He was an icon of the late 1980s on the mainland, a rock star whose songs like I Have Nothing and A Piece Of Red Cloth about disillusioned young people spoke to the student movement. So when the Tiananmen Square massacre happened, Cui Jian (above) was among many who suddenly found their words no longer welcome. Although he remained based in Beijing and kept on releasing albums, his songs were banned on the mainland until recently, when a 10-year cooling off period was finally over.
When he came across Hong Kong's City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC) during one of their shows in Beijing, he suggested a collaboration but the company was unsure whether the authorities would approve his exit visa. But the green light was given, meaning fans can look forward to his first major appearance since 1989 when he plays at Kwai Tsing Theatre next February 12-19, with a stampede for tickets widely expected. The dance and music show revolves around contemporary Chinese colours, according to CCDC general manager Kwong Wai-lap. 'It is about our culture and civilisation, about two worlds: one in front, one behind. So we use red, yellow and blue. Red, obviously, for Chinese culture, idealism, passion, danger,' Kwong says.
'It is the part of Chinese culture everyone sees. Yellow for an even more overwhelming sweet secular culture. Sweet pop music, for instance, which dominates culture in China. Blue because we think of it as logical, emotional, even philosophical. The show is about finding the intersection of those three modes of existence.' The set consists of a Great Wall which will collapse when the young generation bumps into it. 'And people will be asked to vote for their lives,' says Kwong. Financing - $2 million - is still being sought. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department is interested. After the show in Hong Kong, the company will do a 10-day performance in Beijing. Talks with other countries are under way.
Yet for all Cui Jian's involvement, the performances may be most memorable for the 100 Teresa Tang lookalikes the organisers are attempting to bring in from the mainland, where resembling your favourite pop singer is so hip girls are going to plastic surgeons in droves, says Kwong. Given the fact there will also be karaoke on stage, I'm not quite sure how this all squares with Kwong's statement that 'we really want the show to be a spectacle like a pop concert but with an intellectual element', but there's no doubt it's going to be one of the hottest dance shows of 2001.