Chinese culture stands for much more than Little Apple

Mark Rafalowski, vice-president of the international department of Dick Clark Productions, the organizer of the awards, told Chinese media that the two international awards were established to explore the international market and attract more international audiences. Gong Mei, promotion director at Youku, the leading Chinese video website and a major collaborator with the Chopsticks Brothers, told the media that it was Little Apple’s incredibly high number of Internet hits in China that persuaded the AMA to invite the Chopsticks Brothers to perform at the ceremony.

Like it or not, the massive domestic audience group the Chopsticks Brothers has is undeniable, and that is exactly what the music business, whether at home or abroad, wants. To some extent, the two awards were more like the AMA “woos” the huge Chinese market, rather than recognition of the merits of the song or the performers.

Furthermore, the commercial side of music needs to be separated from the cultural side. I still remember the first time I heard Korean pop singer Psy’s worldwide hit Gangnam Style. Although I knew nothing about the singer and couldn’t understand the lyrics as I don’t speak Korean, the catchy melody and funny dance were amusing.

The music video didn’t leave me with much impression of South Korean culture, but it was fun and I enjoyed it. I have also used Crazy Frog and The Fox as my ringtone, and I didn’t much relate these funny electronic songs to Swedish or Norwegian culture. To me all these are just pop songs; they neither represent nor discredit an entire country’s culture.

There is nothing wrong with being concerned about the development of domestic culture per se, but maybe we can be a little more relaxed about it. Just take it easy: we don’t have to prove anything to the world. Business is business even when it’s the business of culture. But the country has a thriving contemporary culture that can stand on its own two feet and step out into the world when it wants.

The author is a writer with China Daily

wangyiqing@chinadaily.com.cn