Editing Cui Jian (section)

===Early career===
In 1984, Cui released his first album ''Contemporary European and American Popular Jazz Disco''.<ref>{{cite web|date=May 10, 2016|url=https://www.jiemian.com/article/643865.html|title=30年前，摇滚首次登上正式舞台，他用刀子一样嗓音吓坏了所有人|work=[[Jiemian News]]|language=zh-cn}}</ref> Inspired by Simon & Garfunkel and [[John Denver]],<ref name="zgpnz">{{cite web|author=Jamie Merrill|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-s-rock-rebel-cui-jian-gets-the-party-startled-9069621.html|title=China's rock rebel Cui Jian gets the Party startled|work=[[The Independent]]|date=January 19, 2014}}</ref> at the same year Cui formed his first band, Qi He Ban (七合板, literally "Seven-Player Board," a double entendre reference to the seven-member band) with six other classically trained musicians, including the saxophonist/[[suona]] player [[Liu Yuan (musician)|Liu Yuan]]. The seminal band was heavily influenced by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Talking Heads. The band played Western pop music in small restaurants and bars in Beijing and was the first of its kind in China.<ref>{{Cite web |last=网易 |date=2023-12-28 |title=崔健，和他的“知交”们 |url=https://www.163.com/dy/article/IN101OLP05561KL9.html |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=www.163.com}}</ref> They performed their own works—mostly soft rock and love songs—in local hotels and bars. With his band, Cui released his first cassette ''[[Return of the Prodigal (Cui Jian album)|Return of the Prodigal]]'' that same year. The album featured commercial, pop-oriented love songs but also showcased songs with [[Progressive rock|progressive]] and [[folk-rock]] influences, which were fresh and innovative in China at the time.<ref name="wc">{{cite web|author=Scott Savitt|url=https://www.thewirechina.com/2024/02/11/cui-jian-on-the-power-of-rock-n-roll/|title=Cui Jian on the Power of Rock 'N' Roll|work=[[The Wire China]]|date=February 11, 2024}}</ref>

In 1985, the band released another album titled "Cui Jian and Seven-Player Band", which featured a combination of Western [[pop-rock]] as well as new original songs.<ref name="wc" /> That June, under pressure from the authorities, the Qi He Ban band was forced to disband.<ref name="cwr" /> Soon afterwards, Cui wrote his first rock song "It's Not That I Don't Understand",<ref name="zjw" />{{Rp|page=106}} regarded as the earliest ancestor of Chinese [[rap rock]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Zhang Yi|url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1729930|title=嘻哈音乐在中国：刚刚上路，却未老先衰|date=July 12, 2017|language=zh-cn|work=[[The Paper (newspaper)|The paper]]}}</ref> Over the next two years, Cui wrote thirteen songs. In late 1985, the cafeteria of the [[Beijing Film Academy]] hosted a music performance where Cui performed his original song "Rock 'n' Roll on the New Long March". Midway through the set, several [[CBS]] journalists arrived to film "China's rock 'n' roll". Yang Leqiang, member of Qi He Ban, rushed the stage, hoisted Cui onto his shoulders, and students, including future rock musician [[He Yong (rock musician)|He Yong]], chanted, "His name is Cui Jian!"<ref name="cwr" /> He later participated in the "Peacock Cup" vocal competition, with judges including [[Wang Kun (singer)|Wang Kun]] and [[Li Shuangjiang]], but was eliminated in the preliminary round due to his singing style being deemed unacceptable at the time.<ref>{{cite web|author=Li Yi|url=https://ent.sina.cn/music/yneidi/2008-12-26/detail-icesifvx8599369.d.html?from=wap|title=黄小茂：崔健在内地 就是“独一份儿”(图)|work=[[Oriental Morning Post]]|language=zh-cn|date=December 26, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ent.ifeng.com/fcd/special/fulin/news/detail_2013_11/13/31216084_0.shtml|title=付林：崔健曾参加歌唱比赛 评委李双江不识摇滚乐|language=zh-cn|work=[[Phoenix Television|Ifeng.com]]|date=November 13, 2013}}</ref>