This morning we started the day with an incredible lecture and discussion with a guy named Kaiser Kuo. Kaiser, who strangely enough just got back to Beijing from SXSW, was a member of China's first rock band, Tong Dynasty; who had the number 1 album in China in 1992. Up until the 1970's/1980's, China had very little contact with the western world and thus no access to rock music, Kaiser in contrast was an American born Chinese and had had contact with rock music his whole life. In the mid 1980's while studying in Beijing, he and a friend tracked down a music store and began playing a few classis rock songs together:AC/DC, Led Zepplin, etc., within minutes the store had been surrounded and filled by Chinese people off the street who having no previous access to this type music were astounded and intrigued. It was this experience that lead Kaiser to become further involved in rock music in China, as he realized the opportunity that lie for a musician with literally no competition in a country that was starved for rock and roll.
After quitting the band he worked for a variety of internet related companies and continued to produce and manage bands, he is now doing research for a book in which he will address cultural issues and confussions that exist between Americans andChinese. Kaiser has a vast knowledge about China's music scene, intellectual property rights, and Chinese internet culture and made for one of the most interesting and verbally colorful lectures I have ever heard, I wish I had time to thoroughly write about it.....
After the lecture, I had lunch and then visited the Summer Palace. Pictures below.
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