Rock music has existed in China for at least thirty years. It has gone from being a part of the celebrated urban youth culture and achieving great commercial success, to going underground, before coming out again as mainstream. Its musicians, particularly those that stood out back in the days, have become icons. Today, we meet one of them. Kaiser Kuo is an American-Chinese guitarist and writer, who has spent almost thirty years in China.

Starting from scratch...

About 30 years ago, rock music came to China for the first time. It was in those early years that many bands, such as Tang Dynasty and the Panthers, were established. However, the growth of Chinese rock and heavy metal hit some speedbumps in the mainland. Far from being in line with mainstream culture back then, it slid into the underground music scene. But it still remained a remarkable part of Chinese urban culture. Among the rock bands, Tang Dynasty stood out. It was in 1989 that Kaiser Kuo came to China from the US and co-founded the band. Later on, in 2001, he built a new band, known as Spring and Autumn. Together with his friends in rock and metal music, Kuo has spent decades changing the Chinese city music scene, starting with Tang Dynasty.