Editing Cui Jian (section)

===1986–1988: The popularity of "Nothing to My Name" and collaboration with ADO===
====Filling the World with Love and "Nothing to My Name"====
{{Listen|filename=YiWuSuoYou sample.ogg|title="Nothing to My Name"|description=Sample of "Nothing to My Name", which sharply contrasts with [[C-pop|Chinese pop music]] of the time.}}

In early 1986, coinciding with the [[International Year of Peace]], Chinese musician [[Guo Feng (musician)|Guo Feng]] organized the recording of the charity song "Filling the World with Love" and planed to hold a concert of the same name convening 100 popular singers in Chinese Mainland to change the stereotypes of popular music.<ref name="piaofang4">{{cite web|work=[[China Newsweek]]|url=http://www.zgxwzk.chinanews.com.cn/2/2016-12-12/3292.shtml|title=摇滚30年，不再坚定但依旧愤怒|language=zh-cn|author=Zhou Fengting|date=December 12, 2016}}</ref><ref name="cuijtj" /> Prompted by this recording, cultural authorities made their first exception for popular music by permitting the organization of the concert.<ref>{{cite thesis|title=改革开放三十年流行音乐发展与价值观变迁|language=zh-cn|date=June 2010|author=Zhang Jiawei|degree=MSc|publisher=[[Beijing Jiaotong University]]}}</ref> At the recommendation of popular singer Wang Di, Cui Jian participated in the concert and applied for a solo segment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jiemian.com/article/641103.html|language=zh-cn|title=被记住的不该只有崔健——也说摇滚三十年|date=May 8, 2016|work=[[Jiemian News]]}}</ref> With the permission of Wang Kun, Cui was able to sing his song "[[Nothing to My Name]]" at the concert.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[China News Service]]|language=zh-cn|author=Zhang Daozheng|url=https://www.chinanews.com.cn/yl/2015/01-29/7017414.shtml|title=崔健忆王昆:她是把中国摇滚乐推到台前的重要人物|date=January 29, 2015}}</ref> The concert took place at Beijing [[Workers' Gymnasium]] on May 9. That evening, the venue was packed to capacity, with "everyone wondering what was going to happen".<ref>{{cite web|date=May 10, 2016|language=zh-cn|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]]}}</ref>

Two minutes before taking the stage, Cui felt his suit was "utterly stifling," so he switched to the [[Changshan|dagua]] belonging to the father of Wang Di.<ref>{{cite web|author=Yin Luona|url=http://www.people.com.cn/24hour/n/2012/1118/c25408-19614131.html|title=崔健越摇滚.越平和|date=November 18, 2012|website=[[People's Daily Online]]|language=zh-cn}}</ref> Because of Cui's disheveled hair, cold look, and his apparel, which were different from the previous "gorgeously dressed" singers with "graceful singing", the audience became chaotic.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=学乖了的中国摇滚|language=zh-cn|pages=22–23|date=2000|issue=6|author=Xue Shan|magazine=Great Stage|publisher=Hebei Art Research Institute|location=[[Hebei]]}}</ref> However, the moment his "hoarse voice" rang out, the audience fell silent immediately.<ref name="cuijtj">{{cite web|url=https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12590418|title=35年前的今天，一场演唱会影响了一代人！|date=May 9, 2021|language=zh-cn|work=[[The Paper (newspaper)|The paper]]}}</ref> Then came applause and whistles, followed by continuous cheers.<ref name="byt" /> Keyboard player Liang Heping recalled that his hair "stood straight on end".<ref name="hanmaodou" /> After the concert, the young people sang his verses and played [[air guitar]] on the streets.<ref>{{cite news|language=de|title=China-Kracher|newspaper=[[Der Tagesspiegel]]|author=Tanja Buntrock|date=July 16, 2001}}</ref><ref name="sbs" /> Official personnel present displayed attitudes diametrically opposed to those of the young audience. An "old revolutionary," after watching Cui's performance, exclaimed angrily, "Now even [[cow demons and snake spirits]] are allowed to take the stage!"<ref name="ngssch" /> a member of Beijing’s Municipal Party Committee said, "How can a young person sing about having nothing to his name? That’s ridiculous! He has [[socialism]]!"<ref name="sbs" /> Wang Kun recalled:<ref name="frs">{{cite thesis|author=Yingxue Huang|title=Yaogun, l'histoire de la musique rock Made in China : création, évolution et perspectives de la musique rock en Chine contemporaine (1980-2011)|url=http://www.theses.fr/2012LYO30056|publisher=[[Jean Moulin University Lyon 3]]|date=September 7, 2012|language=fr|degree=PhD}}</ref>
{{blockquote|Some old [[comrade]]s from [[Yan'an]] left in the concert. Why? I think they were afraid to take responsibility. They asked me: how is it possible, how can such ugly things make a public show? They did not dare to judge, since they had seen that the audience was so enthusiastic, (they chose to leave) without signing me. Another old comrade, who died now, said to me: Wang Kun! Why did you allow that? What do these songs look like?}}

The sampling inspiration for "Nothing to My Name" draws from [[Northwestern China]]'s "[[Xintianyou]]" folk music. Cui Jian incorporated traditional instruments like the [[suona]], [[guzheng]], [[Dizi (instrument)|dizi]], and [[Xiao (flute)|xiao]], while blending elements and rhythms from [[Punk rock|punk]], [[jazz]], [[Afro-pop]], and [[rapping|rap]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_14883836|title=崔健消失，是年轻人的悲哀|date=October 14, 2021|language=zh-cn|work=[[The Paper (newspaper)|The paper]]}}</ref> The song is about a failed love affair, but widely read as a metaphor for the growing estrangement of Chinese youth from the political climate of China.<ref name="jdk" /> Compared with the first-person plural pronoun "we" in [[revolutionary song]]s, the word "I" appears in 28 times out of the song's 42 lines and becomes a liberating call for self-expression.<ref>{{cite web|date=September 13, 2018|work=[[Shanghai Daily]]|author=David Li|title=Enter the founding father of Chinese rock music|url=https://www.shine.cn/feature/entertainment/1809132030/}}</ref> [[BBC]] correspondent Henry Knight described the song as "[[individualism]], experimentation and [[Counterculture|non-conformity]]".<ref>{{cite web|author=Henry Knight|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150602-how-to-be-a-rock-star-in-beijing|title=Inside Beijing's underground rock scene|date=June 2, 2015|work=[[BBC]]}}</ref> Hong Kong news website ''[[HK01]]'' stated that this love song accurately and profoundly depicts the confusion experienced by China's younger generation amid the collapse of social values at the time, as well as their reflections on self-identity amidst dual material and spiritual hardships.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hk01.com/%E6%B7%B1%E5%BA%A6%E5%A0%B1%E9%81%93/763752/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B%E6%90%96%E6%BB%BE%E4%B9%8B%E7%88%B6%E5%B4%94%E5%81%A5-%E5%A6%82%E4%BD%95%E6%88%90%E7%82%BA%E4%B8%80%E4%BB%A3%E4%BA%BA%E7%9A%84%E7%AC%A6%E8%99%9F?itm_source=universal_search&itm_campaign=hk01&itm_content=articles&itm_medium=web|title=中國搖滾之父崔健  如何成為一代人的符號|work=[[HK01]]|language=zh-hant|date=April 27, 2022}}</ref>

His performance has been seen as the moment heralding the birth of Chinese rock 'n' roll,<ref name="id" /> marking a new era in Cui Jian's music career, as he uses this unique rock method to summon a new generation of young people.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Guo  |first=Weiqi |date=2019-05-31 |title=中学语文古典诗歌教学中“以乐写哀”手法例析 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.32629/er.v2i5.1829 |journal=教育研究 |volume=2 |issue=5 |doi=10.32629/er.v2i5.1829 |issn=2630-4686|doi-access=free |language=zh-cn}}</ref> {{ill|Parangalan|zh|胡德夫}}, known as the Father of Taiwanese Folk Songs, thought "the younger generation in mainland China can now write their own songs" after hearing the song.<ref>{{cite web|author=Han Yuting|url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23594038|title=“台湾民谣之父”胡德夫：用音乐力量促进两岸民间交流|date=June 24, 2023|work=[[The Paper (newspaper)|The Paper]]|language=zh-cn}}</ref>

====Follow-up development====
Two months after the concert, "Nothing to My Name" CDs and cassettes hit the market. Cui became China's rock icon.<ref>{{cite web|author=Zhao Xi|url=https://tech.ifeng.com/c/8FGaekNQ33F|title=时代与我们，谁更需要崔健？|website=[[Phoenix Television|Ifeng.com]]|date=April 16, 2022|language=zh-cn}}</ref> In China at that time, "Nothing to My Name" represented a departure in vocal style and alternative musical approach for most young listeners, while prompting profound self-reflection and ideological renewal among the older generation.<ref name="fby" /> Following the fashion style of Cui - long hair, jeans and boots - Chinese young fans cheered wildly and danced in the aisles when he performed this song.<ref>{{cite web|author=Chen Nan|url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2019-09/30/content_37513277.htm|title=Everything to their names|date=September 30, 2019|work=[[China Daily]]}}</ref> [[Peking University]] established the "Peking University Cui Jian Backup Group", the first [[fan club]] in mainland China.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_25227955|title=我们为什么仍然需要摇滚乐？|date=November 9, 2023|language=zh-cn|work=[[The Paper (newspaper)|The paper]]}}</ref> Under the strong endorsement of writer-musician [[Liu Sola]] and scholar {{ill|Li Tuo|zh|李陀}}, Cui and his song "Nothing to My Name" quickly captured the attention of China's cultural circles, with the "Cui Jian phenomenon" becoming a fiercely debated topic in academia.<ref name="byt" /> From this time on, Chinese rock music transitioned from its initially controversial and less recognized "underground era" to a "mainstream era" with substantial youth support.<ref name="knhn" /> Outside of China, Cui enjoyed international acclaim after a television appearance at the [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Olympics in Seoul]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Ben Forrest|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/cui-jian-china-first-rock-star/|title=Cui Jian: China's trailblazing first rock star|website=[[Far Out (website)|Far Out]]|date=February 5, 2024}}</ref> 
{{blockquote|Ask any young person: "What's your favorite pop song?""Wouldn't it be Cui Jian's "Nothing to My Name"?" he replies sheepishly. 
But why? "Because he voices what's in our hearts. Aren't we all just, nothing to our names?"|Ch'iao An, ''{{ill|Global Views Monthly|zh|遠見雜誌}}'' (June 15, 1988)<ref>{{cite magazine|date=June 15, 1988|issue=7|magazine=[[:zh:遠見雜誌|Global Views Monthly]]|language=zh-tw|title=一無所有－流行歌王崔健|url=https://www.gvm.com.tw/article/882|author=Ch'iao An}}</ref>}}

[[Image:Liu Yuan saxophone.jpg|thumb|right|170px|[[Liu Yuan (musician)|Liu Yuan]], a Chinese jazz musician and former member of the bands Qi He Ban and ADO, served as the wind instrumentalist in Cui's band until his death in 2024.]]
Cui participated in a series of benefit concerts for the restoration of Beijing's [[Marco Polo Bridge]] after the 100-Singer Concert of Year of International Peace.<ref name="jamesmann" /> In 1987, the Party launched an ideological campaign against "[[bourgeois liberalization]]".<ref name="sbs" /> Cui was banned from performing for a year after a Beijing performance on 14 January enraged one Party official,<ref name="jdk">{{cite magazine|author=Jeroen de Kloet|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|title=Authenticating Geographies and Temporalities:Representations of Chinese Rock in China|magazine=Visual Anthropology|volume=18|pages=229–255|date=2005|doi=10.1080/08949460590914877}}</ref> forcing him to perform underground during this period.<ref name="rstp">{{cite web|author=Jeroen de Kloet|date=January 2001|title=Red Sonic Trajectories - Popular Music and Youth in China|publisher=[[University of Amsterdam]]|url=https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/3703731/19325_UBA002000519_06.pdf}}</ref> It is generally agreed that this was because he covered "[[Nanniwan]]" in a rock style on that day.<ref name="zjw" />{{Rp|page=130}} American journalist [[James Mann (writer)|James Mann]] reported that Cui was resisted by old officials.<ref name="jamesmann">{{cite web|author=James Mann|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-03-29-mn-1267-story.html|title=Rock Band No Big Hit With Chinese Officials|date=March 29, 1987|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> Some musicians with government background, such as {{ill|Chen Zhiang|zh|陈志昂}}, criticized Cui, even insinuating that he was an "instigator of riots".<ref name="tujinmei">{{cite thesis|author=Tu Jinmei|language=zh-cn|date=April 2008|title=论当代中国摇滚乐反叛性的缺失|degree=MSc|publisher=[[:zh:中国艺术研究院|Chinese National Academy of Arts]]}}</ref> Thus, Cui was forced to withdraw from the Beijing Symphony Orchestra.<ref>{{cite web|date=September 27, 2016|author=Guo Yanbing|url=https://ent.sina.cn/music/yneidi/2016-09-27/detail-ifxwevmf2376442.d.html?from=wap|title=崔健：如果要怀旧 我早就写出20张作品了|work=[[The Beijing News]]|language=zh-cn}}</ref> He began playing regularly with a band, [[ADO (band)|ADO]]. With ADO, Cui managed to support himself by playing at private parties for foreigners, in restaurants, bars, small hotels and the after-hours club at Beijing [[Maxim's]] restaurant.<ref name="lsjsb">{{cite web|date=November 15, 1992|author=Orville Schell|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-15-tm-660-story.html|title=Shake, Rattle, Roll : In Post Tian An Men China, Cui Jian and a Rock and Roll Underground Keep on Playing for Change|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> Cui made a guest appearance in the 1987 TV series ''Football Revelation'', which depicts the [[1985 China v Hong Kong football match|19 May Incident]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Jin Shan|url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1551149|title=巩俐崔健差点掺合中国足球，《红高粱》女主角险些泡汤|date=October 19, 2016|work=[[The Paper (newspaper)|The Paper]]|language=zh-cn}}</ref> In January 1988, Cui successfully staged his debut solo concert with ADO at Beijing's [[Forbidden City Concert Hall|Zhongshan Music Hall]].<ref>{{cite web|work=[[china.org.cn]]|date=September 13, 2010|url=http://big5.china.com.cn/gate/big5/art.china.cn/music/2010-09/13/content_3713056.htm|title=中國搖滾教父崔健：有了他就不再“一無所有”|language=zh-hant}}</ref>