In China’s Rock ’n’ Roll City, Music Fans Are Encouraged to Let Their Hair Down—But Not Too Much
Local officials in Shijiazhuang, the country’s spiritual home for rock music, are eager for the economic boost from concerts. They also have zero tolerance for disruptive behavior.
Fans attend a performance at the Rock Home Town festival in Shijiazhuang, China.
Photographer: Andrea Verdelli/Bloomberg
An hour’s train ride southwest of Beijing, the spiritual home of China’s rock music scene is testing whether government efforts to stimulate the economy will run headlong into the Communist Party’s competing interest in controlling public behavior.
The three-month-long Rock Home Town festival is underway in the industrial city of Shijiazhuang, with performances scheduled in parks, bars, at campsites and even on public transport. Local officials sponsoring the jamboree say they want residents to enjoy themselves, boost nightlife businesses and raise the city’s cultural profile.