 1995, when he was 24, Zhu quit his job at the factory where his father worked. Taking his life savings, he boarded a bus before switching to a train for the 3,000-kilometer, 24-hour journey to Beijing. His destination was the Midi School of Music, the nation's first contemporary music school.

During his training at the school, Zhu decided to devote his life to music. At the institution, he met two students from Wuhan-Wu Wei and Han Lifeng-with whom he formed the punk band SMZB in 1996, which is considered to be the first such outfit in the city.

In 2005, Zhu rented a 170-square-meter bar, which he transformed into VOX. Since then, it has become a leading venue for indie music, in particular attracting students and expatriates living in Wuhan.

"The city lies at the heart of China, making it a destination that is hard to ignore for rock bands planning nationwide tours," said Zhu, who launched VOX venues in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, in 2017, and in Chongqing a year later.

"After all we have been through during the pandemic, it now seems much more meaningful to perform in Wuhan. The city has been brave and has successfully tamed the virus. We're proud of it," Zhu said, adding that performances at VOX in Wuhan are fully booked for summer this year.