“every click or search [our users] have done, and any words they have posted on the Internet, have contributed to this report”

The results are presented in top ten popularity lists for everything from “Internet Hot Figures” (No.1, not surprisingly, is fallen Olympic hurdles hero Liu Xiang), through “Internet Hot Key Words” (Sichuan Earthquake) and “Movies” (John Woo historical, Red Cliff).

The top 10 “Musical Singles” list provides as accurate a chart as any as to what China was listening to in 2008. These are the mega-hits – with a predictable trend towards Olympics and Earthquake themes – presented here for you in handy video form:

No.1 : You And Me – Liu Huan & Sarah Brightman

The Olympic theme song, sung at the opening ceremony.

No.2 : The Air – Tan Jing

Another Olympic related song featured at the opening ceremony.

No.3 : Beijing Welcomes You – Various Artists

Sung by 100 artists from around China, this song celebrated the 100 day countdown to the Olympics. It was also played as the torch was being lit during the opening ceremony.

No.4 : Be Together, Alive Or Not – Jackie Chan

Reportedly written in the two days following the May 12th Sichuan earthquake by the staff at BOCOG (Beijing Olympics Organisation Committee). Jackie Chan flew up to Beijing, recorded the song on May 15th, it was receiving nationwide airplay by the 16th.

No.5 : Blue And White Porcelain – Jay Chou

CCTV’s annual Spring Festival TV Gala is a bona fide hit factory. This song benefited from the 200 million+ (approx.) viewership of the 2008 edition, guaranteeing it’s hit status amongst netizens.

No.6 : We Chinese – Various Artists

Another gathering of superstars – including Li Yuchun, He Jie, Su Xing and Yu Haoming – sing for victims of the Sichuan earthquake.

No.7 : Capricorn – Jay Chou

For some reason they have included Jay Chou’s album on a singles chart. His 2008 offering, Capricorn, spawned multiple hits including the two seen on this list.

No.8 : The Rice Aroma – Jay Chou

No.9 : I Know You Will Come – Xiao Ke

Recorded the day after the Sichuan earthquake.

No.10 : Painted Heart – Zhang Liangying

The theme song from the movie Painted Skin, sung by Zhang Liangying, performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra.

© Ed Peto 2009

When Pop Idol imitator ‘SuperGirl’ hit China in 2004, the final was watched by 400 million people. The rush of mobile votes sent the government into a panic and severe restrictions were implemented, preventing the show ever happening in the same format again – The idea of a democratically decided pop show proving too much for a one-party state.

Further down the pecking order, regional TV is a bit more conversational about the idea of coverage but the act really has to be sizeable due to the broad audience – Mass appeal rules. You have to go to the foreign owned stations to find recognisable music programming. MTV has a minute presence in China and has only been granted ‘landing rights’ (access to broadcasting through terrestrial cabling, thereby becoming available to everyone) in Guangdong Province. The most successful foreign-owned music channel in China is a subsidiary of News Corp’s Asia flagship station, Star TV – Channel V. Channel V doesn’t have any landing rights in China, so both it and MTV are essentially satellite stations, available only in foreign designated compounds and three star or above hotels. Their main methods for broadening exposure is through syndication of content and large scale events, such as Channel V’s Summer Shake and the Channel V Chinese Music Awards, the longest running music awards show in China, now in it’s 13th year.

Reliable viewing figures are almost impossible to come by as there is no transparency when it comes to data gathering. The stations themselves are mildly embarrassed about their lack of reach. Excellent brands with poor penetration.

Major labels regularly buy their way into programming for these channels. As with all media, quality is not the deciding factor for coverage. Programme packages have to be paid for to get on air, in most cases by a third party sponsor, so you might have the best half-hour tour documentary in the world but the response from the channels will probably be along the lines of ‘what’s in it for us if we broadcast it?’ Content is not king. Money is.

Radio reads in a similar way. The government is very protective of its airwaves and rules its network of regional licensee stations with a rod of iron, both in broadcast policy and physical presence – The live studios are frequently under armed guard for fear of them being stormed by subversives. Radio’s potential potency is well highlighted when you consider the millions of new cars pouring on to China’s roads every year, with a thousand new cars a day on Beijing’s roads alone.

Despite the increasing importance of radio as a medium, the country’s radio programming remains in the stone age with very little choice available to the listener. Western music, in the few places it is played, is almost entirely restricted to UK and US Top 40 acts. There have been attempts by foreign companies to come in and shake things up a little. In 2003 Virgin Radio made a pioneering half million USD deal with China Radio International (CRI) to re-launch it’s Beijing western music station, HitFM. After a year of excellent programming, CRI decided to increase its asking price eightfold. Virgin obviously pulled out immediately.

Stations like HitFM (which remains the only real western music station in Beijing) are open to the idea of a few spins and an interview around a tour but this requires good connections within the station. Unsolicited contact is fairly futile.

© Ed Peto 2007

NOTE: This is an extract from the ‘Access China’ report commissioned by UK Trade and Industry Department and British Underground.