Red Rock

Jonathan Campbell moved to Beijing from Toronto in 2000 and immersed himself in China's rock scene as a drummer, writer and promoter. He has brought Chinese acts to the world stage and brought overseas bands to China. His writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and the South China Morning Post. He returned to Toronto in 2010. Rock and roll - rebellious, individualistic, explosive - seems incongruent with modern Chinese society. But as the music has evolved from a Western import into something uniquely Chinese, it has shaped and been shaped by China's unique system and its relationship with the outside world. Red Rock looks at the people and events that have created Chinese rock's unique identity and tracks its long journey from the Mao years to the present. After boiling below the surface for over twenty years and now emerging from a thriving underground scene, Chinese rock may be ready to smash its guitars on the global stage.