Jin Zhaojun

b. 1958, Beijing

Music critic

Jin Zhaojun is of China’s most prominent music critics, most notably for his numerous articles on Chinese and Western popular music. His articles have been published in various newspapers and magazines, among them People’s Daily (Renmin ribao), People’s Music (Renmin yinyue), and China’s Broadway (Zhongguo bailaohui). Jin has also published a monograph on Chinese popular music entitled Under the Naked Sun: My Personal Experience of Chinese Popular Music (Guangtianhuari xia de liuxing: qinli Zhongguo liuxing yinyue).

Born in 1958 of Manchu origin, Jin Zhaojun graduated in 1982 from the Chinese Department at Beijing’s Teachers’ College.

In 1986 he became an editor of People’s Music and in 2002 was promoted to run its editorial department. His articles on popular Chinese music constitute an indispensable source for anyone aiming to study the subject. They approach music in a multifaceted way, combining sensitive analysis of the aesthetic, socio-political and economic aspects of music, with critical comments from the point of view of a concerned Chinese intellectual. Although often writing for the most official of newspapers and magazines, he has been able to maintain and articulate independent and original views which are evident, for example, in many sympathetic articles on rock music, a style officially banned in China until the late 1990s. In addition to his work as a music critic, Jin has also been active in planning and organizing large-scale artistic events and television programmes.

Further reading

Baranovitch, Nimrod (2003). China’s New Voices: Popular Music, Ethnicity, Gender, and Politics. Berkeley: University of California Press.

NIMROD BARANOVITCH